Storyteller - Interpretations of Family

The book Storyteller has pictures spread throughout the book.  These pictures are used to help describe the main point of the story.  Silko primarily uses pictures of people from the text or examples of landscape.  One of the pictures I focused on was a picture of her Grandma A’mooh.  The picture is placed six lines into the passage on page 31.  Silko begins the story describing how she called her grandma the wrong name for many years.  She called her Grandma A’mooh due to hearing her say a Laguna expression of endearment.  The mix up occurred when her grandma was caring for her as a child.

                I decided to analyze the picture during the reading.  The picture shows her two sisters and grandma reading a book.  There is a sense of love and compassion between them.  The grandma has a motherly feel with her wearing an apron and the kids hovering over her.  The relationship between them looks close as if she was a second mother.  The kids have a look of innocence.  One of them has their underwear pulled up higher than her pants.  It is fitting that the word used as her name means endearment.  The grandma and the child depend on each other to get through the day.

The story goes on the say that the kids eventually took care of her grandma.  A part of her story includes helping her grandma clean yucca roots, carry buckets of coal, and helped keep the fire burning.  In addition, they were afraid of her falling and hurting herself.  It is hard to say how far apart in time the picture is to the text.  The story says most of the help was when she was in her eighties.  The pictures shows her around that time.  Her overall appearance looks very old and frail.  Silko probably chose that picture because it is how she remembers Grandma A’mooh.  It is also unclear on if the author is of similar age as her sisters.  There is only mentioning of going to school and growing up beside her house.

Silko did this same technique on a short passage about Grampa Hank on page 185.  The story is about how Grampa Hank had a passion for engineering and automobiles.  He wanted to design cars, but he was told Indians weren’t supposed pursue that profession.  He listened to his teachers and became a store clerk.  The story is followed by a picture of Grampa Hank standing by a 1933 Auburn.  The car is not the 1957 Thunderbird from the story.  However, the picture follows the theme of his love for cars.

The image also shows some of the character’s personality.  From the story, it seems like he was an honest and hard worker.  Hank saved up for years until he was able to buy his dream car.  Silko chose a picture of him dressed in nice clothes.  It portrays him being an average and clean cut man.  The style of his dress is probably similar to a store clerk of that time.  I read the story once without looking at the picture and there wasn’t as much depth.  When the picture was added, details were more apparent and easier to visualize.  There isn’t very much going on in the picture, but small details can be selected from it.  The picture also acts as an introduction for other stories of Hank further on in the book.

Overall, I feel that the pictures added meaning to the story.  Authors can describe people clearly, but having the picture really adds another perspective.  Silko was strategic with the choice of pictures.  The time period and aspect that was trying to be portrayed was taken into account.  Analyzing the picture shows that it encompasses more than what is first perceived.  Connections between the picture and text seem to increase the more they are examined.  Something as small as the clothing they are wearing can help describe the person or story.  A person wearing an apron seems normal, but adding it into a story with them cooking makes the connection.  Then further parts of the story describing them grinding the red chili makes it come to life.    The placement of the photo is also another key point.  Not only does it break the text up physically, but shows the picture at the right time.  It creates a flow that helps move the reader along.  Silko did this well throughout the book and made it an enjoyable read.

Vertigo and America In the Great Depression

            Vertigo: A novel in Woodcuts, by Lynd Ward is especially intriguing and unique in many ways. The novel follows the trials and tribulations of three main characters, the Girl, the Elderly Gentleman, and the Boy. Told entirely through woodcut images, Vertigo establishes relationships between the characters and uses them to illustrate society and the economy during the Great Depression. In the beginning portion of the 1929 section of the novel, Ward includes a brief nine page pocket history of America. The pocket history shows images of the birth of America from Jamestown to what appears to be more modern times. Through the struggles and failures of the characters in Vertigo, Ward uses the images of progress shown in the brief history to emphasize the disappointments, downfalls, and stagnancy of the American people’s lives and the country as a whole during the Great Depression.

