Hollywood

I'm noticing a theme of vessels, or vehicles, used to help portray the imagery of how the author feels about herself. (She carried this same tone in the other stories she told as well.) Obviously she doesn't blatantly say so, so how does she do this? With her tone. This look at tone, among other things, is my stab at "self irony," and "looking back." For instance, in her tone, she speaks about Hepburn with an exciting, aspirational view. Garbo is spoken of in a suave and sentimental tone. She watched Hepburn in movies and looked up to her. But with Garbo, she saw a mysterious element, one where in moments she says if she were ever to like a woman it would have been in a moment she found Garbo particularly sexy. (Please excuse my misquoting. I'm listening to this on audio.) And there is hollywood itself. All of which she has spent quite a bit of time familiarizing herself with. But they both died. Hepburn never received her awards, by choice, and Garbo wanted to be known as an actor, not as a person. Their films hold onto their immortality. These actresses are in hollywoods time capsule.

What is it about hollywood? In some ways it speaks for itself. Hollywood has been under America's lens forever. The difference between a character and her own life has always been under scrutiny. How does she handle her fame? Where did she come from? Who is she? She'll never make it. It's a world we feel we know and don't think we need to explore. Stereotypically set in stone for generations after generations. It's a perfect vehicle for describing how one might feel. She could have talked about all the positive pieces, how the search for fame can be exciting and how the ocean is beautiful. But she is cynical. She picks at the people whom inhabit hollywood with vulture like precision, not leaving any scraps behind.  Zadie may not feel she physically embodies these characters, but the tone in her words shows how she sides with the characters. Or doesn't side. Even though her style is journalistic, and does an impeccable job of not making her stories overwhelming self centered, she talks a great deal about her self. 

The tone tells the story of Zadie's life without having to tell the story. Self Irony. The way one feels about a situation often comes out in what they think about a situation.  I hate that hot girl for instance can mean I hate myself for not being more like that girl. We choose our words wisely. So how would these relate to Zadie? A character who is a feminist and stands up for herself. A character who lets hollywood get the best of her. Stories of struggle. Stories of hatred. Why did she look up to Hepburn more so than Garbo? Hollywood as a character summed this up for me. In the celebrity stories of old hollywood actresses, hollywood acted as a challenge. A place where they felt conflicted at times. But nonetheless beautiful. When hollywood comes to life in the last story, it's hardly appreciated. Hollywood is a place where all of Zadie's emotions display themselves in the characters of her stories. 

Audrey Hepburn

Hollywood Sign

Greta Garbo