The Day of the Locust

The Day of the Locust is a novel written by Nathanael West, it was first published in 1950 by New Directions Co. The Day of the Locust is a novel explaining, in great detail the way of life in hollywood in the 1930’s. Tod Hackett has been in Hollywood for three months, since he was recruited and hired by telegram from the Yale School of Fine Arts. He observes the people of Hollywood and divides them into two classes; the first class is made up of the people who seem to be coming from or going to somewhere, the second class consists of those people who are going nowhere, Tod identifies this class of people as those who "had come to California to die." The theme of this novel is difficult to interpret because it’s too broad for a simple explanation; West uses many methods to express the theme, however, they are not always clear. Nevertheless the main idea appears to be the way of life in Hollywood and the different reasons why each character decided to move to California. The Day of the Locust is challenging to comprehend and disturbing to read; however, West does an outstanding job at using symbolism, humor and shifts of narrations to allow the story to take definition, with this in mind the novel is still very disturbing and aimless. The main characters of this…

The Dark Side of Hollywood Usually Hollywood is made out to be all about glitz and glamour. In Nathanael West’s book entitled The Day of the Locust, West explores the dark side of Hollywood we normally do not see. He goes about this exploration in a dystopian and grotesque manner. The very first reference to this grotesque and dystopian society occurs within the first chapter of the book. Nothing seems to be as it appears at first. “The fat lady in the yachting cap was going shopping, not…

The Day of the Locust and Frankenstein are uniquely telling the same story, the story of Hollywood. The characters in both the novel and the film share great similarities, as Sarver explains with Homer and the monster. A very similar comparison can be drawn between Faye and Dr. Frankenstein. Their relationship is dependent upon Sarver’s parallel, because Faye is to Homer as Frankenstein is to the monster. The connection between Faye and the doctor lies in their utter disregard for those around…

The Day of the Locust, by Nathaniel West, explores the harsh realities and effects of living in Los Angeles. West uses the degradation of his main characters as his example of how Los Angeles changes people. Through the lives and experiences of Tod, and Homer, the readers see the ways the city alters one’s characteristics from one that is greatly ambitious, into one that is extremely arrogant. Additionally, the novel highlights the fallacy of how Los Angeles is known as the “land of dreams”.…

The paper “Postmodern Representation and Commodity Spectacle in Nathanael West’s The Day of the Locusts”, written by Mr. Darvay, allowed me to gain insight on a novel I had never read, and to be frank never heard of either. As I was working my way through the paper, my brain was scattered as I tried to grasp the concept that was being talked about. Although, right of the bat the sentence “compressed into one huge junkyard...commercialized society and culture” truly stood out to me. My first…

Destruction comes in many different forms. In Nathanael West’s novel The Day of the Locust, destruction is a common theme that occurs throughout the course of the novel. The main character, Tod Hackett, paints a picture depicting the destruction of Hollywood and the world of film. Tod’s vulgar fantasies about Faye demonstrate the destruction of one’s mind, body and spirit. The bloody cockfight demonstrates the destruction of humanity. The decay of morals and values eventually leads to the…

“But the war that now threatened was a just war. Even the enemy clan knew that. And so when Okonkwo of Umuofia arrived at Mbaino as the proud and imperious emissary of war, he was treated with great honor and respect, two days later he returned home with a lad of fifteen and a young virgin. The lad’s name was Ikemefuna, whose sad story is still told in Umuofia unto this day” (Achebe 12). Ikemefuna was referred to as ‘ill-fated’ due to the nature of the situation, whereas he was given as a symbol…

strong gods, the tools they’re represented by resemble more of farming tools rather than war like tools. The farming tools shown – such as a ho or rake – symbolize that the strength and powers of these gods have no limitations. The gods of the religion not only provide physical strength, but they provide strength in whatever aspect it’s needed, whether it is physical strength, or strength in terms of agriculture and crops. Within Mbiti’s African Religion and Philosophy it tells of how the gods…

Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe and published originally in 1958, follows the life of Okonkwo, a member of the Nigerian Igbo culture, as European colonists arrive to Africa. Throughout the novel, Okonkwo and his family struggle through their day to day life, only made worse by the integration of European society in the village. Instead of offering the readers the more familiar, if not overtold, perspective of Europeans colonizing Africa, Achebe introduces a completely foreign…

Joel is among the prophets named Hosea and Amos. Joel plays a very significant role in the Bible and also has a message of great importance to deliver to the people of God. Joel described to the Jews the "Day of the Lord” (Allen). Joel preached in Israel during a time of the most terrible plague of locusts in the nation's history. Joel prophesied to the land of Judah before the plague came. Joel warned the people of Judah, that the devastation was going to sweep across the land soon. Joel told…