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That Evening Sun by William Faulkner

Satisfactory Essays

Themes can reflect life. With the use of multiple themes writers are able to reflect on certain issues that affect their society at the time. However, the author may not realize that the themes they choose could hold a certain timeless quality that becomes relatable to future generations. This can be seen in Faulkner’s short story “That Evening Sun”, a story centralized on a boy retelling his observation of Nancy, an African-American woman who his family hired. In Faulkner’s short story, violence, racial prejudice, and fear are three major themes that can still be considered relevant to today’s modern audience.
First, the theme of violence is very evident in the story “That Evening Sun” by William Faulkner. This theme can be seen in how Mr. Stovall had knocked out Nancy’s teeth after she tried to collect her payment for her “services”. As the narrator states, “Mr. Stovall kicked her in the mouth with his heel and the marshall caught Mr. Stovall back, and Nancy lying in the street...”(321).
Second, racial prejudice is a major theme seen throughout the story. For instance, on page 322, when the sheriff comments that “no nigger would try to commit suicide unless he was full of cocaine”. This quote shows how the sheriff could not fathom that a black man would be able to try to kill himself unless they were on some sort of drugs. It is significant due to the demonstration of the sheriff not realizing the issues that a person of color faced in their everyday life during this

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