Light in August
2nd Period
About the Author: Basic Details
• Faulkner was born on 25 September 1897.
• he came from an old Southern family and grew up in Oxford,
Mississippi even though he was born in New Albany,
Mississippi.
• He had a few trips to Europe and Asia
• William Faulkner died on July 6, 1962 from a heart attack.
He joined the Canadian, and later the British, Royal Air Force
during the First World War. Faulkner also studied for a while
at the University of Mississippi.
About the Author: Interesting facts
Faulkner temporarily worked for a New York bookstore and a New Orleans newspaper
and had a few brief stays in Hollywood as a scriptwriter.
• During World War I, when Faulkner was trying to get into the Royal Air Force in Canada
(he was too short for the Americans), he changed the spelling of his name so it would look
more English. Faulkner did join the RAF, but never made it overseas.
• Faulker was preceded as Nobel Laureate by T.S. Eliot (1948) and followed by Bertrand
Russell (1950).
• He is regarded as one of America's most influential fiction writers Faulkner’s work is
known for its long, winding sentences and complex allusions, and for its use of the literary
devices of Modernism such as stream-of-consciousness narration, multiple unreliable
narrators, and non-chronological plot construction. Along with Mark Twain and Tennessee
Williams, Faulkner is often considered one of the most important writers in the history of
the American South.
Themes
Isolation: All of the predominant characters in this novel are isolated in one way or another
from society. Lena Grove is frowned upon by society for being pregnant before getting married,
and even though the people are nice to her they secretly judge her; Reverend Gail Hightower is
ignored by his community; Joanna Burden is isolated due to her ancestors, and by the fact that
she, unlike most everyone else in the town, is not a racist, but rather works to help AfricanAmericans. Lastly, Joe Christmas is isolated from society in that no one, not even he, knows his
past or place in society
Burden of the Past: Each character has a past that they struggle to overcome. Lena is a naïve
young girl, who will not admit that her baby’s father purposefully never sent for her. Rev. Hightower
has to deal with the fact that his wife cheated on him and that he lost his one true passion, which
was the church. In chapter 20 we also learn how Rev. Hightower feels he grew up with three
phantoms: his father, his mother, and the negro cook.
Struggle for Identity: Joe Christmas seems to have the hardest time of all finding his own
identity. He never knew his parents since he was left on the orphanage’s doorstep. His racial
background is also ambiguios.
Sexuality: Christmas has a hard time accepting women and trusting them. His first experience
was with the dietician at the orphanage, who he associates with toothpaste and vomit. Ms. Burden
and Christmas go through different phases of their relationship, with it tragically ending with
Christmas killing her.
Themes- cont.
Racism: This novel is set in the South (Mississippi) shortly after the Civil War. Most white men
and woman still refer to African-Americans as “niggers” and treat them poorly. Joanna Burden and
her family have been isolated, and her grandfather and half-brother even killed, over supporting the
black race. Mr. Hines, although dependent on negro women bringing him and his wife food,
preaches about the white superiority in negro services. The fact that Joe Christmas is part AfricanAmerican makes his murder of Ms. Burden, a white woman, seem even worse to the eyes of the
townspeople. The citizens
of Mottstown even said “…and the nigger acting like a nigger for the first time and taking it, not
saying anything…” referring to Christmas being caught and beaten. The racism shown throughout
the novel also ties with the characters’ hypocrisy of religion.
Religion (and the hypocrisy thereof): This novel has a large overarching theme of religion,
whether it is hypocritical or genuine. Hightower was the reverend of Jefferson, but his sermons were
a little too radical for the townspeople and after the incident with his wife, the church shunned him
and made him leave, an act that in itself does not seem very holy. Mr. McEachern, Christmas’ foster
father, was supposedly a very religious man, but beat Christmas often. Mr. Hines, as well, would
preach sermons victimizing blacks. The citizens of Jefferson would constantly gossip and isolate
others, such as Rev. Hightower, Mrs. Burden and Lena, even though they had done nothing against
them. They might be “holy” people, but their actions show differently.
Faulkner's Style
• written in third person
– intimate, personal, immediate approach to issues and
people.
• no external explanation from the anonymous third person
-heightens tension, adds to immediacy of work, allows for
focus on specifics and uncertainty rather than summary and
absolutism. (Ch. 12, P 283 – 287, gun, two bullets &
significance therein)
• Three voices of personal speaking that emphasize
-“Spoken, external quotes”
-‘shallow, conscious and formulated thoughts’
-Personal, stream of conscious, spontaneous reactions and
assumptions – what is too bad to say or think.
(Pages. 77-8, “Well…least.”, 215, “He…least,” “The…Jam”)
Style cont.
• Faulkner demonstrates connection to the world in strong
emphasis on surface, everyday details, such as dew, food,
clothing, hair, especially trees – effect of being pieced
together by several viewpoints rather than an overarching one
– immediacy effect.
-(P. 206, Para 2, “Still…mules.”)
• crafted to be extremely individual-specific approach – events
happen as characters of focus see them
• constrained by person in question; events, (Burden fire), can
take half book to be entirely revealed & explained. (Ch 1, Ch
4, Ch 12)
• Periodic/ journalistic – most poignant information about
characters (Burden, Hightower, Christmas) revealed in a
tense and occasionally tedious chronological fashion –
situational occurrences revealed by time in stark, deeply
emotional way.
-(P. 286, “Then…me.’”)
Style cont.
• Character behavior rich in allusions, as are character
names, which suggest personality. (Birch, Bunch,
Christmas, Hightower, etc.)
• names and actions subtly metaphorical for biblical
occurrences.
-Ch. 1 Lena’s arrival/suspicion of twins = Mary’ arrival in
Nazareth, Idea of Christ being part god/part man, as
Christmas is part white/part black.
-Ch. 5 Christmas’ ordeal in wilderness = Christ’s 40 day
desert trial
-Ch. 7 Joe’s shed fight = Christ’s ordeal in the temple
-Ch. 12-13 Joe’s brief interlude from society from Friday to
Monday = Christ’s interlude form the world for three days
after crucifixion.
Essay: 1981
Prompt- The meaning of some literary
Opening Paragraph- William
works is often enhanced by sustained
allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works
of literature. Select a literary work that
makes use of such a sustained reference.
Then write a well-organized essay in
which you explain the allusion that
predominates in the work and analyze
how it enhances the work’s meaning.
Faulkner’s, Light in August, portrays
several biblical allusions throughout the
novel. There are many specific references
to the Bible such as Lena Grove and Joe
Christmas’s characters similarities to Mary
and Christ. The most prominent
connections can be seen in Joe’s
character in instances such as sacrificing
the lamb and the washing of his feet.
These allusions as well as several others
contribute to understanding the
importance and personal commentary
Faulkner has regarding religion.
Essay: 1979
Prompt- Choose a complex and
important character in a novel or a play of
recognized literary merit who might on the
basis of the character’s actions alone be
considered evil or immoral. In a wellorganized essay, explain both how and
why the full presentation of the character
in the work makes us react more
sympathetically than we otherwise might.
Avoid plot summary.
Opening Paragraph- Light in
August, by William Faulkner portrays a
disturbed character by the name of Joe
Christmas. This man has performed many
acts of violence and has the reoccurring
theme of death in his life but, one can not
help but feel sympathy for him because of
his upbringing. Faulkner describes in
detail Christmas’s troubled life as a child
and as he has grown up which aids in
understanding the person he has become.
