Free Essay

Faulkner

In:

Submitted By djholzinger
Words 1961
Pages 8
Name
Professor
English 1B
03 March 2014
Faulkner’s Use of Southern Gothic and Mississippi
Faulkner might have well been named as one of the most influential American writers of the South while some critics despised his work. William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, on September 25, 1897 (“William Faulkner Bio”). His love for poetry early on helped shape his writing style. Faulkner became an accomplished writer producing novels, short stories, poetry, and even dabbled in screen work media. As a Novel Prize laureate, he spent most of his life in Lafayette County, Mississippi. Many of his fictional stories take place in Yoknapatawpha County, a place he created based on the setting in Lafayette.
As a native of Mississippi, the American South’s culture had a big influence on him. His inspiration for writing came from his grandfather (Cruz). He not only loved his grandfather but wanted to be just like him. His passion for literature sent him on a journey to the University of Mississippi. While attending school, he worked for The Scream writing comic strips. (Cruz). Faulkner traveled a lot with his father while he was younger. Like most, he had strong Southern values and pride. He seemed to have a different stance on equality and the issues of inequality taking place. Faulkner encouraged equality amongst the citizens. His literature uses several situations where people of race, gender, or class are discriminated against (Cruz).
Faulkner’s ability to write seemed to be influenced by his social environment. While he did have some trouble engaging in a political setting, he did retain his family values. He even used these values in the plot of some of his stories and novels. Faulkner favored the Southern Gothic style, a practice used by a multitude of writers in the American South. His story settings take place in regions that are characterized by macabre, grotesque or fantastic incidents (“Southern”). The idea behind the use of Southern Gothic was to explore not only social issues but the cultural character as well. In “A Rose for Emily,” Miss Emily was once a Southern aristocrat but as time passes, the decay of the plantation unfolds in the story.
The use of macabre is seen in the setting. The death of a future potential spouse, Homer, goes missing and is not found until Emily passes away. Not only did she poison him with arsenic but the frightening tale ends with evidence that she had actually been sleeping with a dead corpse. It is in itself quite grotesque and pretty gruesome. The environment in which Faulkner portrays the character is important to the story. He even goes into detail to describe Emily, allowing the reader to imagine what her physique looked like. Faulkner depicts the events in Emily’s life providing a tale of the rich South and their custom to a certain lifestyle. It is a value of traditions during the antebellum era (“Faulkner’s”).
The Post Civil War caused the Southerners to change their way of life. Like the Grierson’s left in poverty, the land had been broken by the war. Properties were devastated and the great plantations became a mere shadow of what once was. Billions in value of economic slaves had been wiped away to nothing (“Post”). In the story, Emily continues to live on as if she is not willing to accept the diminishing lifestyle. Faulkner’s use of sexism in “A Rose for Emily” is even seen. Attitudes during the pre-war about women were built on the idea of purity, piety and submissiveness (“Changing”).
A woman’s role in life was that of a subservient one. It was unheard of to be as old as Emily at thirty and still be unmarried. Before the war, it was not unheard of to be married as young as seventeen. History showed that the effects of the Civil War had destroyed the Southern marriage patterns. The death rates were so great that Southern women became demographically deprived. This threatened the identity of the white woman becoming wives and mothers (Hacker). In Emily’s case, her father thought that no man was good enough for his daughter and the town pitied her. Women during this time participated in the work force and Emily herself gave art lessons.
Some critics think “A Rose for Emily” is not an easy story to follow. It is not a happy tale with an optimistic outcome (Heller). As the story opens, it shares the ending of Emily’s life, the funeral, and her dying. It is a sad story of conflict within one’s heart to make decisions and the right decisions for that matter. Others think that the use of flashback techniques set the stage for the story and then allow the events to happen with the ending in mind. This enlightens the reader to want to read and follow the story to find out what events transpire. Either way critics may not share the same view as each reader is touched differently by the story.
The story of “Barn Burning” is a harder tale but nevertheless still shares the setting in the South and violence. It is a tale of a man struggling with anger, abusiveness, and revenge while trying to provide for his family. Just like “A Rose for Emily,” both characters are struggling with psychological problems. Their history of dependence on their fathers creates conflict within their lives (Writes). Colonel Sartoris Snope’s struggles with helping his father commit arson. In trying to remain loyal, he makes bad decisions. His father believes he might have told on him, so he is physically abusive to him. With his father not trusting him on the second attempt of arson, he has him restrained. Ultimately Snope’s breaks free and his morals help him make the right decision. The only sad outcome is that his father is killed (Writes).
Faulkner’s style in “Barn Burning” is interesting. The reader may notice that his sentence structures are long and full of interruptions. It is a story of random emotions, convictions, and a struggle with the conscience. It is sad and complex with mystery that may mirror a real life event. The plot seems to leave its audience feeling lost like Snopes as he wants to make the right decision but is scared (“Barn”). The material is supposed to engage the reader and keep the suspense coming.
The Southern Gothic story uses a boy who is like a knight in shining armor. He is there to protect the innocent from the evil hands of his father. The family members themselves are certainly odd and the boy seems to be the only sane one. The story also shares a plantation like setting of socially different classes. Sexism is still an issue and the women are the submissive bodies. Tension can be read amongst different classes in the story, especially when Mr. Snope’s ruins a rug and is required to pay back a bushel of corn. Determined to get revenge, he makes a grave decision.
The destruction of another person's property should never be committed by anyone. The key symbol in “Barn Burning” is fire. Fire is a hard thing to contain and in late 1800s, having access to water to put out a fire was a challenge. Mr. Snope’s ultimate control of power was taking something from someone else with the use of fire. He burnt down a building, stole a fence post and in both cases the outcome was fire. It is clear to the reader that this person is not from an aristocratic family. This could have caused his lack of respect to people of wealth. His crimes mirrored the actual loss of control and his attempt to keep it (“Symbols”).Some readers criticize this story for being a bit confusing and hard to read (“Barn”).
William Faulkner’s critics could describe his literature as a storm of controversy. Many were very impressed by the somber power of his writing. There were lots of commentators that did not like his themes or his prose style (New). The symbolism behind some of the brutal stories of Yoknapatawpha County drew the reader into his stories. The following admirers loved how he described his characters and the sharp details he provided. In “A Rose for Emily,” he describes Emily in good detail. “Her eyes, lost in the fatty ridges of her face, looked like two small pieces of coal into a lump of dough as they moved from one face to another while the visitor’s stated their errand” (Kirszner & Mandell 129). That definitely lets the reader imagine what Emily looked like.
Some critics thought that most of his creativity came about after 1935 (“William Faulkner Encyclopedia”). His weakest novel Absalom, Absalom! was published in 1936. Faulkner uses the aristocracy of a Mississippi woman that marries a poor man from Virginia hills. Ultimately there is another circle of Southern Gothic in his setting as mental retardation, violence and degeneracy plague the family. In Intruder in the Dust, he uses his own thought about his take on equality when he expresses the unjust system against an innocent African American being persecuted by whites (“William Faulkner Encyclopedia”).
The nineteenth century was hardly a time of all good will, and Faulkner was born during the end of this era. At this time there were two Souths before the American Civil War. Some rules were filled with injustice and prejudice against black people and others did not believe in much of anything. People were measured by their length of success and certainly getting ahead was more important than surviving. Faulkner did not believe in slavery and he spoke openly about it (“William Faulkner Encyclopedia”). He certainly appreciated the past and critics have accused him of looking back when the quality of life was better. Everyone may not have loved him but a person cannot deny the great works he wrote and an open look of his personal experiences in the South (Kelly).

