Appearances Quotes in The Day of the Locust

We start things off with Tod, who looks more like a dude stocking shelves at Wal-Mart than a mega-talented visual artist. No wonder Faye refuses to give him the time of day. Regardless, his relatable appearance helps put people at ease with him in the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles.

Although Tod ultimately concludes that Homer didn't "come to California to die," we think he might want a second opinion. Sure, there are things that set Homer apart—he actually enjoys boredom, for instance—but the similarities are too plentiful to be ignored.

It seems to happen whenever Faye enters a room: her beauty is so overwhelming that it renders every nearby straight male incapable of coherent speech. Of course, Tod is hardly an articulate dude even in the best of times, so we can imagine that he makes a real mess of this one.

Ah, the classic sleight of hand routine—get your audience to focus on one hand while you use your left to trick them. Only in this instance, Faye is using her beauty to distract her audience (those throngs of adoring men) from the fact that she's as dense as a brick.

Now that's a complisult (part compliment, part insult) if we've ever heard one. Tod's description of Earle's physical appearance shows us what he really thinks about this bargain-bin cowboy, alluding to Earle's simple-mindedness by comparing him to a child's drawing.

Naturally, the first thing Tod does upon arriving at Harry Greener's funeral is check out the dead man's daughter. Charming. But it's also worth noting that Faye chose to get done up to the nines for the funeral—there was nothing stopping her from dressing modestly.

Ouch—Faye's going to need some ice for that burn. Basically, Tod is saying that her beauty is purely physical and not related in any way whatsoever to the person beneath her perfect skin. You might think that this would help him get over her, but you couldn't be more wrong.

Here, Tod uses Faye's beauty against her by planting the fear of ugliness in her head. Could you imagine anything more horrifying? Laugh all you want, but the proof is in the pudding—this technique works like a charm.

Faye's seeming innocence is what draws so many men to her. Though she tries to cover up this aspect of herself at times, acting instead like the grizzled leading ladies from her favorite Hollywood movies, she can never fully escape her youthful innocence. And why would she want to?

Here's an important thing to note: Faye is well aware of the effect she has on men. Still, she's not quite the expert seductress Tod believes her to be—if she were, she'd probably be an A-Lister already. Though Faye uses her beauty to her advantage, she does it without entirely understanding what she's doing.