L.A. Exile - Carey Williams, Raymond Chandler - Essay Example

?L.A. Exile Carey Williams (December 13, 1905 – June 27, 1980) Carey Williams articulates Los Angeles, California in a number of unique ways. William’s perspective considers the nature of Los Angeles as a city of outsiders. Quoting Garet Garrett, she writes, “you have to begin with the singular fact that in a population of a million and a quarter, every other person you see has been there less than five years” (Williams). Williams characterizes Los Angeles as a sort of land of immigrants; while this had previously been the nature of the United States, it appears it has shifted to regional areas, in this instance LA. However, rather than being out outcast or newcomer in this land, Williams argues that Los Angeles retains the feeling of home for these individuals. This is because that with the large influx of newcomers, individuals are able to find a unique sense of acceptance within this immigrant population. Williams mentions that the reason Los Angeles appeals so much to immigrants is actually because of its diverse population of various people, something which only grew from the 1900s to the 1930s. She mentions a statistic that in 1930 only 20% of the population of Los Angeles was actually made up of people who had been born there (Williams). This means the other people were all immigrants. She gives as a main example the Iowa Society, which was made up from people who had migrated to the city from Iowa. In 1900 at its first picnic there were already 3,000 people attending, but by 1920s there were a huge number, “150,000 Iowans answered the roll call” at the picnic (Williams). This shows that there was a clear appeal to Los Angeles, and that as a man called Parsons figured out, “People don’t like California less … Merely because they like to gather together and reminisce” (in Williams). Williams points out that this is still true, and that the vast number of immigrants in Los Angeles is what gives the city its special, unique character, and may in fact now play a role in why the immigrants like to move there so much. 2- Raymond Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) In addition to being one of the foremost crime novelists of the 20th century, Raymond Chandler is also recognized as one of the greatest writers of Los Angeles. In articulating Los Angeles it’s clear that Chandler assumes a sort of outsider status. Rather than romanticizing the various daily on-goings there is almost a sense of condescension in his tone. For instance, he writes “an evening with the sports page, the blatting of the radio, the whining of their spoiled children and the gabble of their silly wives” (Chandler). It’s clear that rather than romanticizing the movie star nature of Los Angeles, Chandler is attempting to present it in a more gritty light, with a self-conscious flavor. In other instances, Chandler attempts to depict the behind the scenes reality of the city, demonstrating producers that speak of the nature of the movie business in cynical terms. In all its an engaging portrait of the city that eschews romanticized notions of celebrity parties and Hollywood for a grittier and realistic edge. A lot of how Chandler does this is by showing off the people who did not make it into the Hollywood and Los Angeles dream as well as those who did. Although his novel The Little Sister, already quoted above, is about the disappearance of an airline engineer, there are parts of it which deal specifically with some of the studios. In chapter 19, Marlowe goes to a movie production studio and notes that the entrance area has bulletproof glass. He mentions that he “never heard of anybody shooting his way into the picture business,” and a woman behind him laughs and says she wishes that was all it took (Chandler). In this short section, Chandler has deftly managed to point out the paranoia of the rich Hollywood types, as well as showing that for every bullet proof glass protected studio there are many people who do not make it into them. In this way he successfully deflates the image that Los Angeles and Hollywood in particular tried to make for themselves, as places where the soon-to-be-successful movie stars went to live. This is made even more clear in a clever double reference where Marlowe goes into the studio and describes the room he's in as a “rat trap” (Chandler). Although he is only talking about the paranoid security measures, this also describes Los Angeles in the way Chandler wants it to be thought about in his novels, not just as a place for the successful, but a trap for the unsuccessful outsider. 3- F. Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) F. Scott Fitzgerald has many writing techniques used throughout his novels such as foreshadowing, flashbacks, and more important capturing emotions in scenes. It is not only the description of the place, but it’s that you feel emotionally connected with it, with Hollywood in The Last Tycoon. Unlike other writers, for example Hemingway, who describes what’s there in the scene and how you see it not feel it. The Last Tycoon is set in Hollywood in the late thirties toward the end of the Great Depression, where Hollywood has gone through some major changes, including the transition from silent films to talkies. As many actors, producers, and directors who were at the top of their game before the transition found themselves struggling to make a living. In another word, it is the confusion in Hollywood that is the true setting for The Last Tycoon. The novel follows Monroe Stahr, a movie producer who still works in the old style, working on all parts of every one of his productions instead of letting other people do the work for him. Stahr is such an oddity in this confusion of the change from the old Hollywood to the new that his own partner wants him out. Stahr believes in hard work, in actually understanding every side in the act of making a movie and insists on being an active part at each stage. Most producers of his time did not agree with his philosophy and it is this same philosophy that causes Stahr's own partner to turn against him. Hollywood is not so much a place as it is an idea, and Fitzgerald’s attempted to understand that idea and give it flesh and form. While the novel provides details of things that characterize Southern California—for example, the primacy of automobiles and the lassitude Stahr notices in those who have lived too long in the climate—there are also social observations peculiar to the film industry and the class differences act as a setting and an influence in the attitudes of the characters of this novel. Cecilia, for example, comments several times how the rich and successful tend to stick together at parties and social events shunning others around them who are less fortunate. This represents Fitzgerald brilliant technique of writing about the setting using both physical and emotional elements. 4- Dorothy Parker (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) Dorothy Parker’s poetry presents an idealized version of the city. One of her poems functions as a sort of siren’s call, almost mythologizing the quest of individuals who move to the city with hopes of breaking into the movie industry. In these regards, she writes, “Come, curb the new and watch the old win/ Out where the streets are paved with Goldwyn…” (Parker). In Parker’s poetry there is the exploration of the artistic and romantic elements of Los Angeles. A city of movie stars and the rich and famous that exist in this city, these are the images Parker’s poetry is replete with. One also considers the nature Carey William’s writing in relation to Parker’s; in both instances Los Angeles is not presented as a city, but instead a destination, to which there is an ever influx of individuals seeking their dreams. Parker's differences to Fitzgerald and Chandler in particular should be clear from her poems. Even when her poetry is not talking about the many wonderful points of the city, there can be seen her trademark tone of idealism. In one of her “Tombstones in the Starlight,” Parker gives the reader a clear image of the grave of a Hollywood starlet. Even though “the figures of her date of birth” are hidden, they are hidden by “mild, agreeable moss,” suggesting that her name, regardless of the distance of her life from our own time, will continue as Parker says to “[Shine], as it shone when she was still on earth” (Parker). Through metonymy such as this, Parker suggests that the whole of the good parts of Hollywood will continue in our memory, no matter how much time has passed since they are gone. 5- Henry Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) Henry Miller is famous for his literary exploration of controversial themes and of artistic boundaries. When considering his articulation of Los Angeles, however, one is drawn to his concern with a singular individual. Rather than presenting controversial topics, Miller’s articulation of the city falls somewhere between that of Chandler’s realism and Dorothy Parker’s idealism. In these regards, Miller considers the nature of the city as the home of show business through his concern with a singer. Miller writes, “Those same songs night after night – how can anyone do it and not go mad? And always with feeling, as if delivering her very soul. So that’s the life of an entertainer!” (Miller). In these regards, rather than resorting to pure idealism, Miller considers the nature of show business as embodying trials and tribulations that are not as rose colored as other representations present. The bar in “Insomnia, or the Devil at Large,” where this observation takes place, is a good example. It is takes part of the author's own life to suggest some of the sadness which will come from life in show business, without necessarily portraying that sadness as a bad thing. The author was actually in love when he was quite old with a very young singer at the bar. In the story he acknowledges his own part in the necessary business of Hollywood, that of “Mr Nobody” who has to be part of “a sea of faces, silly faces, syupid faces, drunken faces, no matter! But faces” for without this audience the singers and movie stars could not go on (Miller). 