The Search For Identity-a Cultural Analysis Of Faulkner's Novels

William Faulkner is known as the most representative Southern writer in the 20^th century. The South, with its special geological, historical and cultural background provides the most fertile ground for literary creation.One topic Faulkner is mostly concerned with is the search for identity. Faulkner's characters, be they man or woman, black or white, all set about willingly and involuntarily on a life-long journey for the search and establishment for an identity that will grant them an assured self-recognition.The first technique Faulkner uses to portray the journey of identity-searching is through the introduction of the physical setting, which is often seen through the eyes and minds of the characters. In Faulkner's work, place is taken and depicted as an outward expression of the inner emotion of the characters, who are most obsessed with the question of who they really are. Apart from the participation of the characters in the presentation of place, the author also takes an active part in it, allowing the readers to reflect upon the place being introduced.Another important reason why Faulkner's characters are so concerned with their identity is that the South has a past, a past that refuses to let loose its vicious control over people living in the present. In Light in August, Hightower is completely trapped in the past and fails to live up to his identity; in Absalom, Absalom! Quentin Compson succeeds in coming to a new-found identity by trying to recollect and reinterpret the past; Lena in Light in August and Dilsey in Sound and Fury maintain a balanced self and integral identity by considering the past with a positive and down-to-earth attitude.Identity shapes place and is reshaped by the past. From a different angel, once established, it is threatened or even totally destroyed by a strong sense of evil. For the Southern people, the black people constantly remind them of the sin committed by their ancestors and thus threaten their identity. Joe Christmas in Light in August disturbs the townspeople's self-recognition because of his uncertain racial background while Thomas Sutpen in Absalom, Absalom uproots their belief system in identity due to his different attitude toward the black.Besides, women are also seen as a token of evil, thus womanhood is greatly suppressed and oppressed in the society. Women are not supposed to have any independent identity no matter what struggle they put upon. The lack of identity causes many female characters to take an extreme attitude toward life, which often results in disaster.