For your essay, write about ONE of the following prompts to write on “As I Lay Dying,”” Light in August,” and “Go Down, Moses.” For any of the prompts, you must discuss all three of the novels.
1. Use some of the following characters to discuss how Faulkner dramatizes the damage that people do to themselves and others by holding oneself separate and aloof from one another: Addie, Anse, Darl, Hightower, Byron Bunch, Ike McCaslin, Roth Edmonds.
2. Discuss blood as a metaphor that might encompass these themes: family, tradition, status, racism, violence. (You do not have to use all of these.)
3. Use some of the following characters to show how Faulkner presents ideas about what constitutes masculinity and femininity: Addie, Dewey Dell, Lena, Joanna Burden, Molly Beauchamp, Jewel, Anse, Joe Christmas, Byron Bunch, Sam Fathers, Ike McCaslin, Lucas Beauchamp.
4. Use some of the following characters to show how Faulkner presents critiques of religious practice: Addie, Anse, Cora Tull, Rev. Whitfield, Doc Hines, Calvin Burden, Gail Hightower, Ike McCaslin.
5. One of Faulkner’s central themes is the problem of an individual in the modern world trying to construct a stable identity. How does that theme play out with Darl Bundren, Joe Christmas, and Ike McCaslin? N.B. You must discuss all three characters for this prompt.
N.B. These prompts do not contain a thesis statement. Constructing one is your first task. The key to doing well is to be organized, starting with a good thesis statement, and to supply textual details. You will need to be selective about what parts of the narrative(s) you select to support your thesis.
The 3 sources must ONLY be from Faulkners – “As I Lay Dying,”” Light in August,” and “Go Down, Moses.”
