Remembering
Hunter
Courtesy of Amazon.com
The Rum Diary' is a look into Thompson's youth.
`Diary' a look at author's younger days
While America has recently
lost one of its most controversial
and influential writers, Hunter S.
Thompson's legend and works
will undoubtedly live on forever.
Thompson is perhaps best
know for his work Fear and
Loathing in Las Vegas, which
was later made into a movie that
never rivaled the book
But Thompson has written at
least a dozen other novels, which
are often not widely recognized,
such as The Rum Diary.
Written by Thompson at the
age of 22, the book is an interest
ing glimpse into his early years
filled with just as much drinking,
sex and the usual bizarre antics
as are to be expected from the
"Gonzo" journalist.
Chronicling his years working
for the'San Juan Daily News in
Reviewed by Paige Reddinger
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
perl2o@psu.edu
Thompson creates a work that portrays a
young man in his twenties struggling between
the carefree attitude of youth and the need for
solidarity
Puerto Rico, Thompson portrays
the plight of a young journalist
thrown into the chaotic world of
a struggling newspaper.
Thompson and his group of
friends attempt to keep the
newspaper afloat while soaking
up the Puerto Rican sun, picking
up women and drinking the
island dry.
Though their salary is hardly
enough to feed them, let alone
support their hell-raising
lifestyles, they manage to get
around it by taking advantage of
the locals.
Of course, they take advan-
tage of each other as well.
Beneath the story of a group
of wild reporters trying to keep a
newspaper from bankruptcy, is
the story of a passionate love tri
angle.
Thompson falls for Chenault,
the beautiful young girl that hap
pens to be the girlfriend of his
closest friend.
Thompson's portrayal of his
female characters often show
them to be irresistible objects of
his desire and rarely anything
more, there is something vulner
able in his relationship with
Chenault that reveals another
depth to the author.
Thompson, of course, does not
fail to occasionally demean her,
but he dearly wavers between
Courtesy of HST archives
Hunter S. Thompson was noted for his unique style.
his feelings for her and his
desire to be free
This wavering feeling is one
that pervades the whole book
Thompson wavers with
Chenault and almost all the
characters waver in between
staying and enjoying Puerto
Rico or returning home to get
serious jobs with real opportuni
ty
This wavering sets the
rhythm for the book, giving it at
once both a stifling and liberated
feel.
In The Rum Diary, Thomp
son creates a work that portrays
a young man in his twenties
struggling between the carefree
attitude of youth and the need
for solidarity.
It is a passionate, endearing
look into the early life of a man
that would forever be in need of
freedom and who would leave
his mark on American society
forever