Furthermore, the novel introduces the theme of Religion in the middle of it’s chapters during a flashback memory of Joe Christmas’s. Joe Christmas was being sent to live with Mr. and Mrs. McEachern as a young boy. Mr. McEachern raises Christmas with his last name instead of his own and teaches him using his strict Calvinist beliefs. Mr. McEachern has no time for fun games and he believes in no individuality. (Themes, Motifs, & Symbols). He teaches the young Joe Christmas religion by putting the fear of god into him; oftentimes Mr. McEachern would whip young Christmas until he could recite from the Bible; “I make no doubts that with us he will grow up to fear God and abhor idleness and vanity despite his origins.” (Faulkner, p. 504).
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Gender in the novel is one of the most important themes because Joe Christmas is disgusted with women; “...It was the woman: that soft kindness which he believed himself doomed to be forever victim of and which he hated worse than he did the hard and ruthless justice of men… (Faulkner, p. 523). Women and men are not seen as equals; women are meek and powerless creatures that should live in the shadows of men. They should obey their husbands every last command without asking. Women and men differ in ways that are astonishing; the stereotype for women is that they are compassionate and kind creatures while men are tough individuals that are generally more mean. Not only do men have a tougher existence but they generally have less stereotypes put against them. Another stereotype put on women is that they must marry a man before sexual relationships unfold and they have children; Lena Grove however had a different plan in mind it seems. She is often seen pushing through the stereotypes put on women in the time period she lives in and she does not seem to let other people’s thoughts or judgement cloud her way. Women during these times were thought to cook dinner, do laundry, and clean the house for men while they did the farmwork in the countryside. The women in the country and the women in the towns were quite different as well. Not only were the women in the country supposed to live by what their husbands say and take care of the children, but they were supposed to believe in Religion and pray and not sin. The women in the country were supposed to stay quiet until a man spoke to them. However, that is not the case for many women in the city. When Joe Christmas went to town, many of the women were allowed to wear what they wanted and were oftentimes seen out and about working jobs. (Light in August
Moreover, …show more content…
Gender in the novel is one of the most important themes because Joe Christmas is disgusted with women; “...It was the woman: that soft kindness which he believed himself doomed to be forever victim of and which he hated worse than he did the hard and ruthless justice of men… (Faulkner, p. 523). Women and men are not seen as equals; women are meek and powerless creatures that should live in the shadows of men. They should obey their husbands every last command without asking. Women and men differ in ways that are astonishing; the stereotype for women is that they are compassionate and kind creatures while men are tough individuals that are generally more mean. Not only do men have a tougher existence but they generally have less stereotypes put against them. Another stereotype put on women is that they must marry a man before sexual relationships unfold and they have children; Lena Grove however had a different plan in mind it seems. She is often seen pushing through the stereotypes put on women in the time period she lives in and she does not seem to let other people’s thoughts or judgement cloud her way. Women during these times were thought to cook dinner, do laundry, and clean the house for men while they did the farmwork in the countryside. The women in the country and the women in the towns were quite different as well. Not only were the women in the country supposed to live by what their husbands say and take care of the children, but they were supposed to believe in Religion and pray and not sin. The women in the country were supposed to stay quiet until a man spoke to them. However, that is not the case for many women in the city. When Joe Christmas went to town, many of the women were allowed to wear what they wanted and were oftentimes seen out and about working jobs. (Light in August