Сборник материалов международной научной конференции студентов, магистрантов, аспирантов

В.А. Мясцова

Республика Беларусь, Минск, БГПУ имени М. Танка

Научный руководитель – В.М. Шелег

THE ESSUE OF THE ISOLATED PERSONALITY IN WILLIAM FAULKNER’S NOVEL “LIGHT IN AUGUST”

William Faulkner pictured the American South in his famous novels with such an artistic force that may be easily viewed as unique in the history of literature. The issues that he touched in art built him a straight, clear and certain way towards winning the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature. Among the important aspects that the author considered in his works, it is relevant to mention those that refer to problems of race, gender and class, which also represent a concern nowadays, thus proving their truthfulness and permanence in time [1, p. 159].

This article intends deal with one of the many interesting and debatable topics, namely, the theme of isolation in William Faulkner’s Light in August and, subsequently, its implications at the literary level and beyond. As the alienated, disconnected and displaced individual does not remain an isolated incident in Faulkner’s work, the choice of such a subject to enlarge upon is even more justifiable. Unquestionably, it can be linked to real life and its challenges in the 21^st century.

William Faulkner is recognized by most individuals as one of the greatest American writers of all times. Though only a limited amount about his life before 1950 is known.  Faulkner was born and raised in the South, specifically Oxford Mississippi. He lived there for most of his life and now rests there eternally. He not only learned about Southern traditions and people but lived these traditions and was a Southerner himself. Many of his novels were centered on the Southern tradition. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that Faulkner’s novels focus on an environment he’s familiar with in order to evolve universal problems and relationships. Faulkner’s Southern themes present universal human issues and his characters have true relevance to basic humanity. Though many of his novels were centered on the South, the Southern ideals and themes reflected universal problems. Many reoccurring themes are evident in Faulkner’s work. Some themes are pointed out. They include: modern society as a wasteland, individualism, race relations, the prisoner of society, and the primitive man. Many of Faulkner’s works deals with the degeneration of man as industry and technology grows within a society. Individuals become more prone toward the city life; they lose their moral values and become victims of their environments. For example, in Light in August, Joe Brown (also known as Lucas Burch) leaves his wife, promising to return for her when he has found a new home for them. As he is introduced to Joe Christmas and the ways of the city, he develops a more and more corrupted lifestyle. He spends his days and nights selling illegal liquor and running from responsibility. By the end of the novel, he runs away from his wife after she has located him. However, this dissipation of morals transpired during his late childhood. It also differs from Joe Brown’s situation in that Christmas was also a victim of those individuals that raised him. Both Joe Christmas and Joe Brown have become victims of their environment. They are incapable of loving others and exhibit little to no guilt for their dishonest actions. Faulkner also used individualism as a central theme to his works. Much as man is de-sensitized by certain environments, he also must face numerous threats to his individualism. Many of Faulkner’s characters live in the past and are not able to become their own identity. Other characters are victims because of their personal beliefs and prejudice. On the other hand, those characters who take their practices to an extreme are the only truly individualistic characters.  Faulkner’s character is a prisoner of the past, of society, of social and moral taboos, and of his own introspective personality. Such is the case of Byron Bunch, whose last name itself serves as a perfect description. The name Bunch links him to a mass of common people or a large crowd in which he simply one of the components. On a different level of individualism, Joe Christmas struggles with his own identity. He is faced with many uncertainties. For example, sometimes he claimed to be white and other times black; he at some point rebelled against both races. He is never able to stay fixed on one area for too long and was never involved in and long-lasting relationship. The list continues on and on of characters who struggled with their own identities. Perhaps this identity struggle is also evident in Faulkner’s life. He never graduated from high school, was not able to join the army because of his height, and lost his first true love. On a side note he did join the Canadian Air Corps. It is therefore reasonable to assume that these early life experiences of Faulkner greatly influenced his later works. During Faulkner’s entire life span, the Civil War and its effects were present within Southern society. The same is true within Faulkner’s novels. Faulkner’s novels are filled with examples in which the white man assumes superiority over the black man. Most characters have trouble relating to individuals of differing races or even individuals of the same race who support the other. However, it is safe to conclude that Faulkner was not racist. Much of his money from winning the Nobel Prize was donated to local black schools. Clearly Faulkner showed concern of the environment around him and included some of these views within his works. Many of Faulkner’s heroes exhibit a pattern of sudden transformation in their convictions over their relationship with the black man. For example, a white boy may grow up with a black boy, sharing the same bed and playing together day and night. Then one day the white boy learns about his heritage and refuses to even talk to the black boy. He then realizes his mistakes, but it is too late. The barrier has been created and the two boys have become victims or their heritage, as well as the beliefs of society about race relations. This constant theme is found in Faulkner’s novels and clearly coincided with the life around him. Another transformation occurs when Faulkner’s characters think that people have even just a trace on black ancestry within their blood. Such is the case with Joe Christmas in Light in August and the wife of Thomas Sutpen in Absalom, Absalom! This preoccupation of race contributes to the next theme of being prisoner of one’s society. In accord with being a prisoner to one’s society is the passing on of feelings and experiences through words. Because the past can only be expressed through words, it is words that shape each character beliefs and responses to present and future situations. 