            The brief pocket history acts as a sort of pictorial timeline of American history, and in doing so, the images provide a sense of movement and evolution through time. This is very important because that sense of societal advancement is, for the most part, lacking in the rest of the novel. The few instances of success are diminished by failure after failure, and the events that occur in the Boy’s story support this notion. Initially, readers see him leaving an abusive relationship with his employer, the grocer. This separation may be seen as an accomplishment at first, but readers soon realize that the Boy will most likely not be able to find another job. Thus proves to be the case; every job or hope he receives ends in disappointment, like the job in the garment factory for instance. The Boy makes many moves, jumping from place to place, but he never ends up actually going anywhere. 

The first historical picture used by Ward depicts a ship sailing on the ocean. Large waves push the vessel along and signify a long journey. A star can be seen in the distance and it offers a sense of hope and the idea that the ship is transporting its passengers towards a brighter future. This general theme of hope and prosperity is carried out through the other historical woodcuts as well. If one looks at the two images following the ship in tandem, he or she will notice the implied progress of America. In the second picture men can be seen beginning to clear the forest. In the image immediately following, a man stands and looks out over an area of land that has been cleared. His pose suggests a sense authority, perhaps over the Native American standing in the background. Together these two images establish a new sense of dominance over the land and the people, and in the pictures that follow readers are exposed to the general theme of expansion (which is especially noticeable in the woodcut of the Conestoga wagon, indicating the westward expansion). Lastly, what is most significant about this historical pocket guide is the final image. In this image, a man stands with outstretched arms as if to say “look what we have built”. In the background there are clusters of cities and the sun is shining down on the landscape. Overall, it is an image of success. It is the sum of the earlier achievements depicted in the previous eight woodcuts.

            The last image of the historical sequence is the picture of triumph, and if the pocket history is included by Ward to emphasize the difficulties and tribulations faced by the people of the Great Depression, it is important to examine the very last image of the character’s stories as well. Incidentally, both the Girl and the Boy’s stories end together on the last page where they can be seen embracing on a roller coaster. The ride represents the ups and downs of their lives and of the world around them. It also represents the idea that they lack a sense of control. This was a common feeling for many people during the Great Depression as jobs were lost and money was scarce. Also, one must notice that the pair is seated in the last car downward speeding roller coaster; their lives are not improving and the picture makes it seem as though they are being dragged into worsening problems. A downward spiral seems to be their only break from stagnancy. In the last picture of the history sequence, the man’s outstretched arms make him seem strong and dominant whereas the last page of the novel depicts the Girl and the Boy in a rather submissive position. The Girl’s head is buried in the Boy’s chest, and his eyes are wide as if frightened. It is an image of fear and uncertainty, a sharp contrast to the last image and the overall theme of the pocket history.

            The characters in Vertigo represent the lives and experiences of many Americans during the Great Depression. Like the Boy, many were unable to find jobs, many were unable to follow their dreams, like the Girl and her dream to be a violinist, and unfortunately, many even tried to commit suicide like the Elderly Gentleman. The brief pocket history is very linear in that it sets up a sequence of events all building on each other to make a successful country. The rest of Vertigo is not set up this way. Even title suggests dizziness and confusion. The advancement and success shown in the history provided by Ward can be used as a tool for readers to fully see how unsettling and difficult life was during the Great Depression. 

Storyteller: Connecting Family and Feminism

In Storyteller, Leslie Marmon Silko uses images throughout her stories to give the reader a direct look into her childhood experiences. The photograph on page 78 is included in a specific location of the collection for many reasons. It is a family picture of the author and her two sisters in traditional Laguna female clothing. Each is carrying a traditional pot used to transport water, a typical task of women in an Indian society. Following the picture is a story told by Silko’s aunt describing a strong female hunter, beginning with the words, “Aunt Alice told my sisters and me this story one time.” The photograph shows the traditional expectations and dress of the Indian culture, while the poem breaks almost all of the “subservient” stereotypes of the past. The photograph also provides a reference to the traditional clothing described in the poem as the warrior removes her clothes. The two are interrelated with a deep sense of family that is evident in both pieces. In the Laguna society, family is the most important symbol of one’s self, in all meanings of the word.

