William Faulkner’s Portrayal of Race, Women, and Violence of the South

William Faulkner’s personal background and upbringing in the South contributed to many of his famous works. The history and traditions of the South were a favorite theme for Faulkner as the region of the South where Faulkner grew up gave him important knowledge for his works dealing with the conflict between blacks and whites and provided him with a precise characterization for his Southern characters. Several of his short stories are set in the South as the short stories “Dry September”, “That Evening Sun”, and “Barn Burning” all take place in Faulkner’s imaginary southern Yoknapatawpha County dealing with the issues of violence, race, and the mistreatment of women. Discrimination by using the derogatory term “nigger” is common throughout all of these stories as if it were the black characters’ names. Fear is displayed as a result of discrimination and violence among blacks and whites as well in different situations within these short stories.

“Dry September” displays a violent mob mentality of men who believe a white woman’s word over a black man’s truth as she accuses a black man of rape. “That Evening Sun” also reveals fear derived from violence and racial discrimination as a black woman lives in fear of her husband murdering her because of her infidelity with a white man. “Barn Burning” depicts racial discrimination against blacks too, but one also sees superiority within the same race, which results in violent acts rooted from hostility. The protagonist feels he is unfairly treated in a court hearing over a hog and later a dirty carpet, which results with the protagonist burning the barns of the people in which he has conflict. Faulkner clearly illustrates not only the mistreatment and fear among blacks in general, but specifically black and white women as well. Nancy is an example of a black woman living in fear of her husband in the short story “That Evening Sun” as she fears her life because she is carrying a white man’s baby. In the end of “Dry September”, the reader sees the abuse received from a man to his wife because his wife is simply still awake when he gets home at midnight. Then in “Barn Burning” the women do not even play a noteworthy role, which shows their insignificance as their voices are silenced.

Out of all of these stories I would recommend reading “Dry September”. The story takes place in a small southern town near Jefferson, Mississippi that is experiencing a severe drought. This short story contains a lot of discrimination, anger, and racism which originates from the rumor of Miss Minnie being raped by a black man by the name of Will Mayes. Although no one in town knows if this rumor is true or not the main majority of the town believe a white woman’s accusation over a black man’s voice on no basis of evidence but color. The only person who believes Will Mayes’ innocence is white man by the name of Hawkshaw who defends Will Mayes. The reader is able to see the escalation of hate and mob violence leading up to the shocking climax of the story. (JF).