Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Now, we're not living in as sick and distorted a fantasy world as Perry and Dick, but we all know how it is to feel, say, that if we could only get those Marc Jacobs sunglasses or that acceptance letter from Yale, then we'd be beautiful and life would be perfect.
Perry and Dick are convinced that Mexico will be a place where they can live in luxury on the cheap. It's their idea of the ultimate escape—a literal escape, in their case.
COZUMEL, an island off the coast of Yucatan, where, he [Perry] had read in a men's magazine, you could "shed your clothes, put on a relaxed grin, live like a Rajah, and have all the women you want for $50-a-month!" (1.21)
But like all fantasies, this one's not all it's cracked up to be. Sure, the beaches are warm and the weather's great, but the wages are low and before long they're broke again. Their Mexico is a dead-end job, seedy hotel and down-and-out women. Perry and Dick's Mexico symbolizes everyone's unrealistic hopes and shattered dreams. Reality bites.