6- Robert Crosson (1929-2001) Robert Crosson is a poet that articulates the Los Angeles narrative in ways similar to other writers. One of the emerging themes in the investigation of the different ways of articulating Los Angeles through literature is that many writers choose to consider the city as a destination rather than a home. It seems more highly romantic and fit for literature to present it as this idealized destination. The nature of one of Crosson’s poems ‘The Day Samuel Goldwyn Stepped of the Train’ even has within in this nature of being the destination. Crosson seems to take his articulations a step further than the previously discussed writers. He writes, “Hotense powdermaker you needed, let’s face it/ All you have to do is look at Nevada city/ Dickens over from England and read mark twain/ Embellishing the frog” (Crosson). In these writings it seems that Crosson is expressing the self-reflexive thoughts of Samuel Goldwyn as he attempted to articulate the proper means of creating movie pictures that would appeal to wide audiences. One of the most interesting things about Crosson is how he uses language itself. Many of his words are misspelled or seemingly nonsensical, and these are mixed in with other words and phrases that are perfectly normal. This in a way suggests the mix of languages and social classes that make up Los Angeles. It also mocks the idea of the movies, which Hollywood is built on, by suggesting that they purposefully set out to destroy language. As Goldwyn himself says, “Who needs to read?” (Crosson) with movies. 7- Martha Ronk (born 1940) The poetry of Martha Ronk considers the nature of the world in largely abstract terms. Ronk’s characterization of Los Angeles does not follow the traditional narrative presented by earlier writers, but instead considers the sensory experiences of living in the city. Ronk writes, “When the cactus glows at night I’ll swim the lenghth/ Once, in between one belief and another, I thought/ this town’s at the end of all waters./ Nobody lives here who isn’t already taking notes” (Ronk). If this articulation mirrored any earlier writers it would by the realism of Chandler. Still, it’s clear that Chandler has a sensational edge to his work, where Ronk is more individualistic. Ronk’s writing presents her direct impression of the city, not as some idealized destination, but simply a place of cohabitation. Some of her poetry, however, such as “The Moon over LA” seems almost to reply to these other narratives of earlier writers. The moon gently chides the city over which it hangs to “pull over” (Ronk), suggesting the busy freeways of the city, full of people rushing to their destinations. At the same time, the moon as a “monument to going nowhere,” and the comment “a piece of work unmade by man,” seem slightly critical of the city's bustle (Ronk). It is possible that Ronk believes Los Angeles needs to slow down and focus more on the cohabitation she presents, and less on destinations and business. 8- Lewis MacAdams (born October 12, 1944) The final writer considered is Lewis MacAdams. MacAdams is a poet that articulates Los Angeles in a highly unique perspective. In these regards, one considers the individuality of Martha Ronk when identifying the closest sense of MacAdam’s articulation. Rather than idealizing Los Angeles, MacAdam’s emphasizes its cultural diversity, and considers the city for itself rather than as a destination. He writes, “Two Lebanese boys/ In broken twilight,/ Half in Arabic,/ Discuss the Super Bowl,/ A launatic old man/ To the L.A. times” (MacAdams). Rather than romanticizing Los Angeles, MacAdams is providing a true to life account of the city, demystifying it in a sense. In Moguls and Monks’ he contrasts two competing life perspectives rather than ethnic perspectives. It’s an interesting perspective on the multi-cultural, as well as multi-philosophical nature of the city. That is, MacAdams draws not on any one culture's narrative of the city, but draws from multiple ones to show that the city is actually a mix of all cultures, as with the Lebanese boys watching the Superbowl. In this way the city is multiphilosophical, as well, as the philosophies of all these different cultures blend together even if they do not necessarily agree. As in the poem, where MacAdams mixes up a Buddhist idea of “twelve spiritual / directions” with a much more material-seeking “Thirteen calls for cash” (Macadams). It is a kind of culture and philosophy blend which could only have come from Los Angeles, according to MacAdams. After studying the work of all writers above, it’s clear that the they discussed articulate Los Angeles in a variety of ways. Some of the predominant themes that have been discovered include the presentation of Los Angeles as a destination of immigrants. Another view considers the idealized nature of Los Angeles as an area of dreams and romanticized notions of show business and fame. Still another considers Los Angeles from a strict realist lens as the city wherein multicultural elements of humanity from different perspectives come together under the region affiliation of governance. In all, I think it’s a compelling account of one of America’s largest and most influential cities and in considering these characterizations it brings me closer to the experience itself. Read More