The Santa Ana Winds: Linda Thomas And Joan Didion

The Santa Ana Winds that whip through Southern California are a seemingly natural event; however, their presence has proved to be anything but to the civilians in the area. The character of winds for years has integrated itself into the culture of Californians, creating not only an emotional but ecological footprint pressed into the lives of thousands during the fall and winter months. Two authors: Linda Thomas and Joan Didion, natives of Southern California, collectively tackle the chronicle of the Santa Ana Winds, however, both share distinct testimonies of their experiences with such a fierce and fiery phenomenon. For instance, Linda Thomas seeks to enlighten newcomers of California about the great beauties and unpredictable dangers of

For example, when one reads Thomas’ piece, she concludes with the concept that although the Santa Ana winds are a natural disaster, they are something of beauty. She has evidently switched over from the terrible dangers into the pleasantries of the wind. One way she displays this is through personification, “…watch the orange flames color the sunset” which allows Thomas’ paint a picture of the beauty of the flames and how not everything about the winds is terrible and dangerous. Thomas continues this central idea of beauty through a climax by detailing the scenery around her, “…soft drinks…camera…teenage couple” all to set the audience in a mood of happiness only to be disturbed by the antithesis “…it will be more than the chaparral that has burned…only the chaparral will return” to emphasize the reoccurring dangers of the winds and infamy of chaparral brush that lights the Southern Carolina skyline. This juxtaposition of uplifting and ominous effects of the Santa Ana winds that Thomas’ creates shines radiantly in comparison to that of Didion. Didion, instead, implies a more derogatory tone in which she seems to compare the wind’s effects on the community to that of a werewolf and a full moon. To emphasize this change in psychological behavior, Didion implements logic and other facts such as “In Switzerland the suicide rate goes up during the foehn.” These small blurbs of factual information are used to convince the reader that the Santa Ana winds are not only physically dangerous but also harm one’s mental state. To further convince the reader of Didion’s “full moon” concept, she employs scientific information as well, “the air carries an unusually high ratio of positive to negative ions.” Although this piece of information might sound confusing to the reader, it helps Didion corroborate