Analysis Of Joan Didion's Essay Los Angeles Notebook

Joan Didion’s essay Los Angeles Notebook recounts experiences that came during the impeding storm. Didion characterizes her views in the essay in attempt to illustrate her understanding of the human behavior. Didion depicts her knowledge of the human as uncontrollable. Didion details her experiences with the Santa Ana winds, creating a shroud of mystery and darkness, which is countered by her comparison to scientific reason.
Didion use of specific diction leads to her expression of the ominous nature of the storm and its unexplainable consequences it has on those it touches. Explicit choice of words throughout such as “uneasy,” “frets,” and “tension” depict the seemingly natural and illogical response one would have toward the Santa Ana Winds.

It depicts the winds with negative connotations, as though it may carry over a sinister atmosphere as it passes. Selected words such as “eerie,” “machete,” and “trespassers,” shed lights on the dangerous and deadly tensions. This portrays the notion that the winds have the intangible ability to cause a mass effect on the nature of people. She juxtaposes most of these words with more scientific and technical ones such as “foehn,” “khamsin,” and “mechanistic,” as almost choosing to coming to an analytical reasoning into these occurrences. Didion uses this in attempt to explain what in some ways is unexplainable. Didion’s word choice all lead back to her greater purpose into her opinion that the winds bring with them damaging effect on the people and that they are seemingly mechanistic.
Didion paralleled her diction with her tone to convey the mysterious and ominous nature in the air. Didion creates a scene of intense suspensions that come through in the pacing of the writing. This unyielding tone shows Didion opinion on the mechanistic nature of the winds and the equivalent nature that humans behave with. Didion uses the phrase, “meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks,” to juxtapose what it unnatural for meek little wives with the horrific act of murder. This scene adds to the idea that the sinister winds brings pernicious effects on the nature of people. She takes a purely analytical tone as well in parts of the excerpt. This allows the audience to be brought in as well towards her analyzation for the understanding of the occurrences.¬¬ Didion seemingly contradicts herself with the phrase “science bears out wisdom” which is her essentially claiming that the winds could be explained through science. She gives examples of these types of winds occurring in other areas of the world, and there effects on the people as well. The essay shifts from the tone of mystery and eerie toward discovery and logic.
Didion uses syntax to compound her ideas and opinions that were brought about with her use of diction and tone. She mixes together both short condensed phrases in with long and lengthy sentences. These both add detail in differing ways, however in the beginning it adds to the suspense that is built. This allows Didion to parallel the behavior and feelings that were experienced in the wind, and then transition it to the theorization of the occurrences. This use of syntax helps control the pace which the information is received, she uses the shorter phrases to control the emphasis on parts, while the lengthier ones adds a greater amount of detail, towards the mechanistic nature of the winds and the scientific analyzation of the reasoning.
The anxiety that is conveyed, by Joan Didion in her application of contradicting ideas to clarify the unexplainable forces behind the Santa Ana winds. Didion uses the tools of diction, tone and syntax to illustrate the Santa Ana winds as piece of nature that has an ominous and deadly effect on those around it, while comparing it with scientific reason.