Light in August: Analysis of Major Characters
"Light in August" by William Faulkner explores complex themes of identity, race, and morality through its major characters, each shaped by their personal histories and societal expectations. Joe Christmas, a biracial man, struggles with his identity as he feels alienated from both white and black communities. His tumultuous upbringing, marked by abuse from his foster father, Calvin McEachern, a harsh religious zealot, leads him to a tragic path of violence and despair, culminating in the murder of Joanna Burden, a woman who attempts to guide him despite her own flawed motivations. Joanna represents the struggle for connection and compassion amidst a racially divided society, while also reflecting the dangers of possessiveness. Other characters, like Gail Hightower, a minister haunted by his family's legacy and outcast from society, and Lena Grove, a determined woman searching for her lover, illustrate different responses to life's challenges. Through these characters, Faulkner delves into the intersections of race, gender, and societal failure, offering a poignant commentary on the human condition and the quest for belonging. Each character's journey is intertwined with the broader themes of loneliness and the search for meaning within a fragmented world.
Light in August: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: William Faulkner
First published: 1932
Genre: Novel
Locale: Mississippi
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: 1930
Joe Christmas, a mulatto. Placed in an orphan home by his demented grandfather, he is to lead a tortured life of social isolation, as he belongs neither to the white nor to the black race; in fact, he prefers this kind of existence. After staying with the fanatical Calvin McEachern during his boyhood, Joe knocks his foster father unconscious and strikes out on his own, rejecting any friendly overtures. At last, he is driven to his final desperate act: He kills his benefactress, Joanna Burden, and faces death at the hands of merciless Percy Grimm.
Joanna Burden, Joe Christmas' mistress, the descendant of a New England family. Rejected by many of her neighbors, she is the friend of blacks and interested in improving their lot. In her efforts to make Joe useful to the world, she also tries to possess and dominate him sexually, and so meets her death.
Calvin McEachern, Joe's foster father. A ruthless, unrelenting religious fundamentalist, McEachern, without real animosity, often beats the boy savagely for trifling misdemeanors and tells him to repent. He demands that “the Almighty be as magnanimous as himself.”
Eupheus Hines (Doc), Joe Christmas' grandfather. A hot-tempered little man, he is often in fights. When he learns that his daughter Milly has a mulatto lover, the fiery old man kills him. Later, he allows Milly to die in childbirth, unaided by a doctor. Soon after her death, he places the baby in an orphanage. Years later, learning of Joe's imprisonment, Doc Hines demands that his grandson be lynched. Prior to this time, the old man has devoted much effort to preaching to be-mused blacks about white supremacy.
Gail Hightower, a minister. Most of Hightower's life has been devoted to a dream. Long before, his grandfather had died while serving with a troop of Confederate cavalry. Because of his grandfather, he becomes obsessed with the Civil War. Now an outcast, he has driven his wife to her death because of this obsession; in the process, he is forced from his church by his outraged congregation.
Joe Brown (Lucas Burch), Lena Grove's lover and the unwilling father of her child. A loudmouthed, weak man, he deserts Lena and finds work in another town. After meeting Joe Christmas, he becomes a bootlegger and lives with Joe in a cabin behind Joanna Burden's house. When Christmas is captured, Brown, hoping for a large reward, tells the sheriff that Joe has murdered Miss Burden. Unable to face responsibilities, he hops a freight train in order to avoid Lena.
Lena Grove, a country girl seduced and deserted by Joe Brown. Ostensibly, this simple-hearted, fecund young woman pursues her lover because he is the father of her child; actually, she continues looking for him so that she can see different parts of the South.
Milly Hines, Doc Hines's daughter. She dies in childbirth because her enraged father refuses to let a doctor deliver her mulatto child.
Byron Bunch, a worker at the sawmill. Although he loves Lena, this good man helps her look for Joe Brown.
Mrs. Hines, Joe Christmas' grandmother. Always loving Joe, she tries to get Hightower to say that Joe was elsewhere when the murder was committed.
Mrs. McEachern, Calvin McEachern's long-suffering, patient wife. Like the other women, she is rebuffed when she tries to help Joe Christmas.
Percy Grimm, a brutal National Guard captain. He hunts Joe down after the latter escapes from a deputy. Not satisfied with shooting Christmas, Grimm also mutilates the injured man.