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The Town Analysis

William Faulkner

Places Discussed

(Critical Guide to Settings and Places in Literature)

Jefferson

Jefferson. Mississippi town that is home to aristocrats of the unreconstructed Old South, whose family names include the Compsons, de Spains, Sartorises, and Stevenses. The preserved culture and society of the old land-based, medieval class system survived in the American South well into the middle of the twentieth century. The town is the old order of an agrarian, white, Protestant social construct that has outlived its time and its use in the modern world.

Jefferson is also home to the poor white trash who come to populate it, personified by the members of the Snopes family whose numbers are endless. The new social order brought to town by the Snopeses causes the eventual collapse of the old, aristocratic order as the Baptist, illiterate, dirty, and immoral Snopeses take over Jefferson, first with their large numbers and later politically. Gradually, they take control of local businesses, become deacons and preachers in the churches, and get jobs as school teachers. Finally, one of them even maneuvers himself into being appointed president of the bank.

Water tower

Water tower. Ever-present symbol of Jefferson’s town’s hypocrisy. Standing on a ridge high above the town, the water in the tower contains pieces of stolen brass that Flem Snopes has taken from the city power plant where he works. Everyone in town knows the stolen pieces are there. Whenever they drink a glass of water, they can...

(The entire section is 523 words.)

Bibliography

(Great Characters in Literature)

Kerr, Elizabeth. William Faulkner’s Gothic Domain. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press, 1979. Discusses Flem Snopes, Gavin Stevens, and Mink Snopes in reference to their respective roles in The Town. Lists and discusses interconnected themes in the trilogy. Fairly extensive bibliography.

McHaney, Thomas L. William Faulkner: A Reference Guide. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1976. Good index provides references and cross-references, as well as a helpful, annotated source list for research in The Town.

Marcus, Steven. “Snopes Revisited.” In William Faulkner: Three Decades of Criticism, edited by Frederick J. Hoffman and Olga W. Vickery. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1960. Discusses content, characterization, and criticism of The Town. Points out failings, but contends Faulkner wrote as he did so that the novel would represent truth, as art must. Extensive bibliography, including periodical sources.

Meriwether, James B., and Michael Millgate, eds. Lion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner, 1926-1962. New York: Random House, 1968. Indexed and coded to specific works and characters. Provides Faulkner’s own responses to specific questions about The Town and its chief characters. Text reports Faulkner’s views on themes in his fiction.

Millgate, Michael. The Achievement of William Faulkner. New York: Random House, 1966. Millgate’s readable, discerning text must be included in any credible bibliography of Faulkner’s work. Discusses each work. Provides insight into Gavin Stevens, a central character of The Town. Notes and index.

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