William Faulkner

Anse Bundren, the patriarch of the Bundren family in William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, is not much of a patriarch at all. He completely rejects the traditional role of a typical father, a man who works to provide for his children and who protects them no matter what, by failing to support his five children emotionally and financially. Anse’s character faults include hypocrisy, laziness, and worst of all, manipulation of others. Those most affected by Anse’s behavior are his neighbors, Samson,…

Southern Gothic writing style is about ironic, macabre events that focus on the Old South. William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor are known for writing Southern Gothic short stories. Southern Gothic stories are about “lurid, macabre subject matters,” that, “social issues and illuminate the cultural climate of the American south.” (Thomas) Two excellent examples of Southern Gothic short stories are William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily” and Flannery O’ Connor’s, “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”…

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily’ is not written in chorological order like we normally see. The story is written in a non-linear fashion to give the readers Emily’s perception of her life. The story begins with Emily’s funeral and ends with the discovery of her one time only true love’s decaying corpse. Emily’s death symbolizes her refined way of life which is replaced by the newer generation’s approach of doing things. This story highlights the differences of the past and present…

The point of view in a story can really make or break it. Throughout William Faulkner’s career as an author of fiction, he put much effort into how the stories were told- point of view. Each one of Faulkner’s stories goes in depth with each character and gives the reader a good sense of what is going on. Faulkner achieved this through the skillful use of perspective. He went on to create great stories such as, “A Rose for Emily”, “Dry September”, and “Barn Burning”. These short stories clearly…

Canadian and American Southern Gothic literature share common use of setting, but with a varying degree of effect and meaning. In “Lamp at Noon”, author Sinclair Ross explores the hardships of the Dirty Thirties while in “A Rose for Emily” author William Faulkner explores the…

“Barn Burning,” written by William Faulkner himself, follows the criteria that he sets for good writing in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. In his speech, Faulkner promotes the idea of expressing “old verities and truths of the heart” in order to create a compelling story. Throughout the start of “Barn Burning,” Sarty suppresses his heart’s truths, but he eventually releases them as Faulkner shows Sarty’s capability “of compassion and sacrifice and endurance”. Sarty develops his heart’s truth…

William Faulkner is a southern American writer who incorporates the characteristics of tradition within his writing. This essay will identify Southern American characteristics, summarize a southern American story, and identify characteristics of southern American literature in that story. Southern American literature is characterized by the inability to adapt to changes due to the tradition based south. Within “The Southern Myth”, an article that discusses the characteristics of the South,…

In the story "A Rose for Emily", the author, William Faulkner, portrays Emily as a mysterious older lady, which is unusual. In most people 's idea of an older woman, everyone knows what is going on with her; she talks about her grandchildren and pays her bills. Emily Grierson was not like that at all. She was, in fact, the complete opposite. She was traditional, stubborn, overly adoring over subjects that could easily be solved a different way. Emily Grierson lives in traditional ways. She felt…

Aristotle once said that "Poverty is the parent of crime," and there could not be a more flawless quote that describes the theme of poverty in William Faulkner 's As I Lay Dying. The novel tells the story of the Bundren family 's trip to Jefferson to bury their beloved mother and wife Addie. Regarding Aristotle 's quote, irony is present in the fact that Anse Bundren, the father and antagonist of the novel, is the reason the Bundrens journey to Jefferson has turned into a disastrous adventure.…

works produced by man. As I Lay Dying reflects the society that surrounded the author and points out several factors from that time in history. The novel reflects the social issues and concerns of the time such as female rights and poverty. William Faulkner uses his setting and his characters to mimic his hometown in Mississippi and mock the state’s slow coming to the progression happening in the rest of the country. He sets up the novel in such a way that the character’s emotions are made…