The+Burning+of+Los+Angeles

Back to Day of the Locust

"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. One of the women is about to hurl a rock at her to bring her down. She is running with her eyes closed and a strange half-smile on her lips. Despite the dreamy repose of her face, her body is straining to hurl her along at top speed. The only explanation for this contrast is that she is enjoying the release that wild flight gives in much the same way that a game bird must when, after hiding for several tense minutes, it bursts from cover in complete, unthinking panic" (297).

The scene that West describes in Tod's imagination for his painting seems prophetic, not only because California erupts in wildfires nearly every summer, but is also erupts in riots every couple of decades. The Zoot Suit Riots of 1943, [|the Watt Riots of 1965] , and the Rodney King Riot of 1992 were all riots that took place in Los Angeles, fueled by racial tensions. Racial tensions, meaning the white man with the power and authority beating or otherwise assaulting either black or Latino men. These clear acts of violence and violations of power caused the people to turn to rioting as their only form of protest.



Although West doesn't directly deal with race relations in his book, his forecasting of mob riots and fiery eruption in Hollywood turned out to be chillingly accurate, and continued to be so for years to come. His critique of Hollywood and its people could come to no less a conclusion. There is one model for the successful resident of Hollywood: white, wealthy, and fitting into the mold for what is considered desirable. West seems to be suggesting that the only people who fit that model are those who are extremely fake, and the majority do not fit into it anyway. This creates a staggering tension in Hollywood, not only racially, but also economically. How do the real people of Los Angeles assert their humanity over the fake, white power? "The Burning of Los Angeles" seems to be how.

What would Tod's painting look like if he ever actually painted it? Sometimes it's not hard to imagine... media type="youtube" key="ncSosDIKbb0" height="340" width="560"

However, one of the most intriguing images is from the 1953 paperback edition of the book, in which the cover art is a rendering of the painting described in the book. Notice especially this part: While it doesn't exactly fit West's description of Faye, it is close. A young woman is getting her clothes ripped off, and there is a creepy old bald man behind her (Homer Simpson maybe?) who is holding her, as if raping her, or biting into her neck. Could Hollywood really still be Hollywood without violent rape? How do rape and riots fit together? And is this true of any city where there are class or racial tensions? Or is some part of this unique to the glamorous, star-studded landscape of Hollywood?