Hotel California

Hotel California, in my view, although it appears initially as an earthly paradise, is actually one with the hellish hotel in No Exit. An extended metaphor for the Southern California mindset and the materialistic Los Angeles lifestyle, the hotel traps those who come seeking its glitz, glamor and superficial warmth –or rather, provides the setting in which they trap themselves. An artificial substitute for an ever receding real life, the hotel is a place where (as in No Exit) you can “check out” any time you like, but you can never leave.