Hotel California details how numbing the American Dream can actually be. The song tells the story of a lonesome traveler wandering through the middle of nowhere and coming across the “Hotel California”. However, as the song progresses, the out of touch nature of the hotel begins to grow on the protagonist to the point where he wishes to return to his prior life, but cannot. This song, while emphasizing on the fame related side of the success, is an excellent analogy for the secret costs of the American Dream. At the beginning of the song, a stranger stumbles upon the Hotel California and is kindly (and surreally) greeted by the staff. This represents the enticing feeling of succeeding, one that is comforting, and welcoming. Furthermore, there are numerous references to materialism along with the free …show more content…
It is not, however, until the end of the song, where the true nature of these events reveal themselves. This lifestyle has consumed them, and while it was exciting while it lasted, it has taken its toll as, as seen in the line, “We are all just prisoners here, of our own device". This lifestyle was a conscience choice of the protagonist (as well as the fellow customers at the hotel), and it was his desires which continued to numb his own life from what it was. Finally, the unsettling realization that their lifestyle can never be how they were before becomes ever so real in the lines, “They stab it with their steely knives / But they just can't kill the beast” along with “"We are programmed to receive / You can check-out any time you like / But you can never leave!" Moreover, this lifestyle these people choose to live was addicting, and enjoyable, until they understood that they are no longer who they were, or perhaps even who they wanted to be, and yet they are too far gone to return to how they used to live. This song shows how addicting the American Dream can be, along with the destruction it can