Review of Dry September by William Faulkner
by Michael Hall
An Analysis of William Faulkner’s “Dry September”
Although it has declined somewhat, racial discrimination has continued to plague America for centuries. In the short story “Dry September,” William Faulkner addresses the problem of racism in the South in the post-World War II years. By applying Marxist criticism, which is based on the concept that the individual is the product of the society that he/she lives in, to “Dry September,” we find that all the main characters, and not just Will, are actually victims of the society they are apart of. In addition to the sociological problems addressed in the story, Faulkner creates a unique setting in which the weather reflects the attitudes of the main characters. “Dry September” is a story in which each character is a victim of the sociological problems of the day, and is also a great example of how the physical atmosphere of a story can be used to mimic that of its respective characters.
Minnie Cooper’s decision to make an implication about her supposed rape may not have occurred if it had not been for society’s obsession for beauty and youth. She may have been influenced both by her fellow female citizens and from the films she had seen at the cinema she frequented. Minnie let people believe that there was some incident between Will and herself as a means of gaining attention. In her youth, she was the popular girl. But in adulthood, Minnie’s position in society declined as she dealt with her deteriorating beauty which resulted in a diminished number of male suitors. However, Minnie tried to fight society’s current when the “town began to see her driving on Sunday afternoons with the cashier in the bank” (Faulkner 341). The problem, however, was that this cashier was married. Participation in such an adulterous relationship would have undoubtedly caused her reputation in the eyes of society to free fall. To prevent this from happening again, Minnie tries another avenue in which she creates fictional stories that make her the object of various individual’s sexual desires. The first story she created was about a “man on the kitchen roof, watching her undress” (Faulkner 339). This story’s authenticity was questionable in the eyes of society, so she had to come up with something else to regain the positive attention of the public. What she finally did was to create the conditions for a story, and let society fill the blanks. She only gave enough information to lead society in the direction that she desired. So although Minnie proves herself to be a great manipulator of society and the surface reason for the murder of Willie, her place in society may be the root cause for the decisions that she made.
The Research paper on Short Stories Faulkner Story Characters
Analysis Of Faulkner Short Stories Essay, Research Analysis Of Faulkner Short Stories Response to the Faulkner Short Stories In each of these stories, Faulkner communicates to the reader through very strange characters. In "Was', we hear of a story that basically stems around a runaway slave. The two Uncles are very stereotypical. The other owner was also very stereotypical. Basically, in this ...
Will Mayes suffers both mentally and physically due to the injustices brought about by prejudices towards African-Americans in post-World War II America, which ultimately leads to his death. As with all African-Americans of the time-period, the vast majority of his fellow white citizens viewed him as inferior, if not sub-human, to themselves. In response to the possibility that Will is innocent, McLendon states “What the hell difference does it make? Are you going to let the black sons get away with it until one really does it?” (Faulkner 339). This statement, which would be quite typical of a southern bigot, makes it quite clear that the upcoming murder has nothing to do with revenge or justice in regards to the supposed rape, but for reasons that deal purely with racial hatred. There are also clues which show that Will may have believed himself inferior to his white counterparts. After he is beaten and dragged back to the car, Will pleads with the vigilantes and submits to being handcuffed and taken away (Faulkner 342). Though they were not sheriffs, Will must have thought the conspirators had some right to treat him as they did. This, no doubt, would have been the result from his social conditioning which instilled in him the mistaken belief that white people are superior to him.
The Essay on Settler Society Construct Canada White Nation
Through the narration of white settler society construct, that is, the notion that Canada is a nation founded by the French and British, only certain interests are taken into account. D aiva Stasiulus and Radha Jhappan's article "The Fractious Politics of a Settler Society in Canada," demonstrate how this construct is problematic in Canada's nation building process. Ultimately, both Stasiulus and ...