Works Cited
"Barn Burning Analysis." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
“Changing Roles of Women in Civil War Era America.” Yahoo Voices. Yahoo, 15 Feb. 2008. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Cruz, Julian. “On Faulkner and His Influences.” Yahoo Voices. Yahoo, 06 May, 2008. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
"Faulkner's Rose for Emily is a Portrait of the Post War South." 123 Help Me. 123 Help Me, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Hacker, David J., Hilde, Libra and Jones, James H. “The Effect of the Civil War on Southern Marriage Patterns.” PMC: US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. National Center for Biotechnology Information. 15 Dec. 2010. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Heller, Terry. “The Telltale Hair: A Critical Study of William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily.” Public.coe. Terry Heller, 1997-2011. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Kelly, Charles and Lawrence. “William Faulkner, 1897-1962: He was America’s Greatest Southern Writer.” Manythings.org. Kelly, Charles and Lawrence, 1997-2013. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Kirszner, Laurie G., Mandell, Stephen R. Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting and Writing. Boston: Wadsworth, 2007, 2010, 2013. Print.
New York Times, The. “Faulkner’s Home, Family and Heritage Were Genesis of Yoknapatawpha County.” New York Times on the Web. New York Times, 2010. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
“Post Civil War South.” Ask The Webmaster (Civil War). Civil War Home, 18 Jan. 2005. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
"Southern Gothic." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
“Symbols: Fire.” Barn Burning. Barnburning.Weebly, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
"William Faulkner." Bio.True Story. A & E Television Networks, 1996-2013. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
"William Faulkner." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Writes, Jessica. “William Faulkner: A Critical Analysis of Two Short Stories.” Yahoo Voices. Yahoo, 16 May. 2006. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Faulkner

