William Faulkner uses Addie’s character as a portrayal of the fallaciousness of language and how words are of lesser significance than deeds. Through Addie, Faulkner shows that the sounds and symbols known as language often fail to convey true meaning. Addie expresses her frustration and the difficulty of communicating with her students through language. Instead, Addie whips her students when language fails her so that they are aware of her through action. Faulkner portrays his ideas of how language is composed of words that are mere substitutions for feelings used by those who have never experienced them. Words are but “a shape to fill the lack.” To Addie, a word loses its significance because it is an idea that is momentary and cannot last,
