The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West is, to say the least, an eye-opening book. It is mainly focused around Tod Hackett, a man that recently moved to Hollywood from being at Yale to take a job as a designer. Throughout the book Tod sees himself as higher than those around him; he is disgusted by the materialistic, shallow people that overrun the town. Eventually, though, Tod gets sucked into the Hollywood life just like the rest of the population. He becomes materialistic, to the point of not knowing the difference between himself and the siren of a police car. No matter how much he tried to not be, Tod was taken over by Hollywood's corrupt ways.
This book really made me think. It made me realize just how many people of the modern day are truly corrupt and materialistic, just like the people of Hollywood that Nathanael West describes. To be "cool" and "popular" you need a two hundred dollar pair of Ugg boots and the latest iPhone. It seems as if now money is more important than getting good grades in school or being a genuine person. It is simply not right. Material things should not define a person, their personality, work ethics, and drive should. Reading The Day of the Locust has made me second guess how I judge people and showed me what is really important in life. Nathanael West wrote a truly inspirational book.
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