...Love-Ashby P. Elmore Composition II 1302-7420 5/25/11 FAULKNER Faulkner was born in 1897, to a genteel southern family. His father, Murry Cuthbert Falkner, was a railroad worker, owner of a cottonseed oil and ice plant, livery stable operator, hardware store employee, and secretary and business manager at University of Mississippi. His mother was Maud Butler Falkner. Falkner grew up and spent most of his life, off and on, in Oxford, Mississippi. He trained for the Royal Air Force in Canada, and later the British Royal Air Force during World War I, but the war was over before he saw action. After the war he briefly attended the University of Mississippi. He married Lida Estelle Oldham Franklin, June 20, 1929. The Faulkner works were greatly influenced by his family history. The area in which he lived had a great deal to do with his sense of the doleful position of Black and WhiteAmericans. This also influenced his sense of humor and is said to be the legacy of earlier writers like Mark Twain. Faulkner was best known for his novels, but he also wrote short stories, poetry and occasional screenplays.. Film versions have been made of several of his works: Sanctuary (1961), Intruder in the Dust (1949), The Sound and the Fury(1959), The Reivers (1969), and Pylon (1957; or Tarnished Angels). Others (Requiem for a Nun, 1951, and "Barn Burning") have been filmed for television. (Pierce, Constance, and Heller) Faulkner received the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature for "his powerful...

Words: 2838 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

Faulkner

...Andrew Costroff ENG 102 Faulkner and American Literature Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner is commonly considered one of America’s most creative and inspiring novelists. Influenced by authors such as Phil Stone, Sherwood Anderson, and James Joyce, Faulkner’s works center on themes like racism, sexuality, and social decline that was taking place in the 1920’s and 30’s in the South. At the core of his stories and novels are symbols of decay, like Miss Emily in “A Rose for Emily”, and Southern pride, like in “The Sound and the Fury”. His experimental use of techniques, such as stream-of-consciousness and multiple narrators, make his work challenging to read, but nonetheless unique. Many of Faulkner's writings are set in Yoknapatawpha County, a fictional area reflecting his native Lafayette County, which played a major role in shaping one of the world’s most artistic imaginations. William Faulkner (he actually added the u later) was born on September 25, 1897, in New Albany, Mississippi. He was named after his great-grandfather, William Clark Falkner, the “Old Colonel” who often appears in William’s stories. As a young boy, he would often listen to stories told to him by his family, particularly his mother Maud and his grandmother Lelia – both of which were well-educated and excellent readers. These included stories of the Civil War, the Ku Klux Klan, slavery, and the Falkner family. Considering this, it is easy to see how themes of racism, sexuality, and battles of...

