Light, James F. "Nathaniel West and the Ravaging Locust." American Quarterly. Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1960), pp.44-54. JSTOR. 9 Apr. 2008. <http://www.jstor.org/action/showArticle?doi=10.2307/2710189&Search=yes&term=faye&term=locust&item=1&returnArticleService=showArticle&ttl=424&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfaye%2Blocust;gw%3Djtx;prq%3Dfayelocust;Search%3DSearch;hp%3D25>.

            The main contention of the article is that fear is the strongest element in West’s novel The Day of the Locust.   The author contends West conveys a sense of fear through the use of grotesqueness, violence and artificiality.  However, the author contends the strongest symbol inciting fear is Tod’s “prophetic painting of the ravaging locust.”  The article investigates the genesis of the novel in West’s early life and contends its inspiration came out of a fearful event in West’s life.  Also, he speculates fear plays a strong part in West’s life as he grew up Jewish and did not fit entirely with any social group.   The author begins to investigate various characters and concludes that their grotesqueness arises out of a need for an emotional life.  He observes West does not depict the honest everyman in Hollywood, and concludes that on the fringes of the novel they sit as spectators while the main characters play the roles of performers.  Finally, the author determines the everyman, represented by Homer, is torn between a passionless life and the doomed attempt to satisfy emotional need. 

            This article interestingly contends that the central concept of West’s book is a concept that I find all but completely absent from the film adaptation.  Whereas in the book fear appears to play a constant role in the lives of the characters, the film paints them oblivious to the impending destruction around them as well as the sources of that destruction, astutely observed by the author as grotesqueness, artifice and violence.  Violence constantly comes up through the film, but the sense of fear that accompanies it in the novel is strangely absent.  Save for the riot that erupts just before the end of the film, fear does not play as strong of a role in the film as in West’s novel. 

This is an interesting article taking an in-depth look at the history of the shark and its role in society.  Miller claims, “Every seaside civilization in human history has somehow incorporated the shark into its culture.”  Starting out as respected gods, with centuries they came to be known as schurks in German, which translates to villain and is likely where the English name comes from.  Sharks have always been fascinating to humans, as their great power has been mind-blowing.  When a captain brought a dead shark back to London in the 16th century, the general public was amazed.  Although shark attacks were rarities, in 1916 the United States experienced quite a few and they became the talk of the summer, leading Woodrow Wilson to declare a “war on sharks.”  The article points out that humans always seem to make entertainment out of tragedy when it comes to sharks, as was the case in the summer 1916 as well as the summer of 2001, when shark attacks were constantly in the media.  This reaction to real shark attacks is very similar to that of Jaws.  For whatever reason, shark attacks have been very appealing to humans, and we get entertainment out of them no matter how terrifying they appear.  This idea seems very odd, as intuition would make us think that when individuals can hardly look on that the movie won’t be successful or it will only interest a certain audience.  Jaws, however, was considered a family movie and had a PG rating, looking to attract all age groups and all kinds of people.  This article implies that Jaws was able to reach out to all these groups of people and be so successful because of the human interest in sharks which has been prevalent for hundreds of years.  As much as it pains us to watch these horrible attacks, there is something profound about these creatures that still makes us want more.

    This article tackles the pros and cons of Jaws from a nature standpoint.  Although the film led to an increase in shark killings, this article is quick to point out that the increased attention in sharks was also beneficial. “After the film's release, interest in sharks skyrocketed, resulting in increased funding for shark research.”  With increased funding came increased knowledge, and scientists were able to learn more about sharks than ever before.  As a result, we are beginning to learn more about the relationship between sharks and humans, and are beginning to understand that shark attacks often come as a result of sharks falsely thinking that humans are a predator.  The article draws a clear distinction between educated scientists and common movie-goers.  Even though the results continue to provide more conclusions that sharks aren’t out to get humans, the average person still views sharks as extremely dangerous. According to the article, “The reputation remains entrenched in the public psyche 30 years after the movie's release.”  While scientists are using the benefits of Jaws to get more in-depth knowledge, the average person isn’t putting this information to its full use.  Many people still suffer from a fear of sharks, while they really shouldn’t be so scared.  It speaks wonders of Jaws that 30 years later it can still be so persuasive that it to a large extent overrides the research of scientists.  This truly shows the power of Jaws and how it was able  to adamantly convince beach-dwellers that they shouldn’t feel safe when they step foot in the ocean.

This Washington Post piece by Manny Fernandez describes the “bedlam” that took place after the release of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.  This article is an interesting look at the effects of Jaws on the summer of 1975, both on and off screen.  The film dominated the summer, as people of all ages were anxious to see the vicious shark and often times were willing to buy tickets way above face value.  Not often can a ticket normally sold for $2.50 at the box office be worth $8 outside the theater, however this demonstrated the enormous demand to see the first big Summer Movie.  Douglas Gomery called the phenomenon “shark mania,” where people were obsessed with the movie and couldn’t help but to enjoy the fear that Jaws was instilling in them.  The film’s horror had lasting effects, as “people wouldn’t go out much deeper than waist-deep” into the ocean after seeing the film.  Even though shark attacks have always been uncommon, Spielberg’s film was jaw dropping to viewers and certainly gave them something to think about. The mechanical shark devised by Spielberg generated quite a bit of excitement among movie-goers as sharks were being put in a new light that would be difficult to forget for the remainder of the summer months. It is very interesting the role Jaws played in causing fear among beach dwellers, as shark attacks have always been unlikely.  People were drawn into Jaws for its appeal and enjoyed being frightened on-screen, however it is clear that when the audience saw Jaws there was something deeper that was drawing them in, as evident by the incredible viewers responses.

This 1975 article, entitled “Jawsmania,” explains the effects of Jaws’ success throughout the United States.  Aside from the obvious benefits for Universal Studios, which included a line of spin-off products, there was also an important impact on beach communities.  Following its’ release, there was an immediate increase in the number of shark sightings, as everybody seemed to be more on the lookout for sharks.  When a 14 year old girl was attacked by a sea animal, many assumed it was a shark, however the police chief claimed it likely could have been a bluefish.  In Georgia, swimmers killed a sea creature when they saw its dark form underneath the surface- it turned out to be a baby whale.  Because this article is written in the summer of the film’s release, it is very effective in illustrating the power the film had on its viewers.  The article also details the theater going experience, as Jaws was so powerful that it made individuals faint and others leave the theater every time a shark came on the screen.  Spielberg’s scenes worked so that no matter what kind of water real swimmers would later swim in, they would be thinking of Jaws.  Shark-free beaches would now have swimmers trembling, and one man even commented that, “My wife won’t even go into the goddam swimming pool anymore.”  Accounts such as these show the truly stimulating effects Jaws had on its many viewers. Obviously Jaws was too a large degree responsible for all the commotion surrounding sharks that would follow, however Newsweek hints at the idea that it was Spielberg’s power in manipulating the audiences that really accomplished this.  Most shark movies wouldn’t have the impact Jaws had, however the way Spielberg put the film together made it have the lasting impact.  One crucial aspect of this power came from the fact that it wasn’t only gory images that would shock the audience.  Instead, Spielberg constantly used the element of surprise and anticipation to confuse the audience and not allow them to feel comfortable anytime the ocean was being shown.