Part 1, Life Styles in the Golden Land, Marrying Absurd: Summary and Analysis

Las Vegas is a place where a couple of kids can go and get married for only a few dollars, as long as they have their parent's permission or are of a legal age. Marriage is a big business in Las Vegas, with many chapels specifically advertising cheap weddings. Despite this cheap and quick attitude toward the institution of marriage, many people still appear to take care in their wedding planning, wearing lace and inviting friends to stand up as bridesmaids. Once, while in Vegas, Didion overheard a girl who could hardly be sixteen and was clearly pregnant announce that her quick Vegas wedding had been everything she had ever imagined it would be.

Didion writes this essay with a clear opinion that Las Vegas...