Hunter S. Thompson and American Counter culture - Essay Example

Thompson a representative of the American counter culture. This question is answered and information and current literature is presented to support the answer. Hunter Stockton Thompson was born in Louisville Kentucky in 1937. Thompson grew up in the Cherokee Triangle neighborhood. and attended Louisville Male High School there and lived with his parents, Jack and Virginia and two brothers, Dawson and James. His father's death left the three boys to be brought up by their mother. Thompson's mother was a heavy drinker and Thompson experienced a troubled youth.

He was a troubled boy and even had problems with the law at any early age. "Thompson's difficult youth, and its influence on his behavior and the development of his misanthropic worldview, has not received significant literary exploration." (Wikipedia 2005) It has been said of Hunter S. Thompson that he was a 'bad' influence of the best kind. Ernest Hemingway said a writer needs a BS detector and Thompson had one of the most finely tuned BS detectors of all time. Hunter continued to write until he took his own life in February of 2005. 193. He had several nicknames including Doctor, Gonzo and Raoul Duke.

The name Raul Duke spawned from the character of Duke in Gary Trudeau's comic strip Doonesbury that was modeled after Thompson. Thompson changed the world of journalism and his unique and subjective style of writing was coined Gonzo journalism. In fact he is routinely mentioned with the age of new journalism due to his unique and abrasive style of writing. It is also extremely rare to see Thompson's name and not see it credited with American counterculture. There I nary an instance where you will see Thompson's name and not see Gonzo or counterculture.

That is how influential and powerful his writing style was and how strong his messages were conveyed in his writing through his writing style. Thompson had more than a unique and one of a kind writing style. His persona was eccentric and his trademark look was that he always had a cigarette holder in his mouth, with yellow/orange aviator glasses and Hawaiian shirts with khaki or camo pants. Everything about Thompson from his writing style to his character set him apart from everyone else. His biography describes him as "The American journalist".

This is due largely to his contribution t American counterculture He was known as one of the best examples of "Gonzo" journalism because of His political and cultural criticism of the United States in the 1970s was largely a series of tales flowing from his eccentric personality and adventures. (Bookragsd.com 2005)It was after his troubled youth that he joined the Air Force, where the two major tendencies in his life were soon revealed: writing and outrageous behavior. (Bookrags.com 2005) Stationed in Florida, he became a sports reporter for the base newspaper.

In 1958 he received a dishonorable discharge after an officer claimed his disregard for military dress and authority was having a bad influence on other airmen. After being fired from jobs with a small New York newspaper and TIME magazine, Thompson went to Puerto Rico and wrote briefly for a bowling magazine." (Wikipedia 2005) Thompson and everything he wrote epitomized American counterculture. "Thompson lived, wrote, and ultimately died of his own terms. " (Gaudette February