The Study Of Poor Whites In Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha Novels

American writer William Faulkner spent over 30 years creating the Yoknapatawpha series of novels. These series of novels have attracted and challenged generations of researchers with their variety in contents and complexity in styles. The image of poor whites can be found through the whole Yoknapatawpha series. And it has different characteristics and meanings in works of different writing stage, which reflects the development of the writer’s perceptions of poor whites. The poor whites, along with other social groups, have provided Faulkner with reference for the understanding of Southern society. Yet the development of poor whites is more reflective of the author’s explorations of the social and historical development of southern society that stands at the meeting-point of tradition and modernity.The introduction part in this thesis starts with an literature review of the study of Faulkner both at home and aboard. Advantages and disadvantages of domestic research are summarized consequently. The thesis aims to interpret the works of Faulkner as a whole from the perspective of the image of poor whites. The Yoknapatawpha series and the exceptional significance of poor whites in the series are discussed in this chapter. The definition of poor whites is clarified as well.The main body of the thesis includes three parts. The first part focuses on the poor whites themselves on the basis of novels of Yoknapatawpha series. Based on As Lay Dying, Light in August, The Hamlet, three novels with the subject of poor whites the thesis has analyzed the development of poor whites from ignorance, tolerance to personality alienation. The change of perceptions and attitudes of the writer towards Southern poor whites is also discussed.The second part studies the relation between poor whites and other social groups referring to Yoknapatawpha series. Specifically, two dimensions of relation are probed into. The first one is the relation between poor whites and white aristocrats, which goes through submission, fierce conflict and defiance as far as poor whites are concerned. The second one is the relation between poor whites and black people. They mock and despise each other. The investigation into the two kinds of relation reveals the fact that poor whites have the lowest social status and discloses their yearning for identity and dignity.The third part goes beyond textual space and analyzes the poor whites of Yoknapatawpha series in the framework of Southern literature. The thesis explores the theme of Southern literature in works of Faulkner on the basis of his imitation and innovation of traditional description of poor whites in Southern literature. Faulkner’s stance and identity as a Southern man has been revealed in his disclosure of evil and good of poor whites. His thoughts of enormous historical changes of Southern society at meeting-points of tradition and modernity are discussed in this thesis.The conclusion part sums up Faulkner’s perceptions and discoveries at the turning point of times of the living status of modern people via his descriptions of changes of poor whites in Yoknapatawpha series.