IR Blog Post 1

During a time where drugs and the counterculture were the center of life for most, Raoul Duke, a journalist, and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo definitely symbolize the epitome of adventure and experimentation in the 1970's. These two gentleman set off on a road trip to write about the 400 Mint Desert Race. In the preface, Hunter S. Thompson quotes Samuel Jackson, "He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." Raoul initially comes off to the reader, as making a beast of himself. The collection of drugs hidden in the trunk of his car, listed at the start of the story, are enough to give one the idea that the counterculture was a big part of Raoul's life. This leads us to believe that he is truly making himself a beast, someone completely different than himself, to escape the pain of being a man. 

The pain that comes along with being a human cannot be compared between individuals. No matter what kind of pain or hurt someone feels, there is always a reason behind their hurt. For someone to go out of their way to make a "beast" of themselves, just to escape pain, in my opinion, must have been traumatized in some shape or form. I am interested to find out what kind of experiences Raoul had before the starting point of the novel.