This photo is a representation of the often- heard quality a writer possesses of being able to bring her story to life. Through details, symbolism, imagery, and many other writing mechanisms used by authors, they are able to make individuals feel as though they are experiencing each individual page. Just as any other work, the author must build up her story through exposition, description, and more in order to give the writing this power; it does not just start this way. Each part of the room in this photograph tells a different aspect to one continuous story, starting from the floor and working its way to the ceiling, eventually ending with the author herself. Through movement, placement, color, and focus, the painter is able to tell the story of an author writing history.

It is initially visible to the audience where the author started her story; in the bottom right corner of the room, her writing was just beginning and had yet to make it to the point of life-like. The floor shows the beginning of the writing, the multiple mistakes and mess- ups on the crumbled pieces of paper before the start of the actual story. The real writing begins on the papers not crumbled up, but still too early in the process to be brought to the air. As the eyes scan upward on the photo, the papers slowly start making their way higher into the air as well as changing colors. The movement into the sky shows the personification of the story, as it is no longer stays resting still on the floor. The black and white colors of the inanimate objects on the ground reflect the early stages of the story, and just as the story develops so does the improvements of the color from black and white to sepia just like in the world. This also serves as a clue as to what it is she is writing about. The colors show a progression of time through the advancement of technology through the years, and the woman and the typewriter shows the progression of civil rights over time. A typewriter is what was used in the olden days when women were not treated as equal to men. The typewriter represents the olden day job as an author and the woman shows the advancements of women in the workplace. Thus meaning, the picture, along with the story within it, is used to represent the idea of history and the time passing. 

Eventually, the pages make it to the top of the photo and beyond. Here, the papers are completely out of author’s reach, as they have taken on a life of their own. However, the comparison of the author to the background show that no matter how real the story may become, the author is still its controller. This is shown through the bold, colorful, and dominant depiction of the woman against the ugly, faded, and dull characteristics of the background. It serves as a reminder that no matter what happens, it is the people who write history. 

There are many different ways this photograph can be interpreted. However, if one closely analyzes the artist’s use of positioning, color, symbolism, and other subtle clues, it is shown that the purpose of the work is to represent the power the people posses over the way history is made. 