Although in many other circumstances his
actions would be seen as evil it can be
comprehended that he is just a product of
a corrupt childhood.
Essay: 1986
Prompt- Some works of literature use
the element of time in a distinct way. The
chronological sequence of events may be
altered, or time may be suspended or
accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a
play of recognized literary merit and show
how the author’s manipulation of time
contributes to the effectiveness of the
work as a whole. Do not merely
summarize the plot.
Opening Paragraph- William
Faulkner is renowned for his unique
writing style which he exhibits in his
novel, Light in August. In this story he
changes the usual time of events and
goes back and forth through the town’s
and characters own personal histories.
Through this method of writing he is able
to highlight key events which have
important roles to the layout of the story
and understanding the individuals lives.
This creates complexity in the characters
as well as depth and meaning to the
overall story.
Connections to HTRLLP
The occurrence of Violence in Light in August is mainly centered around the
character of Joe Christmas, whether he is the victim (early ages) or the perpetrator. In
Christmas’ childhood scenes of violence continuously occur where there should have been
kindness and later that leaves him a cold person. The violence portrayed in Christmas’ early
life from McEachern are perpetrated through religion, thus showing a strong connection of
the dangers apparent in such strong organized religion.
Later the violence that Joe Christmas inflicts is a hidden meaning of struggle for
identity and possibly misogyny. Christmas has continual outrages throughout the novel (a
major one is his church incident) about the mystery of his heritage. In HTRLLP, Foster
states, “with Faulkner the violence is historically conditioned...Class, welfare, racism...all
figure in the violence.” (pg. 94)
One of Joe’s first violent actions is that of beating Bobbie, which seems to show his hatred
of woman and the fact that they are unpredictable.
A huge act of violence is at the end when Percy Grimm shoots Christmas five times, then
castrates him. This reflects the racial and misogynist violence in the old South. Joe’s death
at the end of the novel also portrays a glimpse of redemption. “...who suffers emasculation
at the novel’s end...his life and death have to do with the possibility of redemption.”
(HTRLLP pg. 95)
Connections cont.
On the surface of connecting Joe Christmas to a Christ-like figure one can simple
look at his name, Christmas, or even his initials J.C.
Other connections also correlate
Christmas to a Christ figure. Foster lists that Christ figures may have: “wounds in hands,
feet, or head, 2) in agony, 6) thirty years of age when last seen, 11) known to have spent
time in wilderness, unmarried, and/or have been tempted.” (pg. 119-121) The character of
Joe Christmas connects to at least most of the above mentioned.
In a stretch one could say
that Christmas was injured in the head in a mental sense of being broken and cold hearted,
obviously Joe is in agony the entire novel in which he struggles with his own identity and
race. Christmas is killed in his early thirties by the end of the novel, and in chapters 1315 of Light in August; Joe is running and hiding in the wilderness from the police, and
also possibly himself. Through his wandering in the woods Joe eventually comes to accept
himself. He never marries, or even has any real feeling for a woman after Bobbie, though
it could be argued for Joanna Burden. Foster states that not all Christ figures have to be
good or even fit all the qualifications, but “perhaps the parallel deepens our sense of the
characters sacrifice.”
Other connections to a Christ figure can be found on pages 185 and 166 in LIA where
Joe Christmas “sacrifices” the sheep, and his feet are washed.
Connections cont.
Acts of eating together and mainly just the mention of food continuously occur
throughout the novel LIA. Throughout the novel Joe Christmas either passionately refuses
or accepts food from women.
In the beginning, Bobbie is associated with food. Christmas meets Bobbie in a diner,
and then he orders pie, etc. According to Foster “acts of communion (although Bobbie and
Christmas may not be eating together, she is associated with food, and Joe’s act of eating)
constitutes a shared experience...consuming desire.” Joe’s associated of Bobbie and food
is his first real connection with a person of the opposite sex, and thus symbolizes Joe’s
need for nourishment and desire. He wants to share his life and his secrets with someone
else, and he confides in Bobbie because she is trustworthy in his mind. Later in the novel
Joe loses his hunger yet still eats because he feels he has to in order to feel, or be a
person. Joe’s eating with Joanna Burden is not only an act of desperate belongingness, but
also shows Joe’s own “tension and conflict” running through him. (HTRLLP pg. 13) When
Joanna Burden feeds him he feels they have control over him and in the end, when he
stops eating, it is the first time he is able to control his life and control his own identity
struggle.
Chapter 1: Plot & Character
Developments
The novel starts our with Lena Grove, one of the main characters, looking for the
man who impregnated her, who is Lucas Burch.
William Faulkner show his technique of using flashbacks by showing a bit of
Lena’s past, of living with her brother and his family, and how they found out
about her pregnancy with a bachelor that left around six months ago. “The sisterin-law told the brother. Then he remarked her changing shape, which he should
have noticed some time before....He called her a whore.”(pg. 6)
Lena seems to show courage, leaving her home to go on a journey to find the
father of her child so she can marry him. Yet she seems to be naive, thinking that
they both will get married as soon as she finds him.
Ch 1: Quotes
Lena doesn’t seem to like being in the debt of other. “I wouldn’t be beholden, she says”
(pg. 14) Yet she accepts Mrs. Armstid’s egg money given by Mr. Armstid.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Armstid seem to doubt that Burch will agree to marry though Mr.
Armstid seem to admire her guts. “Maybe she will. If it’s running away from her she’s
after, I reckon he’s going to find out he made a bad mistake when he stopped before he
put the Mississippi River between him.” (pg. 16) Martha Armstid is the one who seems to
think that Lena is wasting her time. “Mrs. Armstid watches the lowered face. Her hand are
on her hips and she watches the younger woman with an expression of cold and
impersonal contempt.
Though Mr. Armstid had just known Lena for almost one day, he still shows kindness to
her. “any time you are passing back this way, tomorrow or even tonight......” (pg. 24) He
also shows more hope that Lena will find Burch instead of his wife Martha. “I reckon he
knows more than even Martha does, like when she told Martha last night about how the
Lord will see that what is right will get done.”
Chapter 2: Summary
The chapter opens with Byron Bunch remembering the day three years ago when Joe
Christmas came to the planning mill in Jefferson. Christmas begins living in a run-down
cottage owned by one Miss Burden, where he makes and sells illegal whiskey. Byron
Bunch continues by remembering the day six months ago when Joe Brown also came to
the mill and started working with Joe Christmas. Eventually, Christmas quits his job at the
mill, and Brown and Christmas were seen driving around in a new car. One Saturday, a
fire breaks out at the Burden residence. Bunch, the only one working at the mill that day,
sees smoke rising from the house. Bunch is interrupted when Lena Grove comes into the
mill and asks for one “Lucas Burch.” Byron tells her that there is no Burch, and that she
must be looking for “Bunch.” Lena tells Byron her story, and Byron tells Lena about the
two Joes – when Lena asks about Joe Brown’s white scar, Byron Bunch realizes that Joe
Brown and Lucas Burch are the same person.
Ch 2: Plot Development & Themes
Plot Development: We learn that Lucas Burch and Joe Brown are the same person. Byron
Bunch falls in love with Lena Grove.
Themes of Perception: In this chapter, Faulkner really makes his first comment on
southern society. Joe Christmas is characterized as a “foreigner” by the town just because
of his name. Gail Hightower is a character who is trapped in his own home by the
assumptions of the town. Faulkner comments on the superficiality of American society at
this time with the assumptions the people of Jefferson make about strangers.