Words: 1093 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

William Faulkner

...Name Professor Course William Faulkner William Faulkner is viewed by many as America's greatest writer of fiction. He was born in New Albany, Mississippi, where he lived a life of up and downs. Although, despite the down times he would become known as a poet, a short story writer, and finally one of the greatest contemporary novelists of his time. William Faulkner's accomplishments resulted not only from his love and devotion to writing, but also from family, friends, and certain uncontrollable events. William Faulkner's life is an astonishing accomplishment; however, it is crucial to explore his styles of writing, and how one particular style of writing was able to alter my path in the way I approach my goals in life. He adjusts the style to fit the topic, able to adapt a more traditional type as he easily can invent new, complicated techniques of writing. Throughout his early education, he would work conscientiously at reading, spelling, writing, and arithmetic. However, he especially enjoyed drawing. When Faulkner got promoted to the third grade, skipping the second grade, he was asked by his teacher what he wanted to be when he grew up. He replied, "I want to be a writer just like my great granddaddy"(Minter 18). Faulkner took interest in poetry around 1910, but no one in Oxford, Mississippi, could tell him what to do with his poems. Shortly after, he met a man named Phil Stone. So one afternoon, Stone went to Faulkner's house to get to know him better, and...

Words: 1252 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

William Faulkner

...The Tall-Tall Tale of William Faulkner Gavin D. Respress ENG 1102 Troy University The Tall-Tall Tale of William Faulkner The brilliant author William Faulkner stood only five feet, six inches tall, but he is enormous in size in relations to American literature. Faulkner was a prominent writer from the state of Mississippi, who became a Nobel Prize winning novelist and an excellent short story writer who is admired worldwide as one of the best writers of the twentieth century. He is giving credit for transforming the deep-south region of Mississippi in to a fictional setting, where he explained, tested and explored “the old verities and truths of the heart.” In less than a decade, Faulkner accomplished more artistically than most writers have accomplish in their entire lifetime. In fact, his greatest creative triumph is during the period of The Sound and the Fury in 1929 to Go Down, Moses in 1942. This essay will discuss how William Faulkner became a legend of American literature, writing a series of novels, in spite of never graduating from high school or attending college, while living in the poorest state in America and balancing a large family and financial setbacks during the Great Depression. William Faulkner was the first of four sons born to Murry and Maud Butler Falkner in New Albany, Mississippi on September 25, 1897. His parents named him after his great-grandfather who was killed eight years prior in a battle in the streets with a former business...

Words: 2405 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

William Faulkner

...William Faulkner HUMN 142 Swapnil Davada Professor – Bonnie Ronson 04/09/2016 William Faulkner was a well-known novelist for his writings of short stories and fictions. His writings of novels, short stories, screenplay and fictional work took him to the stage of the Noble prize winners. On the day of him receiving the award, Willian Faulkner stated “I feel that this award was not made to me as a man, but to my work” (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1949/faulkner-speech.html). The Nobel Prize is what made William Faulkner known to the American public, as even though his work was majorly written in early 1900’s, it wasn’t appreciated till 1949. This is what made him as one of the most celebrated writers in the field of American literature in his time. As per the information on William Faulkner, 13 novels and a lot of other short stories were published by him by 1920. This included the famous novels like “As I lay Dying”, “The sound and the Fury”, and “Light in August”. On the day of William Faulkner receiving the Nobel Prize, he stated in his speech: “the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat.” (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1949/faulkner-speech.html) His most of writing focused on the conflicts that humans face within himself/herself. Every...

Words: 937 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

William Faulkner

...------------------------------------------------- William Faulkner William Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was a Nobel Prize-winning American author. One of the most influential writers of the20th century, his reputation is based on his novels, novellas and short stories. He was also a published poet and an occasional screenwriter. Most of Faulkner's works are set in his native state of Mississippi. He is considered one of the most important Southern writers along withMark Twain, Robert Penn Warren, Flannery O'Connor, Truman Capote, Eudora Welty, and Tennessee Williams. While his work was published regularly starting in the mid 1920s, Faulkner was relatively unknown before receiving the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature. Since then, he has often been cited as one of the most important writers in the history of American literature. ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Biography Born William Cuthbert Falkner in New Albany, Mississippi, he was the eldest son of Murry Cuthbert Falkner (August 17, 1870 – August 7, 1932) and Maud Butler (November 27, 1871 – October 16, 1960). He later changed the spelling of his name to Faulkner. His brothers were Murry Charles "Jack" Falkner (June 26, 1899 – December 24, 1975), author John Falkner (later Faulkner) (September 24, 1901 – March 28, 1963) and Dean Swift Falkner (August 15, 1907 – November 10, 1935). Faulkner was raised in and heavily influenced by the state of Mississippi...