Clearly Faulkner is discussing the theme that reaches out to every individual. Society, one’s parents, and religion play a major part of shaping an individual’s character not just in his works but in life in general. Faulkner had a close family and he looked very highly upon his ancestors. We can see how they possibly influenced his future through the passing-on of words. His great grandfather had first served in the Civil War and then had written several novels. In a similar fashion, Faulkner attempted to join the army before he became a writer. Faulkner never knew his great grandfather but he served as a legendary figure in Faulkner’s life. Where as many of Faulkner’s characters are victims of society and the past, Faulkner’s final reoccurring theme deals with the primitive man. The primitive man refers to those individuals who live in harmony with nature and the world in general. They live for the present with an open mind, rarely ever reflecting on the past or worrying about their future [3 , p. 12].

One must consider that a novel might include all of these themes and not just include one or two. These themes, for the most part, reflect a part of what Faulkner experienced as he grew up. The stories of his family and the effects of the Civil War each contributed to his works. Clearly Faulkner is able to adapt an environment he’s familiar with and relate it to conditions that affect a range of individuals. In order to understand some of Faulkner’s works, the reader may need to learn about the Southern state of mind; however, Faulkner’s books are not read to learn about the South.

Faulkner is able to use his themes in order to create universal understandings through a Southern setting. He is also able to include humor within his tragic situations. His sequence and structure work to relate a better understanding of the present and the feelings of the characters. By combining all of these qualities in each of his novels, Faulkner is able to adapt the environment he is most familiar with and evolve problems that affect all persons. Clearly Faulkner can be defined as one of the greatest writers in American literature.

1. 
   Хрестоматия по современной американской литературе (1917–1941 на англ. яз.) / Н. Г. Гутерман [и др.]. – М. : Высш. шк., 1974. – 280 с.
   
2. 
   Faulkner, W. Light in August / W. Faulkner. – New York : Random House, 1972.
   
3. 
   Fowler, D. Faulkner and Religion / D. Fowler, A. J. Abadie, J. Ann. – Jackson, London : University Press of Mississippi, 1991.
   
4. 
   Vroon, R. 20th Century American Literature / R. Vroon. – Moscow : Progress Publishers, 1976. – 528 p.
   

Cтатья посвящена творчеству выдающегося американского писателя Уильяма Фолкнера, продолжателя гуманистической традиции Марка Твена и Теодора Драйзера в американской реалистической литературе XX века. В статье дается краткий анализ основных сюжетных линий и характеристик персонажей, созданных писателем в его известном романе «Свет в августе», в котором представлена широкая панорама проблем и образов, связанных с реальными историческими событиями Америки того времени.