            While the picture depicts traditional female roles, the poem takes on a more feminist tone within the first few lines. Kochininako, the protagonist, is described as one “who hunted deer and rabbits/just like the boys and men did./You know there have been Laguna women/who were good hunters/who could hunt as well as any of the men.” The recurring theme of women’s power can be seen throughout many of Silko’s poems, as she often reflects on the strength of women even though her society is traditionally male-dominant. By its placement immediately following the picture, the story implies that these young girls could be as strong as the hunter Kochininako, despite typical gender roles. Another reference to female power is seen in the line, “she’d bring them home to her mother and her sisters,” clearly indicating all women and in contrast, not men. Finally, many of the poem’s lines begin with the word “she,” emphasizing the power of women and all that “she,” representing any woman, can do. The “man,” represented as the giant, Estrucuyu, wants to take everything that is Kochininako’s, symbolizing the objectification of women in society. She gives him everything he asks and he just wants more: “and he just swallowed them like they were little crumbs.” Kochininako outsmarts the giant by going into the cave as she gives him her clothes, knowing that “his big head” will not be able to fit. The photograph shows similar feminist ideas in the powerful positioning of the girls. Their strong, confident facial expressions demonstrate why their aunt told them this particular story when the older men were out hunting, to encourage them in their pursuit of powerful womanhood.

The picture of the sisters wearing traditional Laguna clothing is designed to give the reader a literal representation of the outfit worn in the story. When Kochininako runs out of weapons to give the giant, she removes her traditional clothing, “First she took off/her buckskin leggings”, “then she took off her moccasins”, “she untied her belt”, and last “she took off her manta.” These pieces of clothing are clearly illustrated in the picture. The girls’ confidence also reflects a sense that their dress protects them over the giants (men) who might hurt them in the future. Their attire gives them a sense of belonging and collective protection with the other women in their culture.

            Finally and possibly most importantly, the picture depicts family bonds in the Laguna society, which are also described in the poem. Silko often refers to how close she and her family are and the many stories she heard passed down through the generations. In the picture, she kneels in front of her sisters, and they stand above her in a supportive manner. The caption states that the clothing and jewelry is loaned from their cousins, placing an even greater emphasis on family. The relationship between the sisters in the picture and the “Twin Brothers” upon whom Kochininako calls for help further links them together. The story ends with the slaying of the giant and the subsequent naming of a locale called Yash’ka, meaning heart. It is as if to say that the bond of family will always be most important, despite the conflicts between men and women. The brothers come to help in her time of need, and therefore the family conquers all. In a universal sense, the picture of the sisters carrying traditional water pots purposely draws on the well-known adage: blood is thicker than water, or the family triumphs over all.

Vertigo - Life during the Great Depression

            Through a series of images, Vertigo by Lynd Ward represents life during the Great Depression. The book is broken up into three sections The Girl, The Elderly Gentleman and The Boy. Each section represents a different struggle of life. The Girl represents the financial struggle against the American Dream, The Elderly Gentleman symbolizes the struggle between life and death, and The Boy represents the struggle of obtaining employment.

            In The Girl, the girl and the boy visit a fortune teller. The girl is playing a violin for a crowd of people and the boy is shown at a construction site. A few images later in 1930, the boy is show to be leaving in search of employment. In 1932, the girl’s father is shown to be laid off. As he walks home, he sees a billboard advertising for life insurance. The father is then shown pointing a gun at himself. Due to the financial struggle of the Great Depression, the father is most likely contemplating suicide so the life insurance money can be claimed by his daughter. Although the girl walks in on her father’s attempted suicide and stops him, she is not quick enough to completely prevent all injuries. Her father is shown to be taken to the hospital and later with bandages over his eyes. The father’s attempted suicide and blindness represents the impulsive and irrational decisions that people make when confronted with financial difficulties.

