Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Faulkners Light in August - Themes :: Light August Essays

Light in August - Themes 1. RACISM The Southern refer with racial identity is one of Light in Augusts central themes. When people think that Joe Christmas has even a trace of black ancestry, they treat him completely other than from the way they treat white people. Many of the characters in Light in August seem twisted by their preoccupation with race. Joe Christmas, Joanna Burden, Nathaniel Burden, Doc Hines, and, ultimately, Percy Grimm are among these. save even many of the characters who dont share this mania assume that treating blacks inhumanly is acceptable. The Jefferson sheriff, Watt Kennedy, seems a decent man, yet he whips a randomly chosen black in an interrogation that was unnecessary in the first place. 2. THE SOUTHERN PAST Two of Light in Augusts five major characters live in the shadow of their defunct ancestors. But you could interpret their relation to these forebears in different ways. On the one hand, you could point to a pattern of decline and s ay that the present doesnt live up to the heroic days of yesteryear. On the other hand, you could say that the problems of the present come from a failure to shake off the burdensome grip of the past. Here is how you could show each point of view. a. The Heroic Past Gail Hightowers grand engender was a robust lover of life, and his father was a helper of his fellow human beings. But Hightower fails both(prenominal) his wife and his congregation and spends the rest of his life cut off from other people. Though Joanna Burdens forefathers were non originally from the South, their emigration to Jefferson makes them part of the Souths history too. And like Gail Hightower, Joanna compares ill to both her father and grandfather. They were rebellious wanderers and vigorous family men. She spends most of her time in her house, feels homesick whenever she leaves Jefferson, and never marries or has children. b. The Burdensome Past Gail Hightowers problems stem from his obse ssion with his grandfather, who was not even worth this worship. After all, he died stealing chickens. Likewise, Joanna Burden is the victim of the stern religion and patronizing racism that her father taught her and that he learned from his father before him.

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