Introduction
Imagery is a rather important aspect of any kind of arts. Cinematography and literature are not exceptions as the images they portray and the ways in which they portray these images shape the public attitude towards these arts forms. The novel by Nathanael West “The Day of the Locust” and the film “What We Do is Secret” by Rodger Grossman seem to have little in common in the plotlines or basic ideas, but what unites these pieces of arts is the image of Los Angeles observed in the both. Los Angeles is viewed as the place where human lives are destroyed and the very essence of the existence can be undermined by some minor details or accidents.
Los Angeles Image
To begin with, it is necessary to state that the novel by West is the account of the 1930s Los Angeles as viewed through the prism of the Great Depression in the United States (West, 1981). Los Angeles is implicitly the central image of the novel as far as the whole set of events takes place in Hollywood, and the major characters of the novel are actors and artists. The painting titled “The Burning of Los Angeles” created by Tod Hackett, the novel’s protagonist, is the most notable reflection of the topic of Los Angeles in the book (Ulin, 2002). This city is viewed as the place where sin and sadness dominate and, with obvious allusions to the biblical Book of Exodus, this place should be punished for destroying people’s dreams (West, 1981).
Further on, the film by Rodger Grossman also portrays Los Angeles from its dark side. The plot line of the movie develops around one of the first punk rock bands in Los Angeles (What We Do is Secret, 2007). It develops in the atmosphere of prohibition of the band’s concerts and the subsequent drug-caused suicide of the group’s lead singer, Darby Crash (Schruers, 2007). We see the life of this person destroyed by Los Angeles that gave him the dream of becoming famous but than mercilessly took it away, together with Darby’s life (Schruers, 2007). Moreover, Los Angeles did not allow him become famous even by his suicide as John Lennon’s killing overshadowed Darby’s willful demise (What We Do is Secret, 2007).
Thus, both piece of arts considered picture Los Angeles as the dark place destroying people’s dreams and taking away their lives. For example, picturing his protagonist Tod Hackett as a simple person with a number of hidden personalities inside of his mind, West (1981) gradually unfolds all the sides of his soul in the communication with the other book characters including Faye, Homer Simpson, etc (Ulin, 2002). At the same time, picturing another epoch, 1970s, Grossman presents his vision of Los Angeles in the same dark perspective. The city is viewed as the place where people lose their lives over their dreams.
Conclusions
To conclude, both pieces of arts analyzed are similar in their portrayal of the city of Los Angeles, which is viewed as the place where human lives are destroyed and the very essence of the existence can be undermined by some minor details or accidents. Nathanael West and Rodger Grossman, living and working in different epochs, managed to find the common points in the image of Los Angeles and to skillfully express them in their artistic works.
Works Cited
Schruers, Fred. “Resurrecting legacy of doomed punker Darby Crash.” Los Angeles Times. 2007.
Ulin, David L. (Ed.) Writing Los Angeles A literary Anthology. Library of America, 2002.
West, Nathanael. The Day of the Locust. Buccaneer Books, 1981.
What We Do is Secret. Dir. Rodger Grossman. With Bijou Phillips, Shane West, and Rick Gonzalez. Peace Arch Entertainment, 2007.