            In The Elderly Gentleman, the gentleman is shown to be malnourished and reliant on medications. The gentleman is show to be depressed throughout most of the section. He appears to be fighting to stay alive. However, unlike the girl and her family, the elderly gentleman is portrayed to have some wealth since he has a butler and also owns a company. There are graphs of profits and wage cuts throughout the section. When the profits are low and the wages are cut, the elderly gentleman is presented to be struggling heavily to stay alive, whereas when the profits are higher, he appears to be more alive. Since this is happening within the Great Depression, he never is shown to be living life to the fullest or with any signs of happiness or joy. The elderly gentleman’s struggle with life versus death represents the struggles people had to stay alive both physically and mentally. The gentleman’s life struggle is not directly financial, but the loss of strength due to aging. This aspect of the struggle can be compared to what the people lost during the Great Depression and their struggles to overcome the obstacles.

            In The Boy, the boy is unsuccessful in finding employment. Throughout the section, he is shown to be traveling looking for a job. He goes to several businesses including a placement agency, but does not have any luck. It appears that he tries some jobs, but fails to secure them and has to try again somewhere else. The boy shows how difficult it was to find stable employment during the Great Depression.

            Vertigo represents life of a girl, an elderly gentleman and a boy in during the Great Depression. The girl represents the financial struggles, the elderly gentleman portrays the struggle of life versus death, and the boy represents the struggle for employment. When the Great Depression hit in 1929, it affected people of all ages and wealth. From the girl and her father to the elderly business owner, everyone had struggles. Some people dealt with these struggles with impulsive and irrational decisions, whereas others dealt with them as life. Although this book focuses on the Great Depression, there are struggles in everyday life regardless of the time period. C’est la vie. It’s life.

Storyteller - Surviving With Others

In Storyteller, I want to talk about the image on page 31 and describe its relationship to the text in which it is a part of, along with the poem, “Indian Song: Survival,” and the subsequent story on pages 36-40. The photo on page 31 has the caption, “Marie Anaya Marmon, Grandma A’mooh, in her kitchen with my sisters, Wendy and Gigi.” It is a photo of the author’s grandmother sitting at a kitchen table, reading some sort of book aloud to the two young girls. The photograph supports the texts I mentioned above really well because it relates to what I think to be the main idea of this portion of the novel. This photograph teaches us that we need support in order to survive. No one can handle everything alone and this is evident in the texts.

In the text that the picture is embedded in, the author writes about Grandma A’mooh and her relationship with her as a young girl. She would care for her and her sisters while their mother worked. She explained that she would spend a lot of time with her because she was of old age and there was concern over her accidentally falling. What she reveals, however, is that it wasn’t a chore to do this and that she actually enjoyed it. She slept with her, helped her with chores, washed her hair and observed skills she would have to learn in the future, such as grinding red chili. She even listened to the stories told about “the olden days.” As a result, they became each other’s support system. They relied on one another to get through the daily hardships of life. During her last years, she was sent to Albuquerque to live with Aunt Bessie, her daughter. It’s said that she had no one to talk to all day and therefore, didn’t last long (33). This is evidence of the need for support, whether it is from friendship or family. If one doesn’t have it, they would essentially not have the will to live.

The poem, “Indian Song: Survival,” also gives evidence for this argument. It talks about surviving and traveling north to escape the winter. Nature is described as being rough with cold river water, ice on the cattails, and black mountain dirt. I believe the perspective we are reading this poem from is from the lean gray deer. This deer is trying to survive from the harsh winter. It isn’t alone, however, because certain elements of nature are on its side. It hides in a spider’s web, music is heard from branches and dry leaves, and the green spotted frogs sing to the river. There is also the mountain lion with dark yellow eyes acting as a companion and joining it on the journey north. The lines, “You lie beside me in the sunlight,” and “Mountain lion shows me the way,” indicates that the mountain lion is there to support it and implies that without one another, they would not be able to escape the winter and survive (35).

