Light in August Essay Example for Free

Light in August EssayWilliam Faulkners celebrated legend Light in August says the tale of an orphan Joe Christmas, who has an unknown or doubtful ancestry who considers himself to be part-black. The novel includes clarified themes that involve issues of gender, race, community and religion. The capture of the racist individualism and the portrayal of Calvinistic religion are the important features of the novel. Light in August is one of the best works of William Faulkner. The story starts with Lena Grove, a helpless heavy(predicate) girl (from Alabama) who set out of her house in search of her unborn babys fuss Lucas Burch. Lucas Burch had actually escaped from Lena so that he need not bear the burden of incurhood. Lenas hunt down for Lucas Burch make her reach another humans with the same name Byron band. He was a simple man who makes friendship with Lena and later go in love with her. Byron was kindhearted and provided Lena with home and security that the actual Byro n Bunch (the childs father) could not provide. After that we can lift up Byron narrating his feelings for Lena to the former Presbyterian minister Rev.Gail Hightower who was pushed to withdraw from his ministry as his wife committed suicide. In the middle of this strange story between Lena Grove and Lucas Burch, there appears Joe Christmas the roommate of Lucas Burch. He was an orphan working in the planing mill like Byron Bunch. The word Christmas was added to his name as it was on the day of Christmas that he reached the orphanage. Christmas was too not sure about his ancestry as he wandered crosswise in search of his lineage a voyage for self-discovery.Christmas journey led him to Jefferson, Mississippi where he falls in a dangerous relation with Joanna Burden spinsterish civil rights activist. This affair led him to grave destruction. The approximately interesting theme of Light in August is the Southern issue with racial identity. Joe is mistreated and blue as people suspec t that he has a black ancestry. They never him the way they treat bloodless people (Dondlinger, 98-125). We can find in Light in August that majority of the offices are influenced by the whimsy of race disparity.For example, Joanna Burden, Joe Christmas, Doc Hines, Nathaniel Burde and lastly Percy Grimm are some or the other way influenced by the concept of race (Towner, 45-65). Some of the characters become victims of the senseless racial classification and suffer. Others who are out of this bane believe that there is nothing wrong in treating blacks inhumanly on the basis of racial difference. Racial distinction is quite acceptable for them (Dondlinger, 98-125). For example The Jefferson sheriff, Watt Kennedy appears to be a decent man.However we can see him punishing a randomly chosen black person in an unwished investigation (appeared unwanted at first). Similarly several other characters are found to be under the grip of the notion of race. Gender to a fault plays a cruci al role in the novel Light in August. Male-female identity and relations is an important topic. For example, we can find Joe being hostile to women. Lenas babys father Lucas Burch also ran away from his pregnant wife he was also fleeing away from women.Byron Bunch also did not have any plans to marry and was living a lone(a) vivification till Lena comes. He was adjusting his life in such a way that he could continue living alone. Rev. Gail Hightower also do not have a good fellowship with women as he led his wife to suicide. Another character Joanna Burden does not even marry. However we can find that the author never attempts to contrast the lonely life of these unfortunate characters with any keen or satisfied normal family or love relationships until the novel reaches the last chapter.We can see that the marriage of Hines and McEachern was also not a happy one. Moreover the Armstids also do not appear to have any love among them. Finally it appears to come to a happy end when Byron Bunch moves away with Lena Grove. But disappointment suddenly comes in she refuses him to share her bed. That relation also seems to be failure. The only relationship that appears to be happy is the relationship of the furniture dealer and his wife. They only had a relationship that had any trace of happiness or satisfaction.