Ch 2: Quotes
“His name is what?” one said.
“Christmas.”
“Is he a foreigner?”
“Did you ever hear of a white man named Christmas?” the foreman said.”
“Then one Saturday night she got killed, in a house or something in Memphis. Papers full
of it. He
had to resign from the church, but he wouldn’t leave Jefferson, for some reason. They
tried to get
him to, for his own sake as well as the town’s, the church’s. That was pretty bad on the
church,
you see. Having strangers come here and hear about it, and him refusing to leave the
town. But he
wouldn’t go away.”
““Joe Brown,” she says. “Has he got a little white scar right here by his mouth?”
And he cannot look at her, and he sits there on the stacked lumber when it is too late, and
he
could have bitten his tongue in two.”
Chapter 3: Quotes
“Then Hightower came. The reporters tried to stop him but he walked right
through them and into the church and up into the pulpit. The old ladies and some
of the old men were already in the church, horrified and outraged, not so much
about the Memphis business as about the presence of the reporters. But when
Hightower came in and actually went up into the pulpit, they forgot about the
reporters even.”
This quote is significant because it demonstrates Hightower’s character as a
determined man with much perseverance. He is strong willed, and does not wish
to succumb to all of the drama of the reporters, regarding his wife.
“Byron bunch,” he says. “In town on Sunday night. Byron Bunch in town on
Sunday.”
This quote is significant because it provides evidence for major plot and character
development. It leaves the end of the chapter with a major hook, because Byron
Bunch is never in town on Sundays, so it leaves the reader wondering why he has
decided to show up at Hightower’s door. It also says something about his
character developing too. He is wiling to step out of his own boundaries, and try
new things.
Ch 3: Themes and POV
• Theme: The burdens of the past – Hightower’s
past catches up with him, driving him to isolation.
His adulteress wife that he had tried to keep
a secret, was exposed, ruining Hightower’s
reputation.
• Theme: The isolation of the individual –
Hightower secludes himself involuntarily from the
rest of the town, living with shame and remorse
for what his wife did to him.
• POV is third person.
Ch 4: Plot and character
development
• Character development - Hightower is introduced
and the complexities of his past are introduced.
Byron Bunch unexpectedly shows up in town on a
Sunday, which is rare for him, allowing the reader to
understand that he is willing to push his own limits
and go to extremes if after a certain thing.
• Plot development – A new plot line is introduced with
Reverend Hightower. His story is told, and his past
exposed. Lena Grove doesn’t appear much in this
chapter, however the connection between Hightower
and Lena is Byron in this particular chapter, who
happens to show up towards the end of the chapter.
Chapter 4: Significant Quotes
• “And he said how if she could just have done that when she was alive,
she might not have been doing it now.” – Byron Bunch, in reference to a
man making a cruel joke about the nearly-decapitated Miss Burden.
• “Accuse the white man and let the nigger go free. Accuse the white
and let the nigger run” – Joe Brown, in reference to being accused of a
crime that he claims was committed by Joe Christmas.
• “Is it certain, proved, that he has Negro blood? Think, Byron; what it
will mean when the people – if they catch…Poor man. Poor mankind.” –
Gail Hightower, in reference to the town learning of Joe Christmas’ true
heritage.
Ch 4: Plot Development
• Byron Bunch goes to Reverend Gail Hightower to tell him that
he placed a woman named Lena Grove in a boardinghouse.
Lena is looking for the father of her unborn child, who Bunch
suspects to be Joe Brown. Brown was living with Joe Christmas
in a cabin on the property of Miss Burden, until the property
burned down recently. Burden was found decapitated, and
Brown claims that the murderer is Christmas. Brown is then
placed in custody, but Byron neglects to tell Lena because he
has fallen for her.
Ch 4: Character Development
• Joe Brown rats out his friend for a $1000 reward because of
his greedy nature.
• Byron Bunch takes in and looks after Lena Grove because of
his compassionate nature.
• Gail Hightower listens to Byron’s story and offers him advice
because of his charitable
nature.
Ch 4: Point of View & Themes
Themes: love, guilt, religious
POV: Third person
omniscient, with Byron Bunch hypocrisy.
narrating most of the chapter
to Reverend
Gail Hightower.
Chapter 5: Summary
The chapter begins with Joe Christmas not being able to sleep and then getting into a scuffle
with Joe Brown after he comes into the cabin loud and drunk and makes some racial slurs.
Christmas beats him until he stops laughing then smokes and goes and curses Miss Burden
outside her home.
At this point Christmas takes off his clothes by the road and as a car goes by a women yells
and Christmas curses her as well. He then puts his clothes on and decides to sleep in the
stables. When he awakes he decides to walk around and walks through all parts of town and
the trails in the woods by town.
When he finishes this he encounters a group of black folk and proceeds to try and walk
through them. When they get out of his way and leave him he realizes that this whole time he
had been holding a knife in his hand.
From here he walks back to Miss Burden’s house and sits there in the dark until the clock
strikes three. Then he thinks that something bad is going to happen to him.
Ch 5: Quotes
“He could see the printed sentence, fullborn and already dead God loves me like
the faded and weathered letters on a last years billboard God loves me too”
-This quote shows that Christmas has some connection to Christianity. It also
shows how his past is having a direct connection in the way he is evaluating the
things that happen to him
“It’s because they are not women. Even a mare horse is a kind of man”
-It shows how Christmas despises not just women, but everything and anything
that’s womanly
“She ought not to started praying over me”
-The use of repetition shows his style of trying to relate to a reader the characters
true emotions. This quote also shows the theme of religion and how he despises it
so.
“Something is going to happen. Something is going to happen to me”
-The forth quote shows foreshadowing in the story and expands a readers view of
Christmas
Ch 5: Themes
•
Race & class: this chapter as it shows Brown calling Christmas the N word
and saying essentially that he can’t hurt Brown because he’s part black. The
way Christmas treats the black people on the road also comments on how he
even feels a higher class then these people.
•
Religion is touched on as a theme in this chapter as he continually curses the
fact the he was prayed for.
•
Gender is evident as he comments on women being less then man, saying
even horses are better because they are manlier. He screams at the women
who drives by and sees him naked and yells that she’s not the first of her kind
to see him, this shows that he disrespects women because he stood there
and let her see him and then didn’t even try to leave when he knew she saw
him.
• We learn that Brown is controlled, abused by Christmas .We learn that
Christmas is scared of relationships, he is afraid of being loved. He has a
strong dislike of females or anything women like. We learn that Christmas is
part African-American. It seems in this chapter that Christmas is driven by
hysteria. He has a past that is obviously bothering him throughout the chapter
and causing him to act crazy. He also has a strong dislike for being prayed
over or being related to religion. These things help display Christmas’s
struggle to find an identity and acceptance.
In this chapter we are able to confirm that Christmas and Brown do live together
and do run rum as a job. We also confirm that Christmas is part black. The plot
thickens as we learn that Christmas seems to be going mad, and is an abusive
person who explodes when angered. Christmas also expresses his anger toward
Miss Burden.
