Response to Los Angeles Times Article on “The Day of the Locust”

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-caw-paperback-writers16-2009aug16-story.html

Los Angeles Times writer Richard Rayner reviewed Nathaneal West’s novel “The Day of the Locust”. Richard Rayner worships West’s depiction of 1939 America in “The Day of the Locust” stating “West crystallized it” (Rayner). Besides his admiration towards the novel, Rayner makes many arguments throughout the article some with which I agree, and some which I disagree.

The first point Rayner argues is that “West’s book is … reflecting the anger, disappointment and violence that bubble and simmer beneath the city’s welcoming and glassy surface” (Rayner). Rayner could not more accurately depict “The Day of the Locust”. The reader is first introduced to this idea in the very beginning pages of the novel as West describes the people of Los Angeles: “The fat lady in the yachting cap was going shopping, not boating; the man in the Norfolk jacket and Tyrolean hat was returning, not from a mountain, but an insurance office” (West 60). These people that make up the city represent the disappointment under their glamorous appearances. Their lives seem exciting and grand but they are really just partaking in normal day to day activities. The city they reside in takes upon these same characteristics. Not only does West show this idea through metaphors, but also through the lives of his characters. Tod Hackett, a main character of the novel, lives a life that seems fabulous on the surface but when looked at more closely is angry, disappointing and violent. If a person were to look at Tod on paper, they would be greatly impressed: “A talent scout for National Films had brought Tod to the coast” (West 60). As the novel continues, Tod’s true personality shows through. He lacks respect toward women and has violent intentions toward them. In two instances, Tod wished to attack Faye: “Nothing less violent than rape would do” (West 107) and “He reached for her ankle to pull her down, but missed… If he caught her now, she wouldn’t escape” (West 117). Much like the characters introduced in the beginning of the novel, Tod’s lifestyle represents the city as a whole. Finally, West reveals the true image of Los Angeles explicitly as he describes it through Tod’s painting “The Burning of Los Angeles”. The painting depicts a city on fire containing a chaotic mob. This painting symbolically portrays West’s view of the city.

The next point Rayner argues is in regards to Faye and immoral actions that “West in no way condemns her” (Rayner). While Faye gets away with her actions in “The Day of the Locust”, I disagree that West does not condemn her. Throughout the novel, West is quick to point out Faye’s ignorance and cruelty. In the beginning of “The Day of the Locust”, Faye’s father is very sick. West describes the scene in which Faye discovered his passing almost comically in that Faye was so focused on herself she did not notice her father was already dead: “She realized he must be pretty sick. She didn’t turn around because she noticed what looked like the beginning of a pimple” (West 122). In another scene of the novel, Faye shares with her guests her dreams of becoming an actress. As she describes her dreams, West mockingly describes her: “It was as though her body recognized how foolish her words were” (West 159). While Rayner states that West does not condemn Faye, West intentionally included moments like these in the story, making fun of Faye without explicitly condemning her. 

Another argument Rayner makes is that “Homer has come to Los Angeles, not to succeed, but to warm his skin and get ready to die” (Rayner). At the beginning of the novel, West introduces the idea of people coming to California to die: “Tod knew very little about them except they had come to California to die” (West 60). While alluding to these “characters” many times throughout the story, Rayner makes a valid point that one of the main characters, Homer, embodies this idea. It is very evident throughout the novel that Homer has given up, but the last scene of the novel represents the idea the best: “Brakes screeched and twice he was almost run over, but he didn’t swerve or hurry” (West 179). Even though it can be argued that this destructive nature Homer has is a product of Faye leaving him, the entire novel works up to this point. Homer moves to California for no purpose other than his doctor suggested it, never tries to better his own life, and lives emptily with no structure to his day. This aimless lifestyle he lives leads up toward the end of the novel where he inevitably causes self-destruction. 

As a whole, Rayner’s article deeply understands the purpose of Nathaneal West’s novel “The Day of the Locust”. He captures the two main ideas of West’s novel: the true view of Los Angeles and the self-destructive quality of the people. While I disagree with his opinion on the West’s perspective on Faye, overall, I agree with his ideas.