Collapse Of American Southern Myths

Absalom, Absalom! is considered by many critics as one of the greatest novels in the history of American literature in the early 20th century. What interests people most lies in the fact that the writer successfully creates a typical Southern character, Thomas Sutpen, who steps into'the world as a poor boy, rises to the eminent position in Southern society as a big plantation owner, and finally goes to the hell as a demon. During the creation of such a protagonist, the writer closely combines together the historic subjects concerning the American Civil War, the Southern history and the First World War, and expresses his mixed feelings towards the South of America. In realization of his "great design", Sutpen deserts his wife and son, which brings the ruins to him as well as his family. As a result, a hot problem appears as how to assess such a complicated character. Different people may have different opinions, and this paper holds that Faulkner skillfully arranges four narrators to give different accounts of the facts, interpret Sutpen's story according to their own understanding, and add most powerful and intimate fears and hopes. In order to keep pace with the development of the novel, the reader is required to actively participate in solving the mystery, filling in the gaps and fitting the pieces of the puzzle together, and finally understanding the vivid picture of the rise and fall of Sutpen's Dynasty, and condemnation of the abuses and sins of the Southern tradition given by Faulkner.The paper consists of six parts. The first part is a brief introduction to William Faulkner, his position in American literature, the novel Absalom, Absalom!, and the aim of the paper. Chapter One tells the different views on Sutpen from four narrators:the hysteria Rosa, the nihilist Mr. Compson, the tortured pessimist Quentin, and the onlooker Shreve. Chapter Two sums up the rise and fall of the Sutpen's Dynasty and the true nature of Sutpen himself: he is a typical representative of the Southern plantation owners, a tragic hero. Chapter Three analyses the social values of this character. Sutpen's Dynasty is the epitome of the Southern history and the ruin of his dynasty shows the collapse of the Southern aristocratic families, while the fatal problem of his dynasty is the racial discrimination. Chapter Four discusses Faulkner's conflicting attitudes towards the Southern tradition and the slavery system, and concludes that man will prevail. The last part is the conclusion. Considering of the time and the place he lives in, Sutpen is a tragic hero in American Southern society, a self-made man who fears nothing, bravely challenges the fate and succeeds in making a dynasty of his own for a period of time. But his discrimination against the black people leads to his downfall and the destruction of his dynasty. Taking advantage of the ruins of Sutpen's Dynasty to express his hatred and anger toward the slavery system, Faulkner becomes the master of Southern literature.