Ch 5: POV & Style
Style: He also makes the characters' important thoughts evident by italicizing them. He
chooses to make time pass extremely quickly to relate the way that Christmas is
thinking. He makes a comment of the social structure with Christmas in this chapter as he
is halfway between white and black so he cannot fit in, showing the distance between the
two groups
POV: This chapter is told in the 3rd person omnificent view and through that of Joe
Christmas
Chapter 6: Quotes
"Memory believes before knowing remembers. Believes longer than recollects, longer
than knowing even wonders."
This quote opens chapter 6, and reflects on a heavy theme throughout the novel: the past
and our memory of it. Faulkner uses this chapter to reflect on a memory Joe Christmas
has that helps the reader attempt to understand Joe as a character. Why he is the way he
is, and what causes him to make the decisions he does can be shown through this story
and how his childhood was as a whole. Faulkner's use of memories and addressing the
past provide insight into what is happening in the story in the present.
"In the quiet and empty corridor, during the quiet hour of early afternoon, he was like a
shadow, small even for five years, sober and quiet as a shadow."
The quote found in the second paragraph of chapter 6, is referring to Joe Christmas as a
little boy. Through Faulkner's language, he is able to comment upon the theme of
isolation. Words like 'quiet,' 'shadow,' 'empty,' in describing the scene, the reader infers
that Joe was alone even as a little boy. Different characters throughout the book are
isolated from society, and Joe's story in chapter 6 shows he is not an exception to the
theme.
This photo is representing the part of the chapter in which Christmas
wonders if God loves him just as he had seen it on a billboard sign, like
the one shown above
Ch 6: Plot & Character Development
This nostalgic chapter sets up the events that take place in
regards to Joe for the rest of the book. The plot doesn't
develop due to the backtracking of time, but rather the
character of Joe develops.
Chapter 6 allows a closer look at who Joe is and what
motivated his personality as he has grown. This important
chapter justifies his actions in a way due to him being an
orphan and being isolated and poorly treated.
Ch 6: Point of View
Chapter 6 is told from a point of view of third person
limited. Faulkner allows the reader to see the different
aspects of the situation, and we are able to see what the
characters reactions to the events are. The narrator does
not tell us however what any of the characters thought
process is completely, and there are still some things left to
be determined or infer.
Chapter 7
Setting- The McEachern's farm
Important Characters-Joe Christmas- young, naïve, distrusting of women, stubborn (at this time 17 or
18)
-Mr. McEachern- devout, strict, reliable
-Mrs. McEachern- loving, motherly, submissive
Important EventsWhipped because he can’t remember the catechisms
Refuses the food from Mrs. McEachern, eats it off the floor “like a dog”
Joe beats the young, negro woman in the shed
Mr. McEachern finds the suit hidden in the barn that Joe bought by selling his calf
Mrs. McEachern tells her husband that she paid for the suit to help Joe
Flashback to when Joe was first adopted
 Mrs. McEachern washes his feet and puts him to bed
Ch 7: Quotes
- “On this day I became a man.” (page 146)
- “…and above the outraged food kneeling, with his hands ate, like a savage, like
a dog” (page 155)
- “Kneel down, woman. Ask grace and pardon of God; not of me.” (page 165)
- “It was the woman: the soft kindness which he believed himself doomed to be
forever victim of and which he hated worse that he did the hard and ruthless
justice of men.” (page 169)
Important Themespunishment, consequences ( Joe’s whippings)
the inferiority and submissiveness of women (Mrs. McEachern being
ignored by her husband and Joe)
The presence of v. lack of a motherly figure ( foot washing scene)
Chapter 8: Summary & Development
Chapter 8 focuses on Joe and his painful past. The chapter shows, through his memory,
how Joe was made cold and bleak. Also, this chapter introduces Joe’s lack of morals.
Joe:
-escapes through his window and puts on his suit in the barn
-avoids town because he is sexually attracted to the waitress.
-devotes himself to hard work & earns a calf, which he sells to buy a suit to impress Bobbie
-But his difficulty with women and menstruation causes him to abuse her
-The next time he goes to see her, he sees Bobbie entertaining another man and goes into
a jealous rage, hitting and insulting her.
Ch 8: Quotes
“He found the flock in a hidden valley and stalked and killed one with the gun. Then he knelt, his hands in
the yet warm blood of the dying beast, trembling, dry-mouthed, backglaring. Then he got over it, recovered.
He did not forget what the boy had told him. He just accepted it. He found that he could live with it, side by
side with it.” Pg 185- 186
This quote further solidifies Joe as a Christ figure, sacrificing the lamb. The killing of the lamb is his way of
showing his faith in God and to cleanse himself of the knowledge of sin. In this case, Joe’s sin is his
relationship with Bobbie. Redemption was achieved when he washed his hands in the blood of the lamb. In
Joe’s mind, he has saved himself from life. He also learns that he can live “side by side” with women’s
menstruation.
“… and the waitress with her demure and downlooking face and her big, too big, hands setting the plates
and cups, her head rising from beyond the counter at about the height of a tall child.”
This quote is describing Bobbie, the waitress. Not only is Bobbie’s name masculine, but so are her hands.
Joe does not associate with girls or women. This is seen in the fact that he does not form a real relationship
with his stepmother and only associates girls with church, seen in the quote “He saw girls only at church, on
Sunday. They were associated with Sunday and with church. So he could not notice them.”
Therefore, the fact that Bobbie has masculine attributes comforts Joe. This is why Joe eventually falls in
love with her. This also may be why Joe continually beats her. He does not see Bobbie as a woman, but as
a man to fight with when he/she has wronged Joe. However, there is another view that Joe is misogynistic
and that is why he avoids relationships with women and beats Bobbie.
Ch 8: Themes & Symbols
Urns- Urns represent the shape of women, and more
specifically Lena. With her belly swollen from her
pregnancy, her shape can be described as urn-like.
Memory- for Joe in this chapter, memory is dominated by
shame, pain, and humiliation. Also, it is his experiences
and his memory of those experiences that shaped him into
the man he became, cold and inhuman.
Ch 8: Character Development
Chapter 8 focuses on Joe and his painful past. The chapter shows, through his memory,
how Joe was made cold and bleak. Also, this chapter introduces Joe’s lack of moral. He
begins a sexual relationship, begins to steal, and receives his first taste of alcohol.
Chapter 9: Summary & Development
Major Events
• McEachern discovers that Joe has been sneaking out of the
house and follows him.
• Joe hits McEachern over the head with a chair and kills him
• Joe proposes to Bobbie but she declines in an angry manner
~Plot Development~
The plot is changing at this point. Bobbie is against Joe and
McEachern is now dead. Joe is being mistreated for his black blood.
~Character Development~
Joe learns more about women and about how they can’t fully be
relied on. Bobbie displays a side of herself that hasn’t yet been seen
before. The blonde woman shows a new side of her personality as
she stands up for Joe when he’s receiving the beating saying “I said
that will do” trying to stop them from doing further harm.
Ch 9: Quotes
“Then to Joe it all rushed away, roaring, dying, leaving him in the
center of the floor, the shattered chair clutched in his hand,
looking down at his adopted father.” pg 205
-This quote shows Joe’s past and his life at his foster family’s home
coming to an end. The man who has governed over his every move is now
dead and Joe is set free.This quote shows the details that Faulkner ass in his
writings by using words such as roaring to help add the dramatic feeling of the
scene.
“ Why I committed murder for her. I even stole for her.”