The barber Hawkshaw is the only character in the story that sees the truth through this societal vale, but ultimately fails to overcome the bigotry displayed by the other conspirators. In the barbershop, it is Hawkshaw who is acting as the voice of reason. However, reason does not seem to have much of an effect on the simple-minded bigots. They respond by insulting him using such racial obscenities as “niggerlover” (Faulkner 338-39). Though he initially is able to withstand the verbal onslaught of society and defend the innocence of Will, he eventually submits when he witnesses the beating (Faulkner 343). Because of the pressure exerted by society’s views, those who do not conform are either persecuted or must convert to the status quo. The message, from a Marxist standpoint, would be that even individuals with such admirable and just qualities as Hawkshaw inevitably submit to the consensus of society.
McLendon, who easily could be viewed as a character void of any desirable qualities, could also be considered a victim of his place in society. This vigilante leader who was responsible for the murder of Will had once “commanded troops at the front in France and had been decorated for valor” (Faulkner 339). So during the war he was a hero, but once reintegrated into society he becomes the villain who operates on animal instinct. Imagery is used to support this point when McLendon returns home to his “birdcage,” and how he was “ripping of his shirt,” and was standing at the screen “panting” (Faulkner 345). These images bring to mind a wild animal, and such an animal should not be let in to society to hastily. So it is possible that had it not been for his wartime activities, McLendon may not have killed Will. Although he may have originally been a racist prior to his service in the military, his experiences in the war may have caused him to act in more severe ways. So McLendon cannot be fully responsible for the events that took place. Instead, society is partly to blame for training and sending a man to war, but failing to train and send a man back home.
The Essay on Faulkner Sentences Story Vocabulary
I have both negative and positive things to say about William Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying. In the book Faulkner uses a very unique approach for narration. He has very strong sentences and vocabulary, but the story itself was too strange and warped for my enjoyment. Nevertheless there is a vibe given off in this Faulkner Novel that make it a timeless classic. When I started reading this book it ...
The physical setting of the story mirrored the mental attitudes of the characters. In the first scene we find out that there has been “sixty-two rainless days” (Faulkner 338). We also discover that within the barbershop the “ceiling fan stirred, without freshening it, the vitiated air, sending back upon them” (Faulkner 338). So the weather is obviously very hot and uncomfortable. But the occupants of the barbershop have similar characteristics. They are “hot” because of the supposed rape of a white woman, yet many are “uncomfortable.” For example, when McLendon was recruiting members for his vigilante gang, some of the recruits were “uncomfortable, not looking at one another, then one by one they rose and joined him” (Faulkner 340). They are uncomfortable because they know it is morally wrong, yet they know they must do so to conform. However, in the second scene, which is a description of Minnie’s past, we find comfortable and cool imagery. We hear how the afternoon began to “cool,” and how Minnie used to “ride upon the crest of the town’s social life” (Faulkner 340). The word “crest” can refer to a peak, but it also describes part of a wave, which would be considered part of the “cool” imagery. The narrator also states that “she was of comfortable people” (Faulkner 340). This again is in contrast to that of the first scene. In addition, there is also a scene that contains both of these opposites which represents a conflict. In the third scene, the uncomfortably hot atmosphere of the vigilantes conflicts with Will’s place of employment, an “ice plant” (Faulkner 342).
Overall, “Dry September” addresses the age old question of what causes racism to endure. On a deeper level, the use of Marxist criticism brings up questions about society’s role and responsibility in its members’ actions. To what extent is society responsible for problems traditionally blamed on the individual? The story also ingeniously connects characters’ mindsets to the surrounding setting. “Dry September” is a story in which each character is a victim of the sociological problems of the day, and is also a great example of how the physical atmosphere of a story can be used to mimic that of its respective characters.
y September by William Faulkner .doc ( Page 2
William Faulkner was born on September 25 , 1897 , in North Albany Mississippi . He was Nobel Prize winner in 1950 for literature and one of the great southern who narrated the traditions and chauvinism of his own regional culture to describe his novels and short stories . The characters in his work are memorable forever . Dry September ‘ is a short story , written by him in 1931 , composed in five parts . Dry September ‘ is dealt about
The Essay on Story Of An Hour Character Analysis
Victoria Hubble October 14, 1999 Character Analysis Essay #4 The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin is an ironic story because, Louise Mallard realizes the independence that she gains from her husbands death. The moment she realizes this freedom, and is willing to take this new way of life into her arms, her husband returns, and she dies. Mrs. Mallard has a revelation of all these liberations she ...