Words: 2731 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

William Faulkner

...William Faulkner - Biographical William Faulkner (1897-1962), who came from an old southern family, grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. He joined the Canadian, and later the British, Royal Air Force during the First World War, studied for a while at the University of Mississippi, and temporarily worked for a New York bookstore and a New Orleans newspaper. Except for some trips to Europe and Asia, and a few brief stays in Hollywood as a scriptwriter, he worked on his novels and short stories on a farm in Oxford. In an attempt to create a saga of his own, Faulkner has invented a host of characters typical of the historical growth and subsequent decadence of the South. The human drama in Faulkner's novels is then built on the model of the actual, historical drama extending over almost a century and a half Each story and each novel contributes to the construction of a whole, which is the imaginary Yoknapatawpha County and its inhabitants. Their theme is the decay of the old South, as represented by the Sartoris and Compson families, and the emergence of ruthless and brash newcomers, the Snopeses. Theme and technique - the distortion of time through the use of the inner monologue are fused particularly successfully in The Sound and the Fury(1929), the downfall of the Compson family seen through the minds of several characters. The novel Sanctuary (1931) is about the degeneration of Temple Drake, a young girl from a distinguished southern family. Its sequel, Requiem For A Nun (1951)...

Words: 440 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

William Faulkner Research Paper

...William Faulkner Standing at just five feet, five inches tall William Faulkner was very small in stature, so much so that he was rejected by the U.S. Army, but his work made him a giant in the history of American Literature. Faulkner was a Nobel Peace Prize winning author and is considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. He is considered to have one of the most amazing periods of writing in the history of literature. Between 1929 and 1942 Faulkner published several famous novels, all coming during the Great Depression. He was able to write these novels without graduating high school or gaining a college degree. He even wrote one of the most famous novels in American history during this period called, “Absalom, Absalom!”....

Words: 1342 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Comparing Faulkner And Hemmingway In Barn Burning And A Clean

...The style of Faulkner and Hemmingway in “Barn Burning: and “A Clean, Well-Lighted place, respectively, is completely different. The writing of Hemmingway is quite unique due to which he can be considered different from other authors. There is a slow tempo of the story at the beginning and create a serene feeling for the reader. In contrast, Faulkner is quite extreme and takes a completely different approach by utilizing complex terms. Hemmingway prefers to write short sentences in comparison to Faulkner whose sentences are quite lengthy at times and make up a complete passage. Furthermore, the vocabulary used by Hemmingway is quite simple and easy to understand, however, this might pose a problem as well-educated readers will probably lose...

Words: 266 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Analysis Of A Good Man Is Hard To Find By Faulkner

...For example, in the beginning of “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner uses the pronoun “we” without clarification, then changes to “they,” again without clarification. Nebeker discusses that the subjects change from the old generation, which is a representation of the old Southern ideologies, to the new generation, which is a representation of the new Northern ideologies. In addition to Nebeker, Palmer agrees that “Faulkner uses partial and flawed subjects who demonstrate their own inadequacy in the face of the forces of history (Palmer 121)” Palmer is referring to the abstract subjects, like the old and new generations Falkner alludes to, that are flawed in ideologies and have existed in history. This excerpt, “So she vanquished them, horse and foot,...

Words: 1714 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

How Does Faulkner Use Symbols In A Rose For Emily

...The Power of Symbolism Used in Faulkner's A Rose for Emily In 1897, William Faulkner was brought up in Oxford, Mississippi. To be wealthy in those days of the south (or not), meant the difference between whether one was worthy of praise, or not. Faulkner's family was no longer high on the wealth "berth," but it was still respected due to the honor it possessed. Southerners placed a wealth of stock in big positions in life, as well as being a war hero. Faulkner's father and grandfather fit the bill perfectly. His father was treasurer of the university of Mississippi, in oxford. Before this, his grandfather had acquitted himself admirably by becoming a hero of the civil war. The point is made that even though the family no longer occupied...