-This quote shows Joe’s thoughts about how the relationship with Bobbie
has ended. He feels defeated and like he has been misused because he
feels he did so much for Bobbie for her to turn on him. Faulkner’s style is
shown in this quote through his stream of consciousness style of writing, and
being able to portray the conscious and unconscious thoughts of his characters.
Ch 9: Themes & POV
1. The destruction of the past- One of the themes in this chapter
could be how the past and the events that were in the past can
cause damaging actions in the future such as the death of
McEachern.
2. Another theme could be the evil of women. In Joe’s eyes he has
placed much of his life in being with Bobbie then he asks her to
marry him and she rejects in an angered and rude manner
showing Joe that he can’t even count on the one whom he
believed loved him back.
PoV: The point of view in this chapter is 3rd person omniscient. This
is because its’ an outside voice telling the story but also gives
insight on the character’s thoughts both conscious and unconscious
as well as direct quotes from them.
Joe Christmas’ heart
Chapter 10: Summary
The chapter starts of describing Joe Christmas and his surroundings as he is
slowly waking up from his beating. The italicized words in the beginning of this
chapter represent the conversations those around him are having as he is waking
up.
After completely waking up, Joe begins his long journey throughout the United
States. The book specifically mentions from Chicago, Detroit, Missouri,
Oklahoma, Mississippi and Mexico.
Throughout his journey, he avoids paying prostitutes by not telling them he’s
black; however, he stops doing this after a woman doesn’t care whether or not he
is black.
After stopping at Jefferson, he finds out about Miss Burden’s property through a
young local boy. He decides to move into the abandoned cabin, and one day he
sneaks into Miss Burden’s house in order to steal some food. Miss Burden walks
in, and allows him to eat the food.
Ch 10: Quotes
“Like the cat, he also seemed to see in the darkness as he moved as unerringly toward
the food which he wanted as if he knew where it would be; that, or were being
manipulated by an agent which did know. He ate something from an invisible dish, with
invisible fingers: invisible food. He did not care what it would be. He did not know that he
had even wondered or tasted until his jaw stopped suddenly in mid-chewing and thinking
fled for twenty-five years back down the street, past all the imperceptible corners of bitter
defeats and more bitter victories, and five miles even beyond a corner where he used to
wait in the terrible early time of love, for someone whose name he had forgot.”
Ch 10: Themes
Lost, curious, searching:
-Throughout this chapter, Joe Christmas is accepted and rejected by blacks and
whites. This leads to confusion for Christmas, who does not know what he is, and
now does not know where his place in society is.
Chapter 11: Significant Quotes
“Remember this. Your grandfather and brother are lying there, murdered not
by one white man but by the curse which God put on a whole race before your
grandfather or your brother or me or you were even thought of. A race doomed
and cursed to be forever and ever a part of the white race’s doom and curse for its
sins.” (Page 252)
Joanna’s statement about blacks shows an insight into how poorly they were treated and
adds Faulkner’s negative comments about racism.
“You must struggle, rise. But in order to rise, you must raise the shadow with you.
But you can never lift it to your level. … But escape it you cannot. The curse of
the black race is God’s curse. But the curse of the white race is the black man who
will be forever God’s chosen own because He once cursed him.” (Page 253)
To Joanna, the only way to remove the curse of being black is to become a better
member
of society, and you have to acknowledge your own skin color [curse].
Ch 11: Themes & POV
Themes: Christmas is still unable to interact appropriately with
women, and his forceful
relationship with Joanna is yet another example of this.
However, through their shared
race (black), they are able to have some sort of minute
connection.
POV: This chapter is told from a third-person limited point of
view, and focuses on Christmas and Joanna and their
relationship.
Ch 11: Plot & Character
Development
Christmas’s inability to understand women is emphasized in this chapter by his
continual forcefulness and practical rape of Joanna when he makes love to her, as
she hardly puts up resistance, effectively consenting to it.
Christmas’s rejection of the food offered by Joanna parallels his rejection of his
adopted mother’s in its violence and misunderstanding of women.
Joanna talks about the generations of blacks buried on her property, including
her brother and uncle who were killed by Colonel Sartoris fighting over black
suffrage.
Christmas reveals that he believes that one of his biological parents was black.
Chapter 12: Plot Developments
The complextiy of Joe & Joanna Burden's relationship is revealed in 3 phrases:
-Phase 1: Full of passion, “honeymoon” phase—compared to a person snowed outside of a house
trying to get in.
-Phase 2: The two begin to drift apart, and Joe feels as though Miss Burden has two different
identities and personalities- day/night- compared to him being in a pit of “hot wild darkness”
-Phase 3: compared to being in an open plain without snow, wind, or the house (isolated, detached)
the couple hardly see each other anymore
• Miss Burden tells Joe that she wants a baby, and then informs him four months later that she is
pregnant, against his wishes
• Joe “had begun to sell a little whiskey…” (pg.261) – when Joe Christmas started his bootlegging
business
• Miss Burden asks Joe to take over her business and speak to colored schools; Joe is offended
and beats her
• Miss Burden attempts to kill Joe and herself, but Joe is able to take the heavy and old cap and
ball revolver from her
• Joe unknowingly threatens two teenagers while he is waving a gun in his hand while trying to
flag down the car after leaving Miss Burden’s
Ch 12: POV & Themes
POV: Third person omniscient; however, chapter mainly focuses on Joe Christmas
Themes:
• Finding ones identity- both Miss Burden and Joe Christmas struggle with being
outsiders in a society, but by finding each other they no longer feel as isolated
•
Desire for power/control: Miss Burden and Joe Christmas both want to have the
upper hand in their relationship, Miss Burden acts very indifferent and
independent, unlike the stereotypical woman in a relationship
•
Women: Joe’s feelings for women play a large role in this chapter , especially
when Miss Burden announces she is pregnant as he displays his disgust for all
things related to women or maternal figures
•
Religion: Miss Burden asks Joe several times to kneel with her (pg. 282, “For the
last time I don’t ask it. Remember that. Kneel with me.”) it is another example of
the important role religion played in the south, but also displays hypocritical
morals.
Ch 12: Quotes
•
Pg 259 “When he did not and lied to her, he would find that she had already set
traps to catch him in the lie; she cried, wept.”
-Throughout the novel “crying” symbolizes the disappointment and confusion of a
character. This quote accurately portrays the complicated relationship Joe and Miss
Burden shared, and the shifts in moods and personalities that Miss Burden
experienced during their different relationship “phases.”
• Pg.270 “I know that what makes a fool is an inability to take even his own advice.
-reveals Joe Christmas’ opinion ( and feeling of superiority) towards his new
companion, Joe Brown.
Chapter 13: Quotes & Themes
Themes: Isolation of Hightower, darkness, prayer, marriage, blind trust of authority
figures, race
Pg. 289: “She had lived such a quiet life, attended so to her own affairs, that she
bequeathed to the town in which she had been born and lived and died a foreigner, an
outlander, a kind of heritage of astonishment and outrage, for which, even though she
had supplied them at last with an emotional barbeque, a Roman holiday almost, they
would never forgive her and let her be dead in peace and quiet. Not that. Peace is not
that often.
pg.290: “ And the women came too, the idle ones in bright and sometimes hurried
garments, with secret and passionate and glittering looks and with secret frustrated
breast (who have ever loved death better than peace) to print with a myraid small hard
heels to the constant murmur Who did it? Who did it? Periods such as perhaps Is he still
free? Ah. Is he? Is he?”
