Light in August

In Light in August, William Faulkner explores many ideas that revolve around man’s relationship with his community, particularly his isolation from it. These ideas can best be expressed by analyzing the characteristics of Lena Grove, Reverend Gail Hightower, and Joe Christmas. Each of these characters is in some way, shape, or form isolated from his or her community, and each character’s relationship with his or her community can be derived from their relationship with the past. Faulkner uses a narrative style that varies by each character in an attempt to highlight the correlation between man’s relationship with his past and man’s relationship with his community. This direct correlation carries with it the implication that as one either immerses…

In William Faulkner’s southern gothic novel, Light in August, deception plays a major role in the lives of each of the main characters. Characters such as Joe Christmas and Gail Hightower are scarred by the deceptions of others, preventing them from ever finding their place in society. However, one character is not a victim of deception, but rather wields it for his own use: Joe Brown, also known as Lucas Burch. His actions serve as a major driving force behind the plot of the novel, as his lies…

World, the meticulous labeling of every man, woman, and child gets attributed as “one of the major instruments for social stability” (Huxley 2006: 7). The society not only benefits, but relies on the groups constructed through Bokanovsky’s Process. The entire world’s production is only possible through “standard Gammas, unvarying Deltas, [and] uniform Epsilons” (Huxley 2006: 7). Their labels force them to conform to the roles they have been given. In a totalitarian society, this is an ingenious…

Over the past 85 years, the United States has improved slightly in the treatment of African Americans. While African Americans have gained a lot of rights since the 1800s, there is still a stigma of inferiority for African Americans that has lingered from the times of slavery. The improved race relations between whites and blacks are a clear example of the progress we have made; however, the discrimination of black people in some establishments are a reminder that there is still a lot of…

McEachern: A Born Father Figure? As a child, being born into this world without out a father is difficult enough, but losing both of your birth parents and being placed in an orphanage is traumatic for most kids. Without having parental units, it is more likely for a child to have poor social skills and can be unable to express affection. Generically, boys may be more inclined to behave violently with others without any parental attachment. In Light in August, an appropriate model for this type…

Words are constant let downs. The right ones escape ones mind when they are needed and even if eloquently stated, a person’s true beliefs are never one hundred percent accurately divulged to another. Even in literary analysis essays (such as this one) it is difficult to choose the right words to convey critical thoughts. In Light in August (and in the real world) this inaccuracy creates disconnect and makes it so that people can never truly know anything for fact. This is especially evident…

People think, feel, and believe. Whether people believe in something intangible or tangible does not matter. It is more important to note that people believe in something, anything as it gives them hope. Usually, people have some kind of faith in religion, a major part of society. Christians, most dominant religious group in the world, tell the story of crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his holy resurrection repeatedly in church, emphasizing the importance of the two. The current Easter Day…

5 There are many different factors that determine what makes a person who they are. One of the most crucial factors comes from things that have happened in their past. Although these effects from the past can come not only from one’s personal past, but also from their family’s or race’s past. William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, and Ralph Ellison are all excellent examples of authors who utilize their characters’ pasts to develop substance. The past plays a huge role everyone’s lives and…

It is said that everyone at one point in his or her life is in search for something, whether that be money, fame, a relationship or identity. The characters in the novels that were read in the course were also in search for something. What that the characters longed most for was their identity. The two novels that best exemplify the search for identity are The House of Mirth and Light in August. In these novels each of the leading characters were uncertain of who they were supposed to be. The…

The plot intricacies of William Faulkner’s Light in August bring about complexities in interpretation, as to fully digest the novel requires a multifaceted approach. The theme which underlies the entirety of the novel is man’s desire to live through himself while still acknowledging his inherent responsibility to his fellow man. Additionally, there is a steady juxtaposition between the isolation of man and his role within a community. These realities are not excluding of each other. The feelings…