The Day of the Locust Chapter 22 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Fast-forward to drunk o'clock. Homer emerges from the house and invites everyone inside for more drinks.
  • Faye is inside waiting, wearing skimpy pajamas that left "a good deal of her chest [...] exposed" (22.2). Homer serves drinks, and Faye stands in the center of the room seductively.
  • Faye then suggests that they all smoke cigars. But there aren't any cigars in the house. Which means that Homer needs to go to the store to buy some. Of course.
  • That leaves Faye alone with her gaggle of love-struck men. She flirts with Claude (who's loving it) and eagerly rambles about her future career after she learns that he's a filmmaker.
  • Homer returns home. Something about his expression bothers Tod, prompting him to go outside for fresh air.
  • Homer follows him. Tod is annoyed by Homer's pushover nature and refuses to talk; Homer sits uncomfortably and plays with his hands.
  • Tod and Homer can hear Faye singing loudly. Homer complains about Earle and Miguel again, leading Tod to promise to "report them to the Board of Health" tomorrow (22.78).
  • Homer grabs Tod's hand. This infuriates Tod for some reason, and he angrily calls Faye a whore. Without another word, Homer goes back inside.