Images of Blood in Faulkner's Light in August
"Blood" is considered by many to be one of the most important ties between human
beings; it is therefore frequently used as an image that defines a character or
a relationship between characters in a novel. For example, a prince might be
defined by his "royal blood," or a weak man described as having "thin blood."
Close friends may be "blood brothers," or families may have a "blood feud." In
William Faulkner's Light in August, the image of blood permeates the themes of
sexuality, race, and religion. Blood is common to all of these themes: it is
evident in reproductive cycles and births, it is a medium for the genetic
passage of
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During the experience, he ate most of the
tube of toothpaste, and was caught by the would-be lovers when he vomited
(Faulkner 122). Aside from associating the sex act with disgust and vomit, he
developed the impression that the male is meant to incite fear in his female
partner, and this idea influences his sexual encounters over the years. When
Christmas first learns about menstruation from the boys he associates with as a
young teen, he is disgusted by the thought of the "physical ceremony," which is
not a "mental state," but "physical, actual, to be discerned by the sense of
smell and even of sight" (Faulkner 185). Had the boy relating this information
to Christmas not given him a graphic, tangible idea of the process of
menstruation, Christmas "would not have listened" (Faulkner 185). However, once
convinced of the possibility that the boy's claim is true, Christmas performs
his own ceremony, killing a sheep to immerse himself in the smell, sight, and
feel of its blood:
He found the flock in a hidden valley and stalked and killed one with the gun.
Then he knelt, his hands in the yet warm blood of the dying beast, trembling,
dry-mouthed, backglaring. Then he got over it, recovered. He did not forget
what the boy had told him. He just accepted it. (Faulkner 185-186)
The blood of the sheep provides
Loyalty should be considered a quality that is supposed to keep family ties together and use the shield of bravery to protect it. It is proven that devotion in families of today, are lost and bravery shows no character in a person. It is a personality that each individual has in them only to be used in the most courteous way and should not be used selfishly. Loyalty cannot be purchased and must be earned. If it used in the wrong way, it can climax to a disaster.
“Barn Burning”, a story written by William Faulkner that describes the way a boy decides to “betray” his dad by turn him in because of his crimes. Sartoris, who is just starting to see the difference between right and wrong, has been covering up his dad’s crimes and helping him to commit them. Mr. Snopes, Sartori’s dad, expresses deliberately his methods of making justices with his own hands, and not only that, but also forcing his son to keep his loyalty to him and his family. Eventually, Sartoris starts to analyze the severity of his dad’s actions and choose not to help him anymore in his attempt to burn the second barn belonging to his new boss, De Spain. Although, Faulkner tries to present a situation to think more about our actions, it doesn’t seem that way for many readers. For instance, Jane Hiles in her critical response, called “Blood Ties in Barn Burning”, to Faulkner’s work, states that his intention wasn’t to recognize Sartori’s decision, but to support his dad’s beliefs of the responsibility of being loyal to his family. As an evidence, she presents an Interview in Japan directed to Faulkner in which he talks about clannishness as a way for people to defend their “blood” from external injustices.
William Faulkner is one of America's most talked about writers and his work should be included in any literary canon for several reasons. After reading a few of his short stories, it becomes clear that Faulkner's works have uniqueness to them. One of the qualities that make William Faulkner's writings different is his close connection with the South. Gwendolyn Charbnier states, 'Besides the sociological factors that influence Faulkner's work, biographical factors are of great importance…'; (20). Faulkner's magnificent imagination led him to create a fictional Mississippi county named Yoknapatawpha, which includes every detail from square mileage of the county to the break down of
Southern Gothic frequently depended on the conviction that day by day life and the refined surface of the social request were delicate and fanciful, camouflaging aggravating substances or curved minds. Faulkner, with his thick and multilayered composition, generally remains outside this gathering of experts. In any case, "A Rose for Emily" uncovers the impact that Southern Gothic had on his written work: this specific story has an ill humored and denying climate; a disintegrating old manor; along with rot, festering, and grotesquerie. Faulkner's work utilizes the shocking components to highlight an individual's battle against an abusive society that is experiencing fast change. Another part of the Southern Gothic style is appointment and change. Faulkner has appropriated the
In All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy uses blood as a unifying concept allowing it to flow within the body of the text; the reader gets a sense that the novel is giving life to someone while simultaneously bringing upon its death. The reality of John Grady exists within the use of blood, connecting his life to the natural beauty and animals through which his character emerges. Blood is essential for the human race; we need it to live, once having bled we learn and if we lose it all, we die. Nonetheless, blood associates us to the world around us; its flow so similar to the flowing waters, its color so alive and “nothing can be proven except that it is made bleed.” (p.230)
Faulkner grew up in Mississippi in the beginning of the twentieth century ('William Faulkner'; 699). He was the son to Murray C. and Maud Butler Faulkner (Hoffman 13). Growing up in the South in the early 1900's meant being exposed to harsh racism. He watched the blacks endure unbelievable amounts of cruelty and was amazed at how the blacks conducted themselves with such dignity. He witnessed, first hand, what discrimination is and could not comprehend why this goes on. In many of Faulkner's works I found that he portrayed blacks as quite,easy-going, well-tempered people. He attempted to show them as heroes. It is my belief that Faulkner writes about the south because that is the subject that has affected his life most.
