The American Dream in Hunter S. Thompson's, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

“In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile- and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely.  We owe that to ourselves and our crippled self-image as something better than a nation of panicked sheep” (Thompson).  This quotation is from Hunter S. Thompson’s 1979 novel, The Great Shark Hunt.  Through this quotation we immediately feel Thompson’s ideas towards society and America’s perception of prosperity, upward mobility and the American Dream.  Literature proves to us time and time again, throughout the course of history that the American dream is an unattainable idea, this idea of prosperity and equal opportunity is not possible for every American.  The American dream is a pretend idea created by our founding fathers to get people to work hard and do their job without opposition or question.  The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  These ideas are what have driven this nation, and this is why people have flocked to America in search for a better life- they believed in The American Dream.   

Every American adult has heard the term, but when it comes down to it- what exactly is the American dream?  The American dream holds an array if meanings for many people, but there is one main connotation that shines through when thinking about this term.  Investopedia defines the American Dream as, “the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone.  The American dream is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking and hard work, not by chance” (Investopedia).  This idea is most prevalent when people are searching for enlightenment.  They’re searching for a hopeful idea that if they work hard enough, all of their pain and suffering will be worth it in the end.  The American dream in a way is meant to keep America sane as we work and work for something that is not guaranteed. Although this concept is very comforting, it is not all that it appears to be; in fact the so-called “American Dream” does not really exist at all.  We see that the American dream is not a living idea through close reading analysis of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream as well as gaining an understanding of Hunter S. Thompson and America in the 1960s.  

Transitioning through time we see the idea of the unattainable dream brought up in Hunter S. Thompson’s 1971 novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  This novel was heavily influenced by the 1960s and all that was going on during this time period.  The 1960s was a time for new life and change through practices such as “sit-ins, freedom rides, and protest marches to fight segregation, poverty, and unemployment.  Feminists demanded equal job opportunities and an end to sexual discrimination in voting, education and employment” (Mintz 1960s).  Also protesting discrimination and demanding equality were African Americans, Native Americans and Mexican Americans.  This time was very important to many different American groups, it was a time to leave behind the old ideas about segregation and inequality and move forward to the ideals of the future.  This time period was full of change and prosperity; a time of experience and love as well as evolution of social justice.  It becomes all too real that hard work and determination alone will not always get you to the top.  Inequality was very prevalent during this time.  If the American dream were so real, then why would it discriminate against fellow U.S. citizens?  Instances like this make this idea a hard one to grasp and even harder to believe in.        

Hunter S. Thompson’s background is important to take into consideration when thinking about his take on the “American Dream”.  In a letter in 1968, three years before Fear and Loathing, he proposed a new book, to “be made up of existing individuals whose lives, words, actions, fears, hatreds, etc. Best illuminate the various keys we need to show how and why the American Dream is dead” (Thompson A&E Television).  According to this quotation, Thompson already thinks that the American Dream is dead.  Writing throughout the 1960s, it’s not hard to see why he would believe this.    

Thompson writes Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in reflection of himself, a term called, Gonzo Journalism.  The main character, Duke goes on a quest to discover and understand the American Dream.  He figures that if this dream could be a reality, the best place for it to thrive would be in Sin City.  He does not accept the ideas of Alger, those being, hard work and the “rags-to-riches” stories.  Duke views this idea as both dated and undesirable.  Duke can’t help but wonder- if these ideas are dated, what should replace them in the modern world?  He believes that social movements happening throughout the 1960s were attempts to reframe this idea of the American Dream for the next generation.  His journey to Las Vegas is viewed as a continuation of this process of altering and discovering a modern view of the American Dream.  The American dream could still exist in certain ways, as there are “fantastic possibilities of life in this country- but only for those with true grit” (Thompson 18).  Thompson doesn’t deny the fact that things are possible, if you want something bad enough there are ways of getting it.  True grit is required, and that’s not an attainable trait for all, it takes a certain kind of person to be truly rough and tough.  Thompson realizes that one can get what they want by not only being deceitful but also simply through the act of luck.  At one point early on in the book, Duke realizes that he is in the middle of the American dream, or his search for the truth of one.                 

“Jesus, just one hour ago we were sitting over there in that stinking baiginio, stone broke and paralyzed for the weekend, when a call comes through from some total stranger in New York, telling me to go to Las Vegas and expenses be damned- and then he sends me over to some office in Beverly hills where another total stranger gives me $300 raw cash for no reason at all… I tell you my man, this is the American Dream in action! We’d be fools not to ride this strange torpedo all the way out to the end” (Thompson 11)

Throughout their journey Duke and Gonzo demonstrate that they can travel to Las Vegas, with no work ethic or determination as well as all of the other things that are said to be needed in order to obtain the American dream, and still seem to live like Kings.  They obtain this lifestyle solely through true grit and by being sly and convincing, all of which are qualities that although may be easy, they are not honorable.  This is a perfect example of Thompson’s ideas and how he believes that the American dream no longer exists.  People can obtain rich and lucrative lifestyles with virtually no work at all, while other people can work hard for their entire lives and never see upward mobility.   

In theory the American dream seems to be a wonderful idea where everyone can benefit.  But in reality, not everyone can benefit and not everyone can see upward mobility.  So I ask again, what is the American dream- a fabricated illusion by the founders of this country to promote good work ethic and hopefulness in a trying time?  Through good times and bad, the American dream does not hold true.   More often than not we see in literature as well as in reality that the idea of this dream is unattainable for many.  The bad guys seem to rise up and prosper for a little while, but they’re lacking self-fulfillment.  While those who take the honorable route strive to have a better life than their parents had through hard work and determination, are left poverty stricken and on the unemployment line.  Not everyone has equal opportunity or equal standing in this life.  Reality is harsh and the American dream tries to cover that cruel truth from us. 

Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. New York: Random House Inc. , 1971.

“American Dream.” Investopedia. 2015. Web. 5 May 2015.

Mintz, S., & McNeil, S. (2013). Overview of the 1960s. Digital History. Retrieved April 2015.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=17&smtid=1

"Hunter S. Thompson." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.