Point of View

As a memoir, Fear and Loathing is narrated in the first person by its writer, Hunter S. Thompson. This technique allows the reader to gain an insight into Thompson's mental processes as the story unfolds. Such intimacy with the author is particularly useful in a text such as this one. Thompson's behavior, due to his drug consumption, is often erratic and nonsensical; however, with the aid of his commentary, the reader is able to follow the story with greater ease.

It must be understood, however, that Thompson is narrating Fear and Loathing retroactively. Given the amount of drugs he reports consuming, his thoughts could not have been nearly as lucid at the time as they are in the text. Thompson, therefore, is forced to sacrifice a certain amount of accuracy in order to tell an intelligible story.

Setting

The setting of the text, as its title...