 Towards the end of the novel Fleming uses the lines "Death is forever.But so are diamonds", and Benson sees the gems as a metaphor for death and Bond as the "messenger of death".The journalist and author Christopher Hitchens observes that "the central paradox of the classic Bond stories is that, although superficially devoted to the Anglo-American war against communism, they are full of contempt and resentment for America and Americans"; Benson sees that "Diamonds Are Forever" contains examples of Fleming's feelings of superiority towards American culture, including his description of the sleaziness of Las Vegas.