Words: 338 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Faulkner

...A Rose for Emily When reading literature it is important to identify characters into to certain categories. The easiest of these categories are the protagonist and the antagonist. Though people automatically define them as the good guy and bad guy, it is really just that the protagonist is the one that has things happening to them and the antagonist is the one cause the things to happen. There can be many protagonist and antagonist in a story, though to find the main one just look for the ones that are doing it more predominantly. Some times in a story the protagonist can also have some qualities of an antagonist. While reading A Rose for Emily, you read about Emily Grierson. IT starts with the funeral for her, and how the town reacts. The men showing respect to her for who her father was, and the women intrigued by the mystery of her house in which no one had been in for over ten years. We find out that her father was a onetime wealthy and prominent man with in the community. He also became crazy and kept Emily sheltered from the outside world. When he died it devastated Emily to the point she shut the outside world even more. Her one and only love, which she was to marry, had died also. With each passing she became more and more withdrawn. Though while being withdrawn Emily become more and more bitter towards society. When the town decides that she must now pay taxes, she constantly defied their notices. When a strange odor start to emit from her house and she...

Words: 483 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Faulkner Analysis

...William Faulkner’s, “Barn Burning,” is a story of a sharecropper, Abner Snopes, and the plight of his family during tense class times in the South. Sharecropping became a way of life in the South after the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery. It was during this post- bellum time that social class tensions were on the rise as sharecropping took advantage of poor white people, while greatly benefiting the wealthy. Faulkner uses Abner Snopes and his family as a portal to the trials and tribulations of a poor white sharecropping family. Faulkner’s, “Barn Burning,” is an excellent portrayal of the extreme disparity and injustice within the social classes in the South. This disparity and injustice is what triggers the leader of the family, Abner Snopes, to let out his aggression by burning barns. The dynamics of class system and hierarchy are well demonstrated throughout the, “Barn Burning.” Not only is it evident in the social and cultural details surrounding the Snope’s lives, but, it is also evident within their immediate family dynamics. Abner Snopes is the authoritative head of the family in, “Barn Burning.” Abner calls the shots in regards to his family, throughout the story. His position amongst society is quite opposite of the role he has within his own family. As a sharecropper and tenant of wealthy plantation owners, Abner was treated much like a slave. At one point in the story, Abner says, “I reckon I’ll have a word with the man that aims to begin to-morrow...

Words: 813 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Barn Burning-Faulkner

...Nancy Wood Ms. Worthington Eng 102 Feb. 14th, 2013 Analysis Of Barn Burning-William Faulkner How is the setting in the Barn Burning southern? There are many things that prove this story is very southern and they are as follows: the use of the word N___er, reference “share cropping after the Civil War”, (The History Channel) a Nigro servant in what is plainly an Plantation like house, the father was in the war as an Confederate soldier, and several stereo typical southern references as well as the use of common southern accents.. The use of “N___er” (AFRAKA) is used multiple times in this story. It is used openly and without shame in regard to any person of color referenced in the story. This term is not as acceptable as it used to be, in reference to people of color, the term black is acceptable now in the south even though it doesn’t matter what one’s skin color is, we are in fact equal. “It is probable that n---er is a phonetic spelling of the white southern mispronunciation of nego” The family that is the focus of this story is sharecroppers, Landless laborers who rent land from landowners in return for a portion of their crop. The sharecropping system was developed as a way for landowners to establish a work force after the abolition of slavery in the south. To this day landowners still rent their land to the landless so that both can make a profit. Plantation houses of the classic antebellum style are indicative of the southern society before and after the civil...

Words: 627 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

William Faulkner Research Paper

...William Cuthbert Faulkner: A Southern American Writer William Faulkner states, “If a story is in you, it has to come out.” This quote is just mind blowing, not only because Faulkner's story was such a huge impact on the twentieth century, but how he shaped the future of literature. William Faulkner (1897-1962) an original American writer very much dealt with modernism. This movement began in the late 1800 and lasted up till about the late 1900. This movement was valued by experimentation and individualism. William Faulkner, coming from a Southern society, ranks as one of America's greatest novelists due to his imaginative power and depths of his later works. After William's father passing away he looked to pay the bills. Faulkner then stepped...

Words: 695 - Pages: 3