The Machine Man Popeye

Machine-Man Steve Alford says, “Every person has a different view of another person's image. That's all perception. The character of a man, the integrity, that's who you are.” In Kristen Arnett’s critical review, “Modern Man: Popeye as an Indicator of Movement Toward an Industrialized South,” Arnett depicts Popeye as a representation of an intruder seen more as machine than man into the traditional Southern society, which is unwilling to change. Arnett also describes Popeye as an outsider that not only brings unwanted change; he also represents societal problems that occur in the South hidden from outside world. In several scenarios, Popeye is characterized more as a machine than a man. Throughout Arnett’s critical review, Popeye can be …show more content…
This idea coincides with the concept of representing the unwanted change in the South. Arnett exclaims, “Faulkner accomplishes this in Sanctuary by pairing up the robotic Popeye against the more traditional Southern gentleman, Horace Benbow” (Arnett 1). As the reader can see, Popeye’s robotic features is contrastingly different from that of a Southern Gentleman. At this point in time, anything that is not comparable to that of the norm, a “Southern Gentleman”, is not accepted within the Southern society. Arnett’s critical review does an exceptional job of symbolizing Popeye as unwanted change into the South. He also uses accurate quotes to back up his statement that Popeye is more of a machine than of a man. Similarly, Arnett picks up on many of the similarities between characters allowing the reader to further indulge and pick up on the hidden meanings behind them. However, Arnett fails to mention the corruptness of politicians within the story. Politicians are found in whore houses and are paid off; this shows examples of even more corruptness hidden behind closed doors. Faulkner is an extraordinary writer and one may never grasp every hidden concept within his