Major Themes in Faulkners Light in August :: Light August Essays

Major Themes in Faulkners Light in disdainful Faulkners Light in August is a metaphor. In fact it is some metaphors, almost infinitely many. It is a jumble of allusions, themes, portraits, all of them uniquely important, many of them totally unrelated. In fact no twentieth century writer has even approached the sheer quantity of symbolism Faulkner packed into every page, with, perhaps, the riddance of James Joyce who went so far as to surpass Faulkner in this regard. So obviously it would be foolish to attempt to trace every line, quest for every branch to its root, one could spend a lifetime dissecting the countersign in this manner. Fortunately, in the midst of this menagerie of wonders, there are subdue themes. There are veins of meaning that permeate throughout. Chief among them Faulkners study of 20th century mans search for identity, and his compassionate portrait of the origins of evil. I have go from Alabama a fur piece (Faulkner, p.3). The reader begi ns the book in this manner, following the simple-minded and determined Lena as she travels, incomplete coming nor going, patently moving. Immediately the book draws into her past, relating events leading up to this point, explaining her motives. One gets a definite feel for her character, and settles into her narrative, but as soon as this happens, the book switches gears, bout instead to a vague character, Joe Christmas. With little introduction, or warning, the book reels into Joes past, detection the reader totally unaware and throwing off the entire continuity of the book. Faulkners swear for unity and coherence in the pattern is not as unfluctuating as is his desire for truth to individual response (Reed, p.123). Thus Lena is a frame, she serves only to accentuate Christmass story, by contrast. Faulkner demands the reader follow, and realize this. So we in a flash see Christmass childhood. From the beginning, Christmas is two things. One, he is a totally c lean just the ticket in that he has no idea whatsoever of his past, his origins. He is neither predestined to good nor evil, simply born. By this same token, Christmas is left confused. Because he has no idea of his origins, he has no idea of self, even to the tip of not being sure of his