Chapter 4 Light in August In 1931, Faulkner assembled some of his best short fiction including “A Rose for Emily”, Dry September”, “That Evening Sun” into a book of short fiction called These Thirteen. A year later, on October 6, 1932, he published Light in August, a novel that incorporates and expands a number of narrative patterns set forth in the earlier stories. It is Faulkner’s first novel to address directly the issue of slavery and racism. The novel explores the modes of human selfhood as they are defined in relation to the complex and shifting planes of reality in the world. The narrative section is distributed among three characters, and their mutual capacity in the tangled web of sin, violence and guilt. Taken together, the stories …show more content…
“have-not,” as he will reject the signifying of “white” vs. “black.” Christmas declares, “‘I ain’t hungry. Keep your muck,’” dismissing the cultural and language scheme Byron has constructed: he won’t let Byron get away with being the generous white man giving to a “nigger” (LA 34). In direct contrast to Lena Grove’s desire to conform to communal norms and codes, Christmas will abhor most “opportunities” he has to conform to the status quo and reinscribe popular binary constructs. Unlike the character Will Mayes of “Dry September,” who has little voice to speak up and act to defend himself, Christmas presents a tangible physical and vocal challenge to any attempt anyone has of signifying him. It must be recalled that there are specific narrative moments in “That Evening Sun” and “Dry September” when characters become aware how their identities are subjectively determined by a larger social and cultural hierarchy. In “That Evening Sun,” Quentin Compson is sent into the family kitchen after dinner. He says to Nancy, “Mother wants to know if you are through.” Sitting next to a cold stove she