43 pages • 1 hour read
The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship
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Symbols & Motifs
Squalor Juxtaposed with Elegance
Throughout The Soloist, Lopez uses the image system of squalor juxtaposed with elegance to create a near constant tension. Ayers himself epitomizes these contrasts. Although Ayers is homeless, Lopez is nonetheless impressed by the way he carries himself and his tie to something higher: “I can’t get the image out of my head, this odd picture of grubby refinement” (3). It is partially this contrast that draws Lopez to Ayers and his story. He later notes: “I notice a spider-sized gold pin on his shirt—a pin of an angel playing violin. Flies buzz over the adjacent bed of ivy and around the buckets that dangle from his shopping cart” (34-35). The gold pin elevates Ayers, connecting him to the idea of music. The flies and shopping cart keep him tethered to his life as a homeless man. In this way, these contrasts tie back to the theme of the transcendence of art. Although Ayers is reduced in his circumstances, there is still an elegance and refinement about him that points to his connection to something higher.
Lopez extends these contrasting descriptions to the larger city of Los Angeles. It is indeed a city of contrasts. When Lopez is driving to see Ayers, he writes: “At Fourth and Mina I hit the border of civilization” (60). Thus, leaving the intersection represents leaving “civilization,” or the part of town that is more elegant kept up. There is no gradual transition to chaos, but it is rather immediate, separated from civilization by only a street. When discussing Disney Hall, Lopez notes: “Disney Hall is the crown jewel in downtown LA’s attempt to reinvent itself after years of shabby desolation” (112). Thus, Lopez points to projects that are meant to lift Los Angeles out of squalor, and Disney Hall is one such. Through these contrasts, Lopez connects with the book’s theme of inequality which is rampant in Los Angeles, especially among mentally ill people of color.
Musical Instruments
Musical instruments are also a central motif in The Soloist. One of the very first descriptions is of Ayers’s violin containing only two strings: “I see the name Stevie Wonder carved into the face of the violin, along with felt pen doodles” (ix). This image is emblematic of Ayers. It has the ability to create beautiful music and connect to something higher, but it is also battered just as Ayers is challenged in life.
Musical instruments are also objects that represent Ayers’s connection to music’s power to transcend and heal. Ayers treats his instruments with reverence—they are his most prized possessions. In fact, it is very hard for him to leave the instruments at Lamp, and he is always worried about someone stealing them. When Ayers travels with Lopez and the instruments in the latter’s car, “[h]e wants his musical instruments in the backseat, not the trunk. To him, that would be like putting children in the trunk” (218). It is as if damaging the instrument would be like damaging the very concept of music. Furthermore, when Ayers is sad about Pam no longer coming to visit, Lopez buys him a flute and says, “To help Nathaniel get over it, I begin shopping for a new object of his affection” (253). These lines point to Ayers’s deep love of the instruments, loving them almost as much as people. In this way, instruments point to Ayers’s higher purpose and connection with the transcendental nature of music.
Art References and Objects
In addition to the motif of musical instruments, The Soloist also contains many references to musical concepts and other related objects. Lopez includes several references to specific pieces of music, such as “Symphony Number Three in E-Flat Major.” Ayers becomes very excited that the Philharmonic will play this piece because it is one Ayers loves deeply. By including specific names, Lopez underlines the way in which certain pieces of music have deep power for Ayers.
Lopez also includes physical objects that contain musical significance for Ayers. For example, Disney Hall is an important object—Ayers moves closer to it to be closer to the concept and execution of the music he loves. Ayers also spends time close to the Beethoven statue. Beethoven is his idol and being close to the statue makes Ayers feel close to music. When Ayers moves into his apartment, Lopez buys him a Beethoven bust in reference to the larger statue. In this way, Ayers’s close to connections to these objects further solidify his desire to be close to the concept of music in whatever way possible. Such symbolic objects also serve as a reinforcement of stability and forward movement that Ayers can use to ground himself during periods of mental turbulence.
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