On Tom Paine's Scar Vegas
Mrs. Lady Luck, Who?
Tom Paine’s “Scar Vegas” takes place in a cheap Las Vegas hotel in the late twentieth century and shows the depressing life of a lonely ex-con. Traveling from Texas to Las Vegas for his sister’s wedding, Johnny Loop emerges as a simple, unlucky, depressed cowboy. Time after time it seems that Loop gets the short end of the stick. His dysfunctional background shapes his attitudes and interactions with others. Ironic, but a depressing ending leaves him helpless, alone, and frustrated. Sadly, it becomes obvious that he is not going to be able to turn his life around.
Loop’s relationship with his sister is complex and distant. Their conversations often are awkward and sad: “’How come you never tell this guy you got a brother?’ “You was in prison.’ ‘So,’ I says. ‘Lot of people in prison. I’m your only family.’ ‘So she says. The sky is white and sick with heat. ‘Nice dress,’ I says”(128). Avoiding what they are trying to say, they often......
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Approximate Word Count: 954
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |