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In Chapter 7 of The Day of the Locust by Nathaniel West, the narration shifts points of view from Tom Hackett to Homer Simpson. During the first 6 chapters, the narrator seemed to have an inside track to Tom’s thoughts and feelings about the people around him; however, the narrator does not seem to have that same inside track into Homer’s thoughts or feelings. “His hands seemed to have a life and a will of their own” [and] “the wound must have hurt” (West p.88). By using words such as “seemed” and “must have”, it appears as though the narrator does not know how Homer is feeling. The author describes only the surroundings of Homer: the location and style of his rented cottage. By having the narrator only describe these elements of Homer’s life, we are lead to believe that Homer has no feeling for the narrator to describe. This part of the book gives us some insight into the characterization of Homer. The absence of thoughts and feelings reminds us that Homer is a loner who cooks by himself, eats by himself, lives by himself, and has no friends. Homer “aimless[ly]” walks around his house and sits around doing nothing. Homer, obviously accustomed to his loneliness, is surprised when Harry Greener comes into his life and turns it upside down. Harry, the complete opposite of Homer, comes into his home and spreads his exuberate character all over the place. In doing this, Homer begins to leave his house and do more things in his life. The different styles of narration that occur within the novel may be an indication into the author’s real life experiences.