The following story on pages 36-40 talks about two sisters losing their family and their people. The older girl was anxious to take care of her sister on this particular day and they traveled to Shell Lake to look at the beautiful butterflies and flowers. When they returned to their village that night, everyone was gone. Only an old man answered and told them that everyone had left to escape the giant flood that was coming. The sisters followed their foot tracks to find them. The little sister was carried and comforted by the older sister, even singing a song when she cried. The floodwater eventually reached them and each time the little sister got upset, the older sister was there to comfort her. When they finally reached their people, they saw them all turn into stone. Although there is no explanation for the ending of this story, it can be seen that the two sisters were there for one another throughout the entire trip. They were abandoned and left in a dangerous situation and relied on each other to survive. They made it to their people on the mesa, which was their end goal. 

The image and these texts work well together to explain that at the very heart of survival is support. One needs guidance and reassurance, which provides the will and the ability to survive. The image of Grandma A’mooh and the author’s sisters gives the feeling of a strong bond, one that, as we learned in the ending of the embedded text, Grandma A’mooh once needed in order to survive.

Vertigo: A History of Potential Lost

Vertigo: A Novel in Woodcuts by Lynd Ward is about the Great Depression and the effects it has on three characters with interlocking stories. Very early in the book, within the very first section there is a speech about America’s history. The meaning of the history presented in ‘1929’ is about lost potential. It is presented as a speech about the capability and bright futures of the girl and boy characters, but given the circumstances that later befall the country and characters, that potential is not realized and the bright future everyone is looking forward to proves false.

Looking at the individual images in and surrounding the history, you can see a lot of important details. First off, it’s pretty clear that the speech is told as part of the graduation ceremony of the girl and boy. As a commencement speech, it is meant to inspire the young graduates to go out into the world and hopefully do great things. Its inclusion in the greater narrative is there to show how the girl and boy could have gone out and found their ways in the world had things been different.

The history begins with a ship sailing towards a bright and shining star. While you know the ship is headed towards America, that star is an important symbol. The image of a single star reoccurs throughout the novel. It seems to represent the potential that the future holds. Sure enough, when the girl and boy go out to celebrate after the graduation, a single star is brightly shining in the sky. As the story progresses, however, the star seems to become smaller and smaller. You can see it when the girl is in line for relief and when the boy is going in for a transplant with the old man. At those points, though, the star is so diminished that it can be hard to make out. The symbol even appears a few times in the elderly man’s story, but it is not nearly as prominent as the man is older and has less future ahead of him.

Most of the rest of the speech is all about hard work and industry. First there are men in the woods, hacking away at trees. Then you see them plowing and protecting their fields. After that you see a town being built, and then there is an image of men fighting in the American Revolution. Following, the fighting there are images of people traveling west and toiling to build the transcontinental railroad. The second to last panel of the history depicts construction workers in a city building a skyscraper. All of these images are of labor and strife. They are of hard work, laying down the foundations of the country and then building upon them.

In the very last panel of the history, you see the speaker standing triumphantly in front of a great city. The sun shines over everything, the brightest star in the sky. The message that the speaker is trying to make is that with lots of hard work, the graduates can build themselves a bright and prosperous future. The world is in their hands. Of course, this is not the full story. It is merely a short section in the very beginning of the novel. As the story progresses, it goes about showing just how wrong the message of the history is.

When the ceremony is over, the boy and girl hand their diplomas off to the girl’s father and go out to celebrate. They visit a fortune teller, who seems to confirm that their futures will be just as prosperous as the history promised. The girl will be a great violinist and the boy will work in construction. They continue to celebrate by riding amusement park rides and dancing, but their frolicking is cut short by an awful storm. Clouds cover the star and the two characters are forced to run for cover from the rain.

In the rest of the novel, all of the characters’ lives fall apart around them. The girl’s father is laid off of work and, when they can no longer pay for their home, he attempts suicide and fails. The girl and her father are then evicted from their home and find themselves struggling for relief. The boy sets out to look for work, but his endless searching is fruitless. He travels far and puts out everything he has to offer, but his hard work leads him nowhere. Even the elderly gentleman is greatly affected. His finances plummet out of control and he is forced to take worse and worse measures just to hold onto what he has. None of the characters have any control over their lives at this point. None of their hard work means anything when the system around them fails. The history speech’s message that their labor will give them a brighter future is foiled. All of the potential they had was lost due to reasons beyond their influence.