Ch 13: Developments
Plot: People start to gather around the Buren house and around the dead body of Miss
Burden as the sheriff arrives. The house eventually burns down completely because there is
no supply of water to put the fire out with the body of Miss Burden is sent away by the sheriff.
The deputy tells the sheriff that somebody has been living in the cabin recently and the sheriff
questions a black man about who has been living in the cabin there. The black man
eventually admits that there have been two white men living in the cabin and another man
states that their names are Joe Christmas and Joe Brown. Miss Burden’s nephew from New
Hampshire soon contacts the town offering a $1000 reward for the capture of Miss Burden’s
murderer. Joe Brown then comes into talk to the sheriff and to collect the $1000 reward but
until Christmas is found he is not allowed to collect any of the reward money.
Character: In Chapter 13 we especially see development in the character of Byron Bunch
and Hightower. In Hightower we start to see how the past has ultimately led to his decline and
how it is haunted him for all of these years.
Chapter 14 Plot
Lena, while waiting for Lucas Burch/Joe Brown,
decides to stay at his house until he returns, the
sheriff lets her stay there thinking she won’t cause
any harm.
The Sheriff finds out that Joe Christmas has been
seen in a black church causing a scene and
assaulting several of its members and cursed god, he
hit the minister’s son out cold and then had a
cigarette and left.
Joe Brown gets lost and is starving; he begins to eat
worms and other unspeakable things to survive. He
vaguely remembers a black family feeding him and
Chapter 14 Significant Quotes
• “I have never got outside, I have never broken out of the ring of
what I’ve already done and cannot undo”
• “He thinks that perhaps, sitting, with the wagon’s motion to lull
him, he will sleep. But he does not sleep. He is not sleepy or
hungry or even tired. He is somewhere between and among
them, suspended, swaying to the motion of the wagon without
thought, without feeling. He has lost account of time and
distance; perhaps it is an hour later, perhaps three”
• “He felt no surprise. Time, the spaces of light and dark, had
long since lost orderliness. It would be either one now,
seemingly at an instant, between two movements of the
eyelids, without warning. He could never know when he would
pass from one to the other, when he would find that he had
been asleep without remembering having lain down, or find
himself walking without remembering having waked.”
Chapter 14 Themes and Point of
View
• Joe Christmas as a Christ figure:
o
o
When Joe causes a ruckus in the church it could relate to when Jesus
overturns the tables in front of the church and causes mayhem similar to
the one created by Joe Christmas.
Joe struggled in the wilderness before he got to Mottstown, like Jesus
suffered in the desert before he went into Jerusalem.
• Point of view:
o
Most of this chapter is from the perspective of the sheriff, because he is
told about Lena and Joe Christmas through outside characters and that
is ultimately how we learn. This external view only shows us their actions
not emotions and thoughts.
• Joe Brown’s Ethnicity
o
Throughout the novel we assume Joe Christmas is black because that is
what he tells everyone but the witness from the church reported Joe ad
white.
• Religion:
o
McCeachern’s violence coupled with religion causes Joe to associate
violence with religion which probably caused his attack on the church.
Chapter 15 Plot
• Character development
o
Mr. and Mrs. Hines are introduced- Mr. Hines is
characterized as a crazy, violent, little man; Mrs.
Hines, a short, dumpy, obese, patient woman.
• Plot
Christmas arrives in Mottstown in “broad
daylight… [goes] into a white barbershop… and
[buys] a new shirt and a tie and a straw hat” (349350)
o Christmas is captured in Mottstown on Saturday
Morning (349-350)
o Christmas is taken back to Jefferson for his “trial”
o The Hines’ plan to go to Jefferson by train
o
Chapter 15 Significant Quotes
“The town looked upon both of them as being a
little touched- lonely, gray in color, a little smaller
than most other men and women, as if they
belonged to a different race, species…” (pg 341)
“He went into a white barbershop like a white man,
and because he looked like a white man they
never suspected him.” (pg 349)
“It was like he never knew he was a murderer, let
alone a nigger too” (pg 350)
“I want to see that man they caught” –Mrs. Hines
(pg 352)
Chapter 15 Themes and Point of
View
• Point of View:
o 3rd
person limited- creates mystery/suspense
• Themes:
Man vs. society (prejudices formed against
both Christmas and the Hines’)
o Insanity (Doc’s reaction to Christmas)
o Secrecy (the Hines’)
o
Chapter 16 Plot
• This chapter is entirely plot driven.
• Plot:
• Byron goes to Hightower’s house to tell him about Joe
Christmas’ capture and tells him that Christmas’
grandmother is there in town. Later that night Byron
takes Mr. and Mrs. Hines to ask for his help. Mrs.
Hines tells Hightower about Christmas’ parents and
his birth. Mr. Hines tells about when he took baby Joe
after he was born to the orphanage and how he
watched him for five years. What Mrs. Hines wants is
for them to let Christmas out of jail for one day so that
she can spend a little time with him. Byron then asks
Hightower to go to the jail and say that Christmas was
with him on the night of the murder but he refuses.
Chapter 16 Significant Quotes
• “I am not a man of God. And not through my own desire. Remember that.
Not of my own choice that I am no longer a man of God. It was by the will,
the more than behest, of them like you and like her and like him in the jail
yonder and like them who put him there to do their will upon, as they did
upon me, with insult and violence upon those who like them were created by
the same God and were driven by them to do that which they now turn and
rend them for having done it. It was not my choice. Remember that.”
(Hightower) Pg. 365
• “Because a man ain’t given that many choices.” (Byron) Pg. 365
• “Yet even then the music has still a quality stern and implacable, deliberate
and without passion so much as immolation, pleading, asking, for not love,
not for life, forbidding it to others, demanding in sonorous tones death as
though death were the boon, like all Protestant music.” Pg. 367
• “And so why should not their religion drive them to crucifixion of themselves
and one another?” (Hightower thinks) Pg. 368
• “I have put the mark on him and now I am going to put the knowledge.”
(“God” talking to Doc Hines) Pg. 371
• “It’s God’s abomination of womanflesh!” (Doc Hines) Pg. 373
• “You are worse than that. You don’t know what you are. And more than that,
you wont never know. You’ll live and you’ll die and you wont never know.”
Chapter 16 Themes
• In this chapter the theme of religious
hypocrisy is quite evident. Hightower at the
beginning of the chapter makes a comment
on the way that the music from the nearby
church sounds, how they forbid life to others
and plead for death.
• Another theme is the way men in that time
period viewed women. Doc Hines refers to
women as “the Lord’s abomination” and he
makes many more degrading comments
about women.
Chapter 17 Major Plot Points
Plot Points
Lena’s child is born
Hightower acts as the stand in doctor
The Hines’ are staying with Lena at the time
Mrs. Hines seems to think the baby is Joe Christmas
Old Doc Hines slips off to the jail while Mrs. Hines is
asleep
Byron Bunch fetches Hightower first, and then the doctor
Lena doesn’t name the baby
Hightower talks with Lena, encouraging her to let Byron
go
Byron goes to fetch Lucas Burch
Byron quits his job at the mill
Chapter 17 Important Quotes
•
•
P.393 "Like a fellow running from or toward a gun …what he is doing is courage or cowardice."
-This quote speaks to the reasons behind one’s actions. Motives aren’t always distinguishable,
but the importance is sometimes in the action itself.
