Examine the progress of Arturo Bandini's mindset in Ask the Dust.

Arturo is a naive, inexperienced young man who suffered from poverty and a lack of self-esteem as a child. He intends to prove himself to the world by becoming a famous author, and now that he has one essay published, his desire becomes an obsession. Arturo, understandably, has a dark view of the world. In his determination to appear confident, he comes off as slightly idiotic, but he is searching hard for his identity. When he arrives in Los Angeles at twenty years old, he has had no experience with women. His unfortunate attraction to Camilla is based on the self-hatred they have in common and their struggle to be something they are not. As Arturo has more success with his career, his wild imaginings and fear begin to settle down, and we see him become more mature and logical as the story progresses. He has been subjected to racial abuse and is hyper-sensitive to his surroundings in Los Angeles.