the life of white woman ‘s unconvinced blame of abuse against a black man and the prejudiced reaction of the townsmen . The story is about the events connected the murder of Will Mayes but the actual events of murder is not well mentioned to divert the attention of a reader towards the causes of violence psychologically as well as physical torture
George Marion O ‘Donnell calls Faulkner a really traditional moralist in the best sense . In this story Minnie Cooper was neglected by the society and her feelings about her womanhood affected her psychologically , rather than the murder of Will Mayes . Faulkner mentioned the words like “lifeless “breathless , and “dry ” to symbolize the neglected value of Miss Minnie ‘s in society because her sexual life is considered as dead . Faulkner narrates the view of Minnie ‘s motive so unfair to the character of Will Mayes . In Dry September ‘ the townspeople , particularly Minnie Cooper and McLendon give such importance to Will Mayes ‘s race than the quality of his moral character . This failure to understanding by other human beings was one of the major events connected to the death of Will Mayes . Miss Minnie Cooper was psychologically tortured by the society and finds it difficult to accept herself that what the society thinks about her Ferguson asserts that Faulkner ‘s greatest stories – Dry September among them – always deal with this fundamental human truth . When her friend ‘s children call her ‘aunty ‘ she objects and likes to being called as cousin . She wants to change their impression of her and she wants to be liked by them . As like Will Mayes was murdered in spite of his innocence , Minnie is disgraced from the society even though she did not made any mistake
The Essay on Society Theme Stories Attitudes
A shift in the attitudes and beliefs of any ancestral society is most often a convoluted and lengthy task, caused by a combination of many people's actions. The text "To Kill A Mockingbird," and the film "The Power of One," address the extent of influence one person's risk and sacrifice can have on the ideologies that are adhered to by a society. Both stories contain characters that show courage ...
Volpe says , the characters in Faulkner ‘s southern society are drawn from three social levels : the aristocrats , the townspeople , and the Negroes . Early southern society was well known for the great importance of woman ‘s purity . An unmarried woman was supposed as pure In this story , Faulkner narrated the role of Miss Minnie Cooper in “Dry September ” as a spinster . This story is a devasting critique of the southern stories that dealt with the lives of women . The story presents Faulkner ‘s analysis of societal supremacy based on gender . Narrating the southern society this story is a mixture of past and present events to portray the motivation of characters . Hence it remained as a critique of southern…
This paper suggests that the story is about societal abandonment of character Minnie Cooper and her feelings about her womanhood, rather than the murder of Will Mayes. The author points out that the story presents Faulkner’s criticism of societal power systems based on gender. The paper relates that Faulkner uses words like “lifeless”, “breathless”, and “dry” to represent the lost value of Miss Minnie’s social presence because her sexual life is “dry” or dead.
From the Paper:
“Faulkner is venturing into Minnie’s drive and motive behind being so unfair to Will Mayes. He is exploring her desperation, which she must feel that turns her into a villain and makes her go to such extreme. Her desire of being accepted surpasses her morality. The society has pushed her so much that she finds it hard to accept herself and what the society thinks about her. When her friend’s children call her “aunty” she objects and insists on being called cousin. She wants to change their impression of her and in doing so she wants to be liked by them so that she may accept who she is, and what she has or does not have. Just like Will Mayes was murdered in spite of his innocence, Minnie is ousted from the society for no fault of her own.”
The Essay on Rose For Emily Story Faulkner Reader
A Perspective Look At "A Rose ForA Perspective Look At "A Rose For Emily' A Perspective Look at? A Rose for Emily? Outline Thesis: As any reader can see, ? A Rose for Emily? is one of the most authentic short stories by Faulkner. His use of characterization, narration, foreshadowing, and symbolism are four key factors to why Faulkner? s work is idealistic to all readers. Introduction Short ...
