American Literature at its Most American

An opinion piece on why Faulkner is the most American author

      Having surveyed American literature from pre-Columbian myths to Modernist writers, it is still difficult to define an American from a literary standpoint. One would have to search across the years and find traits that are the same across the ages, timeless themes and immortal characters. One would have to examine the lives of the authors themselves, the values they grew up learning, how those values shaped them into adults and influenced their writing. Another thing to consider would also be how these writers influenced others and shaped American literature into the distinct form it is today. Based on these factors, William Faulkner is a true American author, more so than the rest.

        William Faulkner grew up around Oxford, Mississippi (“William Faulkner”). His upbringing greatly influenced his writing, providing a great setting that he could use over and over again. Faulkner is known for his Southern gothic style, and focuses mainly on rural life (Hubbs). He uses dark humor in As I Lay Dying in telling the way in which the Bundrens travel to town to bury Addie, their beloved matriarch (Hubbs). During the first World War, Faulkner had tried to enlist in the United States army, but could not because he did not meet the requirements (“William Faulkner”). To help the war effort, Faulkner enlisted in the Canadian Royal Air Force, where he trained for flight duty (“William Faulkner”). He came home in an officer’s uniform that he did not earn, seemingly to make his hometown proud of him (Caverlee). His Southern roots and patriotism are American traits that greatly influenced his writing.

        William Faulkner was a master of depicting common issues that many people can relate to in a way that can be applied to many generations of readers. Faulkner’s stories can be analyzed from different viewpoints so that his characters are relatable to many different people in all walks of life. This is crucial in determining if Faulkner is the most American writer. If his characters are relatable from generation to generation, his stories are more likely to be preserved through the ages.

In “A Rose for Emily” he addresses gossip, degenerate behavior and monetary hardships. The ladies in “A Rose for Emily” were curious about the insides of Miss Emily’s home, so much so that they speculated as to what could be happening in the Grierson residence (Faulkner, “A Rose” 720,723). For many years, scholars have come to ponder the degenerate behaviors in “A Rose for Emily”�"both real and imagined. According to Judith Caesar of the American University of Sharjah, one of these degenerate behaviors is the assumption that Homer Barron �" Emily’s lover �" is homosexual (Caesar). This goes along with the claim that Faulkner’s stories can be translated to fit in with every generation. Caesar also mentions that many students of literature agree that Homer’s sexuality could lean more towards the degenerate form if the story had been written fifty years later and set two hundred years into the future (Caesar). The narrator of “A Rose for Emily” also mentions another ambiguous event that could be described as degenerate behavior �" this time from Miss Emily. At the end of the story, the people of the town discover the decayed corpse of Homer Barron in Emily’s bed. As if this was not strange enough to stumble upon, it appears that Emily was committing necrophilia, as Homer’s body was frozen in an eternal embrace (Faulkner, “A Rose” 727). Emily’s seemingly undying love for Homer is also a relatable concept for many people across the generations. Faulkner’s story also addresses the issue of monetary hardship, stating that Miss Emily no longer had to pay taxes in the town, although she would not accept charity (Faulkner, “A Rose” 721). Many people across America can see some of their own lives in the story of Miss Emily.

“That Evening Sun” is narrated by Quentin Compson and vividly describes what he saw as a child when his family had a colored woman working for them by the name of Nancy. Quentin’s accounts portray racism, inebriation, domestic violence, discrimination, children’s development of negative correlations and looking to parents for clues as how to behave in certain situations. Quentin’s younger brother Jason favors the phrase “I ain’t a n****r!” (Faulkner, “That”) after making the negative connection between being a “scairy cat” and of color (Bonds).  Nancy is scared of her husband, Jesus, and many readers assume that it is because he beats her. She begs her employers to let her stay with them, and enlists the children to walk her home when Mrs. Compson refused to let her husband go with her (Faulkner, “That”). Mrs. Compson does not want her husband to walk Nancy home, asking him if the life of a Negro is more valuable than her own (Faulkner, “That”). By the description of Jesus (Faulkner, “That”), with the razor scar on his face, it is safe to infer that Jesus is not a man one would like to anger, or even to meet in a dark alley. It can also be inferred that, due to Nancy’s abuse, she has been drinking, especially with Jason asking Nancy if she is intoxicated (Faulkner, “That”). Again, many readers can identify with Faulkner’s characters in their own lives or the lives of someone that they know.

Faulkner paved the way for many other writers to bring to life what was considered to be inappropriate or too bold for mainstream readers. He had written a story called Sanctuary  that was denied publication in 1929 (Banks 136). It is a story about “murder, prostitution and rape” (Banks, 136). It had finally gotten published in 1931, with the public’s approval. Twenty-four years later, Vladimir Nabokov published Lolita, which is just as risqué as Sanctuary. Other books that may have been influenced by Faulkner include Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping and E. L. James’s Fifty Shades trilogy. Because Faulkner did what many were afraid do, he influenced generations of authors to publish what very well could have gotten them ridiculed.

Faulkner was the most American of all the American writers from pre-Columbian times to the Modernism movement. Faulkner grew up in the rural South, where he set most of his stories. He had tried to serve his country and help the war effort. Many people can relate to the characters in Faulkner’s stories and the events that take place in them. He addressed many issues of the time, and those issues are still present today. His stories can be translated to fit generations. His stories are ambiguous enough that people can come to their own conclusions about the characters’ lives, while still maintaining the general storyline. The Southern gothic style in which Faulkner wrote was a refreshing change from the Realism and Romantic movements which preceded him. Faulkner opened many proverbial doors for future generations, and American literature as a distinct style will forever be in his debt. Faulkner may not have been the best person in the world, but his impact on literature outweighs his wrongdoings. He deserved his Nobel Prize in literature, and accepted it with grace. His words will forever be immortalized on pages and in the minds of generations to come. His words were very wise, and can still be applied to the youth of today. Faulkner said in his acceptance speech in December 1950, “ I believe that man will not simply endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet’s, the writer’s duty is to write about these things.” (Banks 137).



Works Cited

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130. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

Beers, Dr. Kylene, and Dr. Lee Odell. Elements of Literature: Essentials of American Literature.

Bonds, Ellen. "An "Other" Look At William Faulkner's "That Evening Sun.." Studies In Short

Fiction 37.1 (2012): 59. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

Caesar, Judith. "Faulkner's Gay Homer, Once More." Explicator 68.3 (2010): 195. MasterFILE

Premier. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

Caverlee, William. "Flyboy Faulkner." Aviation History 21.3 (2011): 19. MasterFILE Premier.

Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

Faulkner, William. "That Evening Sun." Short Story Magic tricks. Ed. Ben C.

Walpole.shortstorymagictricks.wordpress.com, 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.

Fifth Course ed. Austin: Rinehart and Winston Holt, 2007. 720-27. Print.

Hubbs, Jolene. "William Faulkner's Rural Modernism." Mississippi Quarterly 61.3 (2008): 461.

MasterFILE Premier. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

William Faulkner (1897-1962). Austin: Rinehart and Winston Holt, 2007. 717-18. Print.

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

This is quite interesting and informative. Makes me want to read one of his stories. A few have said that my writing is very "American". Perhaps, but I just write what I know.