The Day of the Locust Chapter 13 Quotes

The Day of the Locust Chapter 13 Quotes

How we cite the quotes:
(Chapter.Paragraph)

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.