Examples Of Cheating In Las Vegas

Jake Schneider

AMS 205

Professor Hamlin

2 April 2023

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Over the past several weeks, the majority of class discussion has focused on what the American Dream is as well as its development through the decades. The American Dream has been defined as the idea of reaching a point of success or personal gain through perseverance and hard work. In class it has been explained that the ideals behind the American dream can vary across the population, and that one person’s version of the American dream may be different from that of their neighbor. The 1950s in the United States has been referred to as the era in which the achievement of the American Dream was most visible. In the years following the 50s, American culture

Gonzo on their journey to Las Vegas to write a story on the Mint 400; an off-road motorcycle race in the desert outside of Las Vegas. However the coverage of the motorcycle race is short lived and the two characters end up going on a drug fueled adventure through Las Vegas. While on their delirious expedition the pair partake in reckless behavior and interact with various characters along the way such as Mr. Heem, the Mint Hotel manager and Dr. Bloomquist. As the story progresses, the two become further detached from society and reality as a whole as a result of their constant drug usage. The uncontrolled drug use led to Duke and Dr. Gonzo’s engagement in an unreasonable amount of gambling, drinking, and uncontrolled encounters with other people and locations along their

Thompson is critical towards the idea of an “American Dream”. In the novel Thompson goes on to suggest that the American Dream is a dead concept, and that changes to American culture, especially the counterculture movement, have made it increasingly difficult to attain. In particular, Thompson blames the downfall of the American Dream on the emergent obsession with material wealth. Thompson goes on to hint that this obsession has since resulted in the disregard of traditional values which at one point guided and supported the American Dream. Essentially, Thompson is saying that the American Dream is the concept of an era when values were still taught and respected, and that it is no longer existent in 1970. Thompson is also very critical of the counterculture movement which emerged across the United States during the 1960s and 70s. The author suggests that the counterculture movement promoted greed by insisting that personal benefit and freedoms are more important than the conventional values of the past. It was stated within the novel, “In a scene where nobody with any ambition is really what he appears to be, there’s not much risk in acting like a king-hell freak” (Fear, 190). To me means that there is a clear absence of good moral character in business which has resulted in a very low standard of truth in the field; that good virtue is not of real importance. This was seen in the novel when Duke was still able to