Vertigo, An Insight of the Great Depression that Many Will Never See

            In Ward’s Vertigo, the United States is shown throughout several different time periods leading up to and throughout the Great Depression.  The novel begins around 1929 with a girl who is an aspiring violinist and her father.  While the two attend the girl’s graduation, a man gives a motivational speech on what seems to be the successes of the nation.  This speech serves to provide the graduates with knowledge of the wonderful things they can do in their lives and what to look forward to as the nation progresses.  Based off of this short speech segment, the meaning of history in the United States is progression and regression.

            Many images in the 1929 history section of the novel show progress of the nation.  The strongest example of this is in the three images that show man constructing something.  The first image shows a man constructing a building made out of brick while another man in the background is shown carrying more bricks to further the building process.  This shows that the country is progressing because time, labor, and resources are all being expended for the ultimate goal of providing families a place to live.  Creating a livable environment is progress because it welcomes more families to settle down and provides the option for more people to immigrate into the country and start a new life.  With the addition of more people, the United States gains more resources as new thoughts and ambitions are introduced and therefore progresses.

            The second image shown in the history segment is of four men working together to create railways.  The addition of railways to the United States provided an outstanding opportunity for the country to expand and progress.  With completion of the railway system, the United States sped up necessary elements such as trade and travel which both provided growth for the country.  The increase in trade across the country benefits businesses as receiving necessary elements is now faster and less expensive.  The travel element also provided growth to the country as it arranged opportunities for people to access different parts of the country and inhabit them as new jobs in these locations became available.

            The third image shows one man working with steel beams in order to manufacture a building in the heart of a city.  Large skyscrapers prove that the United States is progressing as they show that the city is industrializing.  Once completed, buildings like this will serve as the head quarters of major businesses and will therefore provide better support for the economy, as more jobs are available.  Big buildings in the city also hold a large number of people, which easily supply new ideas that are useful for the development of the nation.

            After 1929, the positive outlook on life that the novel displays suddenly turns, as the effects of the Great Depression on the common person begin to show.  It is here where the characters begin to regress, while few of them continue to progress.  For example, the girl continues to practice her violin and progresses as she becomes more and more skilled, while her father clearly regresses as we see the first victim of the Great Depression.  This regression is shown because after the father is let off from his job, he struggles to find work and cannot support his family.  His attempt at suicide is an insight of the economy of the nation and the nation’s regression.  The suicide attempt is a symbol of the economy and its regression because it is an extreme low in an individual’s life like the Great Depression is an extreme low in the American economy.  In the midst of the Great Depression, the jobless people of the United States show the regression of the country as a whole as progress is inhibited through the suffers of the individuals that make the United States a nation.

            In the next section of the novel, the elderly gentleman displays both progression and regression.  The frustrated and upset faces of the elderly gentleman’s employees display how panicked the general population feels with the fall of the economy as the company regresses through a sudden drop in profit.  The elderly gentleman progresses as a businessman by making the difficult decisions of laying off employees while he regresses in his health.  Day after day the elderly gentleman takes more and more medicine to try to stay alive and make the best decisions for his business.  Near the end of the section, the elderly gentleman receives a blood donation that ultimately saves him from death.  As soon as he wakes up from this process, his coworkers show that his company is finally making a better profit.  This shows the toxic relationship between health and success that individuals in the United States are faced with on a daily basis.

            In the final section of the novel, the reader immediately can tell the connection between the boy and the girl in the first section of the book, and later on can see the connection between the boy and the elderly gentleman.  The boy expresses the most progress shown by any character in the whole novel.  In order to provide for his new fiancée, the boy travels to multiple locations looking for any place that will hire him.  As the process continues, the boy loses help but still tries to maintain his confidence and make the best of his situation.  He steals a suit off of a car crash victim to further his confidence and chances of finding a job.  When the boy decides to sell his blood in order to save the life of the old man, he has made the ultimate sacrifice in order to get what he desires the most.  This is an example of progress because the boy learns to understand why sacrifices are important and also learns not to give up.

