Light in August (Magill Book Reviews)
At a glance:
- Author: William Faulkner
- First Published: 1932
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: Racism, Race, Murder or homicide, South or Southerners, Interracial relationships, Mistaken or secret identity, Betrayal, Prejudices or antipathies, 1930’s, Pregnancy, Mississippi, Small-town life, Cruelty, Hate crimes, Outlaws
- Locales: Yoknapatawpha County (fictive)
Each of these characters has embarked on a quest. Lena seeks the father of her soon-to-be-born child; Joe Christmas seeks his identity; Hightower attempts to escape the past. Lena’s trusting nature allows her to become a part of the community, and she finds a worthy husband. Joe Christmas rejects both the black world and the white and can find peace only in death. Hightower, too, fails to free himself from the burden of the past, though he delivers Lena’s baby and makes a gallant but unsuccessful effort to save Joe Christmas.
The lives of these three characters reveal a...
[The entire page is 721 words long]
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