I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell is definitely one of the most hilarious novels I have read in my lifetime yet I do not recommend it to anyone of the female sex unless you want to be highly offended. The author of this book, Tucker Max, has recently become my hero and I can honestly say he is not someone one should look up to, yet many people most definitely do. This book is very unorthodox and one of the strongest reoccurring symbols in this novel is alcohol, the other symbols I feel are inappropriate for this blog, if you have read any of Tucker Max's work then you know exactly what I am talking about.
Alcohol is used in this book as a symbol for many things each of them more absurd then the next. The first thing alcohol symbolizes in this book is the release from reality, or the separation of responsibility. Tucker Max is one to get excessively drunk at very inappropriate times and he uses this as an excuse to act out in a very horrible yet hilarious manner. Through alcohol consumption Tucker Max is able to ascend to a state where he is separated from almost all responsibility and can act however he chooses, this of course is not a good role model. Tucker Max wakes up in situations where he has no choice but to assume that what he believed happened was actually what took place even though it seems as if there was no way that a situation like that could happen to a real person. The fact is that he still goes back to drinking despite these situations which brings on the next concept that alcohol symbolizes.
Alcohol also symbolizes, to Tucker Max, happiness or a sense of self-gratification. Tucker Max is always on the quest for self-gratification and the easiest way for him to achieve such seems to be through excessive drinking. Throughout the book Tucker Max is always on the prowl for alcohol, preferably free, and when he gets it he reaches his "happiness" it seems that he cant be happy unless drunk, making others feel like crap, or fornicating the latter two usually come hand and hand with being drunk anyway. Tucker Max doesnt seem to achieve happiness solely through being drunk but through the events that are sure to follow him while he is drunk. Despite this alcohol is always the first step and alcohol is the reason for most of Tucker Max's happiness.
Lastly alcohol in this book symbolizes a sense of masculinity. Alcohol in many facets of this book is used for competition between males, and sometimes between males and females. The more you can drink or the better you can hold you liquor symbolizes a higher dominance or the more masculine a person is and thus a higher state of popularity, or at least that is the case in this novel. For example Tucker Max buys a pocket breathalyzer and sets a goal to blow a 0.20 BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) level. Tucker Max drinks aggressively the entire night while showing off his breathalyzer and his BAC level which makes him quite popular around everyone and it certainly amuses him that he is the life of the party. When he finally hits his insane goal of .20 he is a god among men to his peers and is definitely very happy, at this point a larger more muscular male blows a .22. This of course makes Tucker Max less popular and a lot less happy, this sparks a dangerous competition between these two men. Tucker tries and tries but cannot beat the other man, this kills him, and his ego, but he is too wasted to know which way the sky is and ends up passed out in his car. This shows how alcohol symbolizes masculinity and likability among men. \
Alcohol is the fuel of this book. Tucker Max is always on the prowl for some and it makes the book great. It is the reason of most of the insane situations in this book and without it this book would be nothing. Tucker Max's world only revolves around a few things, and alcohol is definitely one of them.
Alcohol is used in this book as a symbol for many things each of them more absurd then the next. The first thing alcohol symbolizes in this book is the release from reality, or the separation of responsibility. Tucker Max is one to get excessively drunk at very inappropriate times and he uses this as an excuse to act out in a very horrible yet hilarious manner. Through alcohol consumption Tucker Max is able to ascend to a state where he is separated from almost all responsibility and can act however he chooses, this of course is not a good role model. Tucker Max wakes up in situations where he has no choice but to assume that what he believed happened was actually what took place even though it seems as if there was no way that a situation like that could happen to a real person. The fact is that he still goes back to drinking despite these situations which brings on the next concept that alcohol symbolizes.
Alcohol also symbolizes, to Tucker Max, happiness or a sense of self-gratification. Tucker Max is always on the quest for self-gratification and the easiest way for him to achieve such seems to be through excessive drinking. Throughout the book Tucker Max is always on the prowl for alcohol, preferably free, and when he gets it he reaches his "happiness" it seems that he cant be happy unless drunk, making others feel like crap, or fornicating the latter two usually come hand and hand with being drunk anyway. Tucker Max doesnt seem to achieve happiness solely through being drunk but through the events that are sure to follow him while he is drunk. Despite this alcohol is always the first step and alcohol is the reason for most of Tucker Max's happiness.
Lastly alcohol in this book symbolizes a sense of masculinity. Alcohol in many facets of this book is used for competition between males, and sometimes between males and females. The more you can drink or the better you can hold you liquor symbolizes a higher dominance or the more masculine a person is and thus a higher state of popularity, or at least that is the case in this novel. For example Tucker Max buys a pocket breathalyzer and sets a goal to blow a 0.20 BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) level. Tucker Max drinks aggressively the entire night while showing off his breathalyzer and his BAC level which makes him quite popular around everyone and it certainly amuses him that he is the life of the party. When he finally hits his insane goal of .20 he is a god among men to his peers and is definitely very happy, at this point a larger more muscular male blows a .22. This of course makes Tucker Max less popular and a lot less happy, this sparks a dangerous competition between these two men. Tucker tries and tries but cannot beat the other man, this kills him, and his ego, but he is too wasted to know which way the sky is and ends up passed out in his car. This shows how alcohol symbolizes masculinity and likability among men. \
Alcohol is the fuel of this book. Tucker Max is always on the prowl for some and it makes the book great. It is the reason of most of the insane situations in this book and without it this book would be nothing. Tucker Max's world only revolves around a few things, and alcohol is definitely one of them.
RJ, You know that this is the most inappropriate choice to write about. I really hope you know not to choose this to write about on Exam day. Remember to choose works from the AP list to even get a score! I did understand your symbolism of alcohol, but stick to the list.
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