            The last image of the novel is the image of the boy and the girl, finally together, on a rollercoaster.  This image is symbolic as it describes the way the nation, economy, and individuals all progress and regress.  No matter the time or place, there will always be ups and downs, progresses and regresses.  Life is a rollercoaster because of this.  The best way to get through the rollercoaster is to accept the fact that there will always be highs and lows in multiple aspects of life.  Even when it appears that the low will never end, and hopes are lost because of this, there is always a high to follow, just as progress will show despite persistent regresses.

Vertigo- A brief history of The Great Depression

            Ward’s Vertigo is a very complex and intricately portrayed story done through 300 black and white images. The graphic novel takes place within the years of 1929 and 1935. These years were probably the darkest for the United States of America. From late 1929 and until 1939 the Great Depression was occurring. In Vertigo, the times and how they affected most of the American population is shown through the lives of three individuals, The Girl, The Elderly Gentleman and The Boy.

            Early in Vertigo, in 1929, while following the life of The Girl, she attends a public speech which depicts a quick look into the history of the United States. The history shows a boat traveling the ocean, men cutting down trees, a revolution breaking out, the move out west, railroads being built, and finally the steel building being built. The final image is the speaker showing off the buildings and city as if that is all that America means. This trust and reliance on big business is what became the downfall once the stock market crashed. The crash in the market was shown in Vertigo during the end of 1929. The girl goes from being happy with a boy, (who turns out to be The Boy) to being thrown into shock and dismay from a big storm breaking through the fun.

            With the history of America being highlighted and represented by the big city, Vertigo displays how that reliance backfired and affected all of America. When the market crashed everything became hectic for the nation. The Girls father got laid off and even so much as attempted suicide. The life of the girl is slowly drained through each frame. More darkness enveloped her face and body. The dream to become a violinist that she once had faded to the point that she went into a pawn shop with her violin. The elderly gentleman, while always a lonely man went from going to plays, museums and being mobile became bed ridden and very ill, his once profitable company plummeted into the red. The Boy went from happily married to The Girl to hopelessly searching for jobs all over the country. Even going so far as stealing the clothes off a man who died in a car accident in front of him. Overall the three stories all showed how the American dream can so quickly fade into hopeless despair if the economy cannot hold up those dreams.

             While each life portrayed in Vertigo was a separate section, they were all connected in their own ways. The Girl and The Boy had a brief but powerful relationship and The Elderly Gentlemen was responsible for letting go The Girls father and The Boy did a blood transfusion with the Elderly Gentleman. The interconnection is supposed to show how all of America got hurt by the depression, equally and unequally. The family life in America according to Ward suffers and this is shown by the father blinding himself and the girl and boy going from blissfully together and getting married to not seeing one another for years. Big company was withering away as shown by the Elderly Gentleman slowly becoming more and more evil, taking away jobs, beating union members, even killing protesters all from his chair at home with the five dollar phone bought at a pawn shop. Then the hopeless and dog eat dog world of trying to find a job at the times was just shown by how The Boy traveled across the country looking for anything possible.

            What is interesting about these relationships is the outcome of all three situations. The Elderly Gentleman becomes more ruthless trying to bring profits up and it brings him near death, until an emergency transfusion with the boy. The transfusion seems to represent the rich feeding off of the common people to stay rich. Post transfusion, The Boy is obviously weakened while the Elderly Gentleman is back to life and his company is back up in profits. All while still being lonely and stoic. However, the boy gets goes from thinking of murdering a man to saving a life, having money and getting back with the Girl.

            The ending of Vertigo seems like Lynd Ward had a glimmer of hope for the coming years post-depression. He seemed to know that despite the sudden decline in profits the big companies would recover, no matter what they had to do, and also believed that no matter how bleak life may be and how much one had to struggle, eventually if you keep hope and have love, you might just make it through. Ward composed the novel in 1937, therefore he was still in the late stages of the depression, yet still had hope for the future. With the history of America being built from nothing to being run by big business, life would be bleak once economy crashes, as shown by the most part of the novel. However, with America being built on nothing, going back down to "nothing" while a detriment to society, gives hope to some because coming back up from nothing has been done before and will be done then.