Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living… in a nondescript affair called the San Bernardino Arms in Hollywood, California, in the late 1930s. He still finds it a very exciting place, but he’s lazy, and it's impossible to walk anywhere.
Profession… costume designer and background painter for National Films. A talent scout for National had brought him to the West Coast after seeing some of his drawings in an exhibit of undergraduate work at the Yale School of Fine Arts. He had been hired by telegram.
Interests… spending time with his Hollywood friends, most of them actors, which isn't always easy. He used to wonder if it was true whether actors suffered less than other people. Then he decided that was wrong. “Feeling” is of the heart and nerves, and the crudeness of its expression has nothing to do with its intensity.
Relationship Status… difficult, given where he lives and who he associates with. As far as Faye goes, he had nothing to offer her, neither money nor looks. Alas the aspiring actress could only love a handsome man, and only let a wealthy man love her. Tod always thought himself a good-hearted man, but maybe he’s wrong – or maybe it’s not enough.
Challenge… not selling out. When the Hollywood job came along, he had grabbed it despite the arguments of his friends who were certain that he was taking the Hollywood money and supposed glitz, and would never paint again. He didn't believe them at the time, but it's hard to say they’re wrong at this point.
Personality… disillusioned. He came to Hollywood determined to stay away from the horror stories he’d heard. He soon began to wonder if he himself didn't suffer from the ingrained, morbid apathy that he liked to draw in others.
Get to Know him in...
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An art director in the 1930s falls in love and attempts to make a young woman an actress despite Hollywood who wants nothing to do with her because of her problems with an estranged man and her alcoholic father.
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Nathaniel West was a prominent American author in the early 20th century best known for his satirical works. West was not well known during his brief lifetime but his unusual style, as well as classics such as Miss Lonelyhearts and The Day of the Locust, has made him much more famous after his death.The Day of the Locust is a novel published in 1939 that is set in Hollywood. The action centers around a young artist who is hired by a Hollywood studio to do design work. The book highlights how the American dream is not always so easy to capture.
