She remembers watching a Wayne movie as a young child, and being incensed by the handsome, cavalier character. In 'John Wayne: A Love Song,' Didion recounts the ways in which the legendary Western film actor influenced her conceptions of love and masculinity. In describing the weather as such, Didion gestures towards the way in which one is intrinsically tied to the land they inhabit, and the powerlessness humanity has over the forces of nature. I rekindle' a waning argument with the telephone company, then cut my losses and lie down, given over to whatever it is in the air.' The warm winds often result in forest fires which ravage Southern California. When the wind arrives, Didion writes, 'the baby frets. Most notably, she describes the Santa Ana winds and their effect on the people of Los Angeles. The Weatherĭidion pays keen attention to the climatic surroundings of her stories. What began as a Summer of Love would end with 1968 riots in Chicago, the re-election of Richard Nixon, and the Manson Murders. Yeats' poem, 'The Second Coming,' saying, 'the center cannot hold.' In this sense, the Hippie movement of the Haight-Ashbury is a very visible example of the divided social paradigm in Post-War America. To make sense of the scene, Didion references the W.B. She is horrified by the overconsumption, the absence of responsibility, especially in the case of Susan, a 4 year old child who routinely takes acid provided by her mother. Didion meets children who have flocked from all over the country to participate in the drug-consuming, free-loving Hippy culture. The titular story of the collection is centered around the counterculture movement in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco before the Summer of Love in 1967. In this sense, California is employed as a literary device to highlight both the American Dream in action, but also the fractured social landscape of mid-century America.

There is the murderous affair of Lucille Miller, and the apocalyptic, drug-addled wasteland of the Haight Ashbury. Yet amidst the paradise, Didion also finds social chaos and disorder. On one hand, Didion portrays California as a fertile, Eden-like setting.

As a multi-generation Californian, Didion has a unique and ingrained conception of the landscape, dating back to the arrival of the Donner Party. Many of the pieces in the collection are set in Didion's home state of California.

Written by people who wish to remain anonymous We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

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