Light In August Identity Quotes
LIGHT IN AUGUST ESSAY TEST PROMPT #9 - IDENTITY
In the novel Light in August, many characters struggle with their identity. Specifically, Lena Grove, Joe Christmas, and Gail Hightower (the novel’s three central characters) are all in some way separated from a significant part of the identity. Being a Southern Gothic novel, Light in August often portrays these characters as archetypes in order to relate them to staple character roles in the genre, such as the innocent or the outsider. Because of the archetypal nature of these characters, many of them have a specific and defining trait that is the root of their identity. However, for the three central characters of this novel, Faulkner adds ambiguity and confusion to this defining trait, or …show more content…
First, he separates Lena Grove from her identifying trait as a woman of the time; being a wife. Because she is an unwed pregnant woman, the community shuns and judges her, forcing her into isolation, which is shown by her introverted and quiet nature. Next, he removes Joe Christmas from the defining trait of his race through the use of confusing and ambiguous language when discussing the subject of his identity. By separating him from both his black heritage and his white heritage, Faulkner puts Joe into a category of his own, isolating him in the process. Finally, Faulkner removes Hightower from his defining trait of religion by explaining through simile that the reverend prefers poetry to prayer. Because Hightower is no longer affiliated with religion, which was the major part of his identity, he is forced out by the community, becoming a recluse and remaining in isolation. For all three of these characters, Faulkner uses identity as a pathway to isolation. By removing them from the defining part of their identity, he forces them into a state of isolation, which only adds to the struggles they
In the novel Light in August, many characters struggle with their identity. Specifically, Lena Grove, Joe Christmas, and Gail Hightower (the novel’s three central characters) are all in some way separated from a significant part of the identity. Being a Southern Gothic novel, Light in August often portrays these characters as archetypes in order to relate them to staple character roles in the genre, such as the innocent or the outsider. Because of the archetypal nature of these characters, many of them have a specific and defining trait that is the root of their identity. However, for the three central characters of this novel, Faulkner adds ambiguity and confusion to this defining trait, or …show more content…
First, he separates Lena Grove from her identifying trait as a woman of the time; being a wife. Because she is an unwed pregnant woman, the community shuns and judges her, forcing her into isolation, which is shown by her introverted and quiet nature. Next, he removes Joe Christmas from the defining trait of his race through the use of confusing and ambiguous language when discussing the subject of his identity. By separating him from both his black heritage and his white heritage, Faulkner puts Joe into a category of his own, isolating him in the process. Finally, Faulkner removes Hightower from his defining trait of religion by explaining through simile that the reverend prefers poetry to prayer. Because Hightower is no longer affiliated with religion, which was the major part of his identity, he is forced out by the community, becoming a recluse and remaining in isolation. For all three of these characters, Faulkner uses identity as a pathway to isolation. By removing them from the defining part of their identity, he forces them into a state of isolation, which only adds to the struggles they