If we compare William Faulkner's two short stories, 'A Rose for Emily' and 'Barn Burning', he structures the plots of these two stories differently. However, both of the stories note the effect of a father¡¦s teaching, and in both the protagonists Miss Emily and Sarty make their own decisions about their lives. The stories present major idea through symbolism that includes strong metaphorical meaning. Both stories affect my thinking of life.
actions to show that no one will own or control him. He has no regard
The birth of the modernist movement in American literature was the result of the post-World War I social breakdown. Writers adopted a disjointed fragmented style of writing that rebelled against traditional literature. One such writer is William Faulkner, whose individual style is characterized by his use of “stream of consciousness” and writing from multiple points of view.
In William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, the image of honeysuckle is used repeatedly to reflect Quentin’s preoccupation with Caddy’s sexuality. Throughout the Quentin section of Faulkner’s work, the image of honeysuckle arises in conjunction with the loss of Caddy’s virginity and Quentin’s anxiety over this loss. The particular construction of this image is unique and important to the work in that Quentin himself understands that the honeysuckle is a symbol for Caddy’s sexuality. The stream of consciousness technique, with its attempt at rendering the complex flow of human consciousness, is used by Faulkner to realistically show how symbols are imposed upon the mind when experiences
William Faulkner, the eldest son to parents Murry and Maud Butler Falkner, was born in New Albany, Mississippi in 1897. Although Faulkner was not a keen student in high school, which eventually lead to his dropping out before graduation, he was very enthusiastic about undirected learning. After years of studying independently, Faulkner allowed a friend of his family, Phil Stone, to assist him with his academic vocation. This relationship inspired Faulkner and after a short period spent with the Royal Air Force in 1918 he decided to go to university where he began writing and publishing poetry. In 1924 Stone’s financial assistance helped Faulkner publish a
One of the main realities of human existence is the constant, unceasing passage of time. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner explores this reality of time in many new and unexpected ways as he tells the tragic tail of the Compson family. The Compsons are an old Southern aristocratic family to whom time has not been kind. Years of degeneration mainly stemming from slavery have brought them to the brink of destruction. Most of the story focuses on the Compson children who are undergoing the worst of the social and moral decay. Each of the four children perceives time in a much different way but by far the strangest and most bizarre attitude toward time that is given in the text is held by
The story of "Barn Burning" was "first published in the June of 1939 in the Harper's Magazine and later awarded the O. Henry Memorial Award for the best short story of the year." The author, William Faulkner, "was one of America's most innovative novelists". The way he describes the smells, sites and sounds of the rural late 1800's make you feel as if you are there with the characters in this story. Through the use of symbolism, Faulkner tells the story about a relationship of a father and son. Fire was the most vital symbol used and describes the way, Abner, the main character in the story faces all of his challenges. He lived his life like a flaming inferno destroying
The Viewers have known blood to all of us to represent life, death and often injury. Blood is an essential part of life and without blood, we could not live. This is known to everyone, and because of this, when Shakespeare uses the imagery of blood to represent treason, guilt, murder and death. The audience have easily understands it and fits it in perfectly with the ideas we have of blood. Blood is the most prominent and seems to be the most important imagery of Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’.
Blood itself—whether it be the color, smell, or simply the sight of it—can spur up some sort of feeling to any individual. Macbeth is a play where blood is constantly repeated in order to get a feeling out of the characters. Anytime blood is present, it gives the sense of a violent atmosphere and so, with blood being used frequently throughout the play, it shows how much the characters were involved in the killing spree; however they would eventually pay the price heavily. In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the reoccurring image of blood is utilized as a symbol to demonstrate the constant feeling of guilt felt by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, ultimately leading to their never-ending feelings of horror. For both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the guilt would eventually consume them until their deaths.