Chapter XXI The Fugitive Summary and Analysis

Kesey makes his way into Mexico with Boise and his van. Zonker and Jim Fish come along for the ride. The border is easy to pass and obtaining a visa presents no problem. Fish decides to return to the States, as does Boise after depositing Kesey, Zonker and a young woman, whom Kesey names Black Maria, in Puerto Vallarta. Here Kesey becomes engulfed in paranoia, a game where he imagines the police are about to capture him, and he runs into the jungle for a few days. Black Maria signals that the coast is clear for him to return by hanging one of Zonker's bright yellow shirts on the outside clothesline.

Wolfe's style attempts to bring the reader into Kesey's mind, zooming along on amphetamines and marijuana. The narrative often jumps about through incomplete concepts...