•
•
P. 395 “There was something else behind it…about to spring full clawed upon him.
-The clawed thing is reality and it’s finally about to hit Byron Bunch. His kindness thus far has
been driven by his own fantasy of marrying Lena which is why reality will hit hard.
•
•
P.401 "It was like it was not until Mrs. Hines called me…that I found out that she is not a virgin."
-Reality hits
•
•
P.410 “She says, too immediately, too easily: I aint named him yet."
-Lena is living in a fantasy of her own and doesn’t name her baby because she still hopes
Lucas will find her and they will be a married and happy family.
•
P.411 “This does not matter. This is not anything yet. It all depends on what you do with it,
afterward."
-This speaks to the constant motion one lives in. Lena cannot stop and give up because she’s
born a bastard child because the world keeps moving. Therefore what is important is that she
does to; that’s what matters.
•
•
•
P.411 "You are probably not much that half his age. But you have already outlived him twice
over.
- Hightower says this Lena. It’s a comment on how life experiences shape a person and their
level maturity
Chapter 17 Significance and
Connection to Themes
• Connections to Theme:
• The end/beginning of a journey- Lena has her baby
and finally will see Burch, Byron decides to leave town
• Human need for companionship- Lena's search for
Lucas, Byron's proposal to Lena, Hightower's
loneliness
• Responsibility of good character- Hightower
birthing Lena's baby, Byron caring for Lena
• And Vice Versa- The absence of Lucas Burch
• Chapter 17 is a very significant chapter within Light in
August because of the plot progression. Through the
chain of events in this chapter the audience sees
character development of Lena, Byron Bunch, and
Gail Hightower, and also feels great sympathy for the
Chapter 19 Plot Summary
• District attorney Gavin Stevens puts the Hineses on a train
back to Mottstown, assuring them that Joe Christmas's body
will be sent along after them.
• Gavin Stevens tells his visiting friend of his view on Joe
Christmas’ escape and that he believes it was a struggle
between his black and white blood that led him to
Hightower.
• The story of Joe Christmas's death is told from the point of
view of Percy Grimm, a white supremacist.
• Percy rounds up a motley crew of American legion members
in order to patrol the downtown area where Christmas is
being held.
• When Christmas escapes, Percy hunts him down and finds
him in Hightower's house, where he shoots and castrates
him.
Chapter 19 Themes
Style
Faulkner takes the view of Percy Grimm, a white supremacist to tell the
story of how Christmas dies.The choice to focus on such a new
character in the end of the novel and to change point of views adds to
Faulkner's static style. Also, Grimm's account of the incident adds to
the feeling of the inevitability of Christmas' death and further develops
the portrayal of Christmas as a victim.
Themes
• Christmas' castration is representative of racial prejudice and
the desire to end interacial procreation and the reproduction of
black blood.
• Christmas being found in Hightower’s home develops the
circle cycle of the novel and helps bring it full circle connecting
the characters and their pasts.
• Christmas dies in his early thirties just as Jesus did and this
deepens the argument that he Christmas is a Christ figure.
Chapter 20 Important Quotes
• “He lived by his principles in peace, and when war came he carried
them into war and lived by them there; when there was preaching on
peaceful Sundays in quiet groves to be done, he had done it.” Pg:
474
• In this quote, the narrator describes Hightower’s Grandfather during
the war, these traits skipped a generation and were past down to
him. This could be where Hightower’s love for preaching came about.
This quote is significant, because it shows Hightower’s background
and where he learned his morals.
• “Not Marse Gail. Not him. Dey wouldn’t dare to kill a Hightower. Dey
wouldn’t dare. Dey got im hid somewhar, tryin to sweat outen him
whar me and him hid Mistis’ coffee pot and de gole waiter. Dat’s all
dey wants.” Pg: 476
• The Negro slave woman, who was one of Hightower’s phantoms,
said this quote. Faulkner uses colloquialism to show the Negro
women’s way of talking and her lack of education.
Chapter 20 Important Quotes
Cont.
• “That I skipped a generation. It’s no wonder that I had no father and
that I had already died one night twenty years before I saw light. And
that my only salvation must be the place to die where my life had
already ceased before it began.” Pg: 478
• This quote, said by Hightower, expresses his relationship with his
grandfather and not his own father. His grandfather was his role
model and where he received all of his personality traits. Hightower
looked up to his grandfather with his grandfather’s old war suit that
had an American blue patch on the front.
• “Perhaps at that moment I became her seducer and her murderer,
author and instrument of her shame and death. After all, there must
be some things for which God cannot be accused by man and held
responsible.” Pg: 488
• Hightower expresses the pains he put forth on his wife that led her to
suicide and excuses God for man’s sin, for it is not his fault men do
sinful actions.
Chapter 20 Characters, Themes,
POV
• Themes:
• In this chapter, Faulkner uses burden of the past, Hightower is stuck in his
painful past that keeps haunting him. He also keeps remembering his heroic
grandfather, his father and his torn relationship with his wife.
• Hightower also was an outsider, like Joe Christmas, he was shunned from
society, lost his wife, and wasn’t accepted.
• Point of View:
• In this chapter, and throughout the book, the point of view is third person
limited.
• Character Development:
• Hightower’s personal past his shown in this chapter, not until now have we
seen a chapter exclusively on Hightower. Faulkner uses this chapter near
the end to show how Hightower has matured and became reborn. Faulkner
uses Hightower as part of the circular effect on the novel, being the mediator
between Lena and Joe Christmas. Through his troubled past he stayed alive
at the end of the novel to be reborn and relive a new life.
Chapter 21
Plot development
Character development
•
Here the cyclical structure finishes with Lena. •
•
Narrated by an unnamed furniture dealer as
he recounts the tale to his wife, this new POV
emphasizes both Lena’s transition from
Jefferson and her continual impact on
strangers.
•
The narrator picks up the trio in his truck, as
they have no particular destination. They
•
spend the night with him camped by the car,
where he learns they are hunting for Lucas.
Later in the night Byron comes to bed with
Lena, only to be told to sleep on the ground.
Byron goes off into the woods, is not back in
the morning. The narrator continues on with
Lena, until Byron appears ahead on the road.
They pick him up, and continue on their
journey as Lena thinks of how much life she
has so recently lived.
Lena: At the first level it seems Lena
is in the same position of chasing
Lucas as she was in the beginning of
the book. However, with the potential
of her unnamed child and a man who
cares for her, it is evident she is now
continuing on the same journey of her
life with a renewed purpose and new
companions.
Byron: Now the ‘new Byron’ after
fighting Lucas Burch, Byron has
broken away from the structure he
thought kept him safe and the society
that defined him, traveling with Lena.
Lena doesn’t treat, or even pretend to
treat him as a husband, but his talk of
marriage now makes her smile a little,
indicating future potential for the
couple.
Chapter 21: Significant quotes
•
“I don’t think she had any idea of finding whoever it was she was following. I don’t think
she had ever aimed to, only she hadn’t told him yet.” pg 506 – This quote is interesting
as earlier the narrator understood the trio to be looking for Lucas, and it appears that
this is what Byron understands too. It indicates that while Lena is “just travelling”, she
may be playing this fake purpose, just to keep Byron along for the ride.
•
“Why, Mr. Bunch. Ain’t you ashamed. You might have woke the baby up too.” pg 503 - I
think this quote shows the foil between Christmas and Burden compared to Lena and
Byron. The first couple were quite distant on an emotional level, and potentially
learning from here mistake with Lucas, Lena is trying to preserve their relationship,
growing together before things move to quickly.
