The Day of the Locust Chapter 13 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
(Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
In "The Burning of Los Angeles" Faye is the naked girl in the left foreground being chased by the group of men and women who have separated from the main body of the mob. (13.38)
As we learn over the course of the novel, "The Burning of Los Angeles" is Tod's masterpiece. It contains references to practically every aspect of his Hollywood life, including his obsession with Faye, his friendship with Abe, and his compassion for Homer Simpson. Because of this, we look at the painting as Tod's way of coping with his stressful life.
Quote 2
All these little stories, these little daydreams of hers, were what gave such extraordinary color and mystery to her movements. (13.25)
It's helpful that men create their own, custom-designed identities to place on Faye. After all, does Tod really know anything about this seventeen-year-old girl? Or is he just making assumptions based on an image that only exists in his mind?
Quote 3
Had any other girl been so affected, he would have thought her intolerable. Faye's affectations, however, were so completely artificial that he found them charming. (13.3)
Ah, the unassailable logic of a man in love. Putting aside Tod's creepiness, Faye reveals herself here to have an even wider variety of identities than he does. She is an actor, after all. Regardless, Faye wears so many different hats that we sometimes have trouble seeing the real Faye underneath them all. If there is a real Faye, that is.
Quote 4
He commented on her appearance. He did a bad job of it. He was incapable of direct flattery and got bogged down in a much too roundabout observation. (13.12)
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.
Quote 5
"It's sure-fire," Tod said earnestly, staring at her wet lips and the tiny point of her tongue which she kept moving between them. (13.22)
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.
Quote 6
He expressed some of his desire by a grunt. If he only had the courage to throw himself on her. Nothing less violent than rape would do. (13.26)
We thought that Tod was a decent dude at first (if a little odd), but this passage completely changes our perception of him. While there's no indication that he'd actually go through with rape, the thought reveals the specter of violence often hidden behind lust.
Quote 7
One evening, they talked about what she did [...] when she wasn't working as an extra. She told him that she often spent the whole day making up stories. (13.70)
This is an important scene because it says a lot about Faye's weird sense of ambition. She doesn't have dreams. She doesn't have passions. She doesn't even have talent, if we're being real. What she is good at, however, is thinking of plans for the future, even if those plans have no shot at ever becoming reality.
Quote 8
He agreed and she described her plan. It was very vague until she came to what she considered would be its results, then she went into concrete details. (13.16)
Faye tends to work backwards, starting with her desired outcome and then kind of sort of figuring out how to get there. As it happens, this isn't always the best way to get things done. If nothing else, however, this conversation should show Tod once and for all that he's barking up the wrong tree.