Leaving Las Vegas: A Great Work of Art?.
John O"Brien's novel and Mike Figis" film, Leaving Las Vegas, could be taken as conveying an authentic vision of life because it represents the culture of Las Vegas and the life of alcoholism and prostitution. This is not enough to support this novel as being a great work of art. When reading the novel, the text does not disappear, and it does not become a transparent medium or vehicle through which experience can be seized and understood. It is far too difficult to relate to the characters of the story and to get involved with the story. Three main reasons why the reader cannot have a representative experience while reading this novel is the foul and distracting language, the individuals deliberate emptiness, and the materialistic consummation (characters are consumed in worldly immoral things).
The language that an author chooses to use in a novel plays an important role in providing the reader with a clear picture. The constant and persistent cursing in the novel is extremely distracting from the story being told. Besides the profanity, the novel referred to Sera and Sabrina as having made love three times. The word making love is misused in this novel. When this novel refers to love; it actually is referring to infatuation. Another word that appears many times in the film and the novel, is angel. An angel is something or someone that is holy and heavenly, and this story is dark and about death. Ben felt that Sera was his angel, and in the novel it says, "she is like an angel visiting from one of his drunk fantasies." Another aspect of the film that was profane was the wordy disturbing sex-scenes and the scenes in the strip clubs. They were meant for the reader to paint a picture in their minds; to fully understand how corrupt and disrupted these peoples lives were. The reader could have been told more briefly of the disgust, greed, and conceit found in Las Vegas, rather than have to read offensive and descriptive language.