•
“Here we ain’t been coming from Alabama but two months, and now it’s already
Tennessee. “ pg 507 – This quote has structural significance in tying the end of the
book back to the very beginning, “although I have not been quite a month on the road I
am already in Mississippi.” and further emphasizing the cyclical nature of the story. We
see that Lena will continue on her journey in the same fashion, now with a son and
Byron.
Chapter 21
Plot development
Character development
•
Here the cyclical structure finishes with Lena. •
•
Narrated by an unnamed furniture dealer as
he recounts the tale to his wife, this new POV
emphasizes both Lena’s transition from
Jefferson and her continual impact on
strangers.
•
The narrator picks up the trio in his truck, as
they have no particular destination. They
•
spend the night with him camped by the car,
where he learns they are hunting for Lucas.
Later in the night Byron comes to bed with
Lena, only to be told to sleep on the ground.
Byron goes off into the woods, is not back in
the morning. The narrator continues on with
Lena, until Byron appears ahead on the road.
They pick him up, and continue on their
journey as Lena thinks of how much life she
has so recently lived.
Lena: At the first level it seems Lena
is in the same position of chasing
Lucas as she was in the beginning of
the book. However, with the potential
of her unnamed child and a man who
cares for her, it is evident she is now
continuing on the same journey of her
life with a renewed purpose and new
companions.
Byron: Now the ‘new Byron’ after
fighting Lucas Burch, Byron has
broken away from the structure he
thought kept him safe and the society
that defined him, traveling with Lena.
Lena doesn’t treat, or even pretend to
treat him as a husband, but his talk of
marriage now makes her smile a little,
indicating future potential for the
couple.
Chapter 21: Significant quotes
•
“I don’t think she had any idea of finding whoever it was she was following. I don’t think
she had ever aimed to, only she hadn’t told him yet.” pg 506 – This quote is interesting
as earlier the narrator understood the trio to be looking for Lucas, and it appears that
this is what Byron understands too. It indicates that while Lena is “just travelling”, she
may be playing this fake purpose, just to keep Byron along for the ride.
•
“Why, Mr. Bunch. Ain’t you ashamed. You might have woke the baby up too.” pg 503 - I
think this quote shows the foil between Christmas and Burden compared to Lena and
Byron. The first couple were quite distant on an emotional level, and potentially
learning from here mistake with Lucas, Lena is trying to preserve their relationship,
growing together before things move to quickly.
•
“Here we ain’t been coming from Alabama but two months, and now it’s already
Tennessee. “ pg 507 – This quote has structural significance in tying the end of the
book back to the very beginning, “although I have not been quite a month on the road I
am already in Mississippi.” and further emphasizing the cyclical nature of the story. We
see that Lena will continue on her journey in the same fashion, now with a son and
Byron.
Chapter 21
Evident themes:
Identity: Unlike all other characters in the
story, and despite all she has gone
through, Lena accepts herself as what
she is, continuing on her travels.
Burden of the past: Again foiling
Hightower and Christmas, Lena doesn’t
obsess about the past despite the
reminder of her child; she continues
progressing down her trail.
Names: Lena’s child is still unnamed, free
from whatever connotations it might bring.
I feel this picture represents the future of our trio, wandering about for no
particular reason, relying on the kindness of strangers they know they will receive.
The road is open and plain, easily accepted and moderately traversed; while their
life may not be the easiest or most conventional , it is always progressing and has
potential.
Characters
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Joe Christmas
- main character/protagonist
- young (early 30s)
- biracial
- doesn't ever seem to fit in wherever he is in his life
- almost as if he complicates any joy that comes his way
- complex
- comes off detached to basically everything
- left on the orphanage steps on Christmas
- expresses a hatred towards churches and women
- ultimately has no history, struggles to find true identity
•
•
•
•
•
Joe Brown (Lucas Burch)
- con artist, liar, gambler
- selfish, lazy
- father of Lena's unborn child
- what we would call a present day "loser"
Characters Continued
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lena Grove
- pregnant young woman
- from Alabama
- travels to Jefferson looking for her unborn baby's father (Lucas Burch)
- biblical allusion: Mary traveling to Bethlehem
- gives birth in a cabin
•
•
•
•
•
•
Reverend Gail High Tower
- minister in Jefferson
- outcast
- obsessed with his grandfather's involvement with his Confederate cavalry unit
- punishes himself
- bears much guilt from his wife's mania and eventual suicide
•
•
•
•
Simon McEachern
- Joe Christmas's foster parent
- shows no mercy for anyone
- feels that hard work and suffering leads to a moral life
Characters Continued
•
•
•
•
•
Mrs. McEachern
- Joe Christmas's foster parent
- timid
- desires a close relationship between both her son and Joe
- tries to make up for her husband's violent behavior with kindness
•
•
•
•
•
Joanna Burden
- resident of Jefferson
- said to be a prostitute
- planned on killing Joe Christmas
- ended up being killed by Joe Christmas
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Byron Bunch
- mill worker in Jefferson
- is first thought to be Lucas Burch
- becomes fond of Lena
- keeps away from the outside world, stays isolated
- could be classified as an all around "good" man
- directs the choir
- honest
- friends with Hightower
- his will to fight a larger man (Joe Brown) displays his deep emotions for Lena
Characters Continued
•
•
•
•
•
Mr. Hines (Uncle Doc)
- Joe Christmas's grandfather
- spiteful, violent man
- wants Joe to be lynched
- pushes those who are close to him, away
•
•
•
•
•
Mrs. Hines
- Joe Christmas's grandmother
- somewhat of a hermit
- thought Joe was dead
- passive towards her husband
• Miss Atkins
• - dietician at the orphanage
• - speeds up Joe's adoption from orphanage once finding out of his biracial
ethnicity
• - racist, spiteful
Settings
•
•
•
•
Jefferson
- Main setting throughout the book
- Small, primarily Christian town
- Pertaining to Joe Christmas,
Jefferson is a special town in which
Joe spends a lot more time than
most of the places he has been
• - One can see the religious
influence on the town as well as the
stereotypical bias that comes with it
(especially racism)
• - Due to Joe Christmas' ambiguous
racial makeup he is neither
accepted by the white community
nor the black community
Settings
• Joanna Burden's Cabin
• - The place where Joe Christmas spends much of his free time
while in Jefferson
• - Joe probably stays here because of the fear of getting too
attached to Ms. Burden
• Joe leaves
the cabin to
go to Ms.
Burden's
house only at
night
Settings
• Orphanage
• - Where Joe spends much of his
childhood; he gets the last name
Christmas because he was
dropped off at the doorstep on
Christmas
• - Joe hasn't lost the innocence of
childhood yet, and doesn't
understand why he is treated
differently or why he is punished
by the dietician
• - Joe Christmas mainly associates
the orphanage with his
"toothpaste" episode
• - The Orphanage is really the start
of the psychological trauma that
Joe faces throughout his life due to
the lack of caring parental figures
and friends
Settings
• Mr. McEachern's House
• - Where much of the
psychological trauma
continues for Joe
• - Mr. McEachern is so strict in
forcing his religion on Joe
that Joe associates religion
with beatings and misery
• -While living in Mr.
McEacherns house Joe
never understands where his
emotions come from or what
they mean (especially love)
• - Joe does not understand
why Mrs. McEachern tries to
feed him and doesn't know
how to react