The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test Analysis

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Tom Wolf s "The Electric Kool Aid Acid test" explores the magnificent and mysterious world of an age long gone but definitely not forgotten. An age of testing the boundaries of not only the human conscience but of social awareness and tolerance. An age in which seemingly anything could happen and through the eyes of a new generation of visionaries an age of enchantment and personal empowerment. I m talking about none other than the nineteen sixties. Hippies, Hell s Angels, psychoactive drugs and a new way of thinking for a new kind of culture. This is a very in depth account of the underground drug culture s emergence in San Francisco. Not only a look at the movement from the outside but a rather compelling perspective drawn from the innards…show more content…
These so called intellectuals put their minds in Kessy s hands and he in turn becomes the leader and organizer of the LSD induced vision shared by all. Before long the community becomes dissolved and Kessy, enjoying profits from his first published novel "One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest" moves on to live in a house secluded by the woods in La Honda, CA. The house comes to be known as a safe haven for drug use and Kessy is the king in his own realm. He is the owner of the property and the supplier of the drugs and if you want to experience these things he will tell you how to do it. Wolf describes all this wonderfully as you feel the gravitational power of Kessy s charisma pulling something together out of nowhere. The group of people drawn in by Kessy and the LSD come to be known as the Merry Pranksters. They are a strange group and are consumed with the LSD experience. The Pranksters come from sorted histories but eventually merge together, the intellects, visionaries, and weirdo s. By this time we begin to see the first signs of social awareness of what is going…show more content…
Is it because The Pranksters wanted to show the world what they were about? Was there any political motivation or concern on any issues of that era? Not really. For Kessy the crusade seems to be pretty obscure and the pranksters just want to follow along and get some ya ya s. Kessy seems to be really intense and focused but we still don t really know what he is chasing. Does Ken just want to be a super hero or does he want to lead the whole world into some kind of new existence? Tom wolf s portrayal of this unusual pioneering group of hippies shows us that the Pranksters just wanted to enjoy life, they did not have any overwhelming need to go out and change the world. Perhaps they felt some kind of need for understanding or maybe they just got off on messing with people. Maybe the Pranksters just wanted to be part of something and what ever it was they trusted Ken to lead it. After many adventures in taking LSD and traveling through the country the Pranksters and Kessy return to Ken s house in La Honda. With growing curiosity and concerned neighbors police involvement is eminent. Kessy gets his first conviction for possession of marijuana, but manages to evade other drug charges for more serious
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