In "The Rum Diary" by Hunter S. Thompson, the narrator expresses a violent fantasy regarding salesmen, revealing an intense frustration towards their intrusive and often overly aggressive demeanor. This urge to physically strike one is a metaphor for a deeper dissatisfaction with the commercial and superficial nature of society. It highlights the narrator's struggle against the pervasive influence of consumerism and the pressure to conform to societal expectations.

Through this quote, Thompson critiques the unsettling aspects of capitalist culture that reduce human interactions to transactions. The imagined confrontation illustrates a clash between individual authenticity and the relentless push of commercial interests, where the narrator longs for authenticity and connection in a world overwhelmed by salesmanship and deception.