Faulkner begins this piece by using really good imagery to set up a scene of violence and tension. This helps the reader by foreshadowing the horrible act of violence that is about to happen. This appears to be a recurrent theme in many of the stories we have read in class this semester. For example, Poe uses a lot of imagery when describing the house to set the reader up for the strange events that are about to occur. Many other authors who’s work we have read use imagery not to foreshadow violence. In fact I cannot recall a piece of work we have read this semester that did not use excellent imagery. Sometimes it was even too good, like in Douglass’ narrative. So if I had to make a conclusion about southern literature right now, I would have to say that imagery is a really important tool that the authors use.
Faulkner’s “Dry September” does an excellent job at demonstrating how lynching and such violent acts were a public affair. These horrible acts were used as social control to keep the African Americans scared and in line. For example, when Miss Minnie Cooper went out with her friends and they were walking: “There’s not a negro on the square. Not one.” That shows that this threat of violence was enough to scare them out of the streets, so therefore it was accomplishing its goal.
Not only does Faulkner show that these violent acts are a social event, but he also shows that there is a lot of male pride and pressure involved, and how irrational people can become. The barber was concerned with getting all of the facts and being rational about the situation, but he was ridiculed by the other men. McLendon was the least rational, and most influential and pressuring about the situation. “Happen? What the hell difference does it make? Are you going to let the black sons get away with it until one really does it?” Moments later McLendon is cursing the others who will not join him until they do.
I think that Faulkner is trying to show how irrational and out of control this violence was. If this is what he was trying to do, in my opinion he did a really good job because that is exactly the idea I got from reading “Dry September.”
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7 comments:
I agree with you that it was very irrational and wrong. I don't know how people, just because a white woman claims that someone raped her, just believe her and not even investigate if it actually happened. First of all they shouldn't have taken any action. That's up to the police to decide what do with the person. It's not up to them to do anything. You're right that Faulkner really showed how bad it was in the south back then.
I agree that Faulkner was really trying to show the extreme level of violence that took place at this time in the South. I also really like that you said Faulkner's point of writing "Dry September" was to show how irrational and out of control the violence was. In other readings we have done, authors have tried to show the logic behing southern class structure and racism, that this is the only way the South could run. Faulkner does the exact opposite, showing that it was wrong and that there really was no reasoning behind it.
I have to say that I agree that Faulkner started these story very poetetically but when it comes down to the story he had a way with words on how to describe what was going on in this town and what was happening to its people. I find that he had a way of telling how all these different people effected the situation and how the situation affected their lives.
I have to agree with you that the southern literature that we have read thus far has deaply focused on sceanery. it is sort of moving in many pieces, and in others connects you to the reading in a way it is hard to do by just making relatable characters. I also think that one of the main focus in this literature is society's influence. the reson the lynchings happened was due to societal control, and presure for those to perform and protect the southern women. there is a very strong misconception that society enforces on others.
I also felt that this was Faulkner's point to show how irrational the violence was, but I'm not sure how public the lynching truly was due to the fact that it wasn't described as public. Especially when at the end of the story the men asked what they did to Willie. Although there were not African Americans in the square, if Willie was married and his wife said that he didn't come home it could have been assumed and passed on by word of mouth, but my favorite part of the piece was that everyone could interpret it in their own way.
I think that Faulkner was showing his disgust for people like McLendon because he was such an unlikable character. He beats his wife and pressures everyone into doing what he wants them to do. To be honest I don’t think he killed Willie I think he had Butch do it, but that’s my opinion.
I share your praise for Faulkner's imagery and descriptiveness. The instances that stick out in my mind are when he describes the night as without crickets and other insects, foreshadowing for the events that are to occur. I also like his descriptions of the dust, specifically when Hawkshaw is involved. Like when he runs out after the mob and it reads, "The day had died in a pall of dust;" Faulkner uses dust as a return to earth, an ultimate symbol.
When the men were in the barber shop I was wondering how many of them really wanted to go along with what McLendon was saying. I sensed that possibly they didn’t want to go along with what he said, but were being influenced by him, and worried about what the other men of the room would think if they didn’t go along with it. It seemed as though their manhood was threatened if they didn’t continue to escalate the matter, and as a result ended up participating in the crime and killing Will Mayes. The way that the barber was being treated when he attempted to stand up for Will Mayes showed that if anyone were to take a stance they were going to be verbally tormented. Eventually if they continued to voice their opinion they could be physically harmed. I think this became a factor in the barber shop, and when this was considered by the men they decided it would just be best to go along with what was happening.
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