Set This House on Fire by William Styron, Styron’s second novel following his successful debut with Lie Down in Darkness, was met with varied critical reception. Departing from the familiar to explore fresh thematic and geographical grounds, Styron crafted a novel that is ambitious, both in scope and emotion. Despite criticisms of being melodramatic and unconvincing, a closer examination reveals a profound exploration of complex themes articulated through a symbolic and allegorical technique.

Styron's Southern Roots and Symbolism

Thematically, Set This House on Fire is a Southern novel at its core, though its symbolism and allegorical style might obscure this aspect for some readers. The Italian setting of Sambuco serves as a backdrop where characters are free to confront their primal emotional and philosophical yearnings. This pastoral location contrasts sharply with the modern, urbanized home environment that protagonist Peter Leverett finds alienating. It is in Sambuco that Peter re-evaluates his relationship with Mason Flagg, characterized by mutual dislike, and where Cass Kinsolving confronts his guilt-ridden past, seeking redemption through acts of penance and defiance.

Mason Flagg and the Mason-Dixon Symbolism

The character of Mason Flagg is often misunderstood, with critics fixating on his last name's obvious symbol of the American flag. However, Mason's character is a multi-layered representation of Northern American industrial wealth and corruption—further symbolized through the Mason-Dixon line metaphor. Raised in the North and abruptly transplanted to Virginia through his father’s acquisition of a plantation, Mason embodies the Northern commercial invasion of the South. In stark contrast, Cass Kinsolving represents the Southern ethos, burdened by historical guilt yet resistant to Northern superficiality and materialism.

Cass’s journey is marked by a deep sense of guilt over his treatment of African Americans and a disdain for Mason's northern ways. His inner turmoil and eventual actions against Mason are symbolic of the South’s struggle against Northern dominance and moral decay. Through his symbolic servitude to Mason and his subsequent acts of redemption, Cass seeks to reconcile his past and restore his self-respect.

Influences and Literary Techniques

Styron’s narrative reflects the profound influence of authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and William Faulkner. Cass Kinsolving's intense psychological self-examinations echo techniques found in Hawthorne’s works, such as "My Kinsman, Major Molineux," while the novel’s use of flashbacks and dreamlike states highlight Styron’s exploration of repressed guilt and the South’s haunted past. These devices serve to underscore the novel’s Southern identity and its engagement with America’s racial history.

The novel’s exploration of guilt and its symbolic representation of Southern history is encapsulated in Peter Leverett’s father’s reflection on the Virginia shore: "Right out there. It was one of the saddest days in the history of man, I mean black or white. We’re still paying for that day, and we’ll be paying for it from right here on out. And there’ll be blood shed, and tears." This sentiment encapsulates the enduring impact of America’s racial past, a central theme in Styron’s novel.

America's Racial History in Microcosm

The focal point of Set This House on Fire is the dramatization of America’s racial tensions, symbolically enacted through the conflict between Mason and Cass. Analogous to Hawthorne’s critique of Puritan excess, Styron’s novel explores the psychological and physical ramifications of America’s history of racial oppression. The novel's complex characters and their interactions serve as a microcosm of a broader national discourse, marking the work as a significant contribution to Southern literature.

By delving into the intricacies of Southern identity and its confrontation with historical guilt and modernity, Styron provides a nuanced narrative that challenges readers to reconsider America’s cultural and historical legacy. The novel remains a profound meditation on the South's ongoing grappling with its past, symbolized through the conflict and eventual resolution between its central characters.