| Earlier at the turn of the twentieth century,Faulkner had already noticed the great influence of mobility,which in recent years is regarded by scholars as the motif of modernity.However,distinguished from the contemporary scholars who put stress on the acceleration of mobility,Faulkner was more concerned with the "immobile" people in his hometown who were left behind by the modem(im)mobility regime.In Faulkner’s views,the modern(im)mobility regime which seems open to everyone actually contains a host of latent constraints,and if one fails to have a full awareness of these constraints but just fervently believes in the mobility narrative,he or she can be easily discouraged by the harsh reality,thereby doing something radical.In Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha series,this kind of vigilance to modern(im)mobility regime is in evidence,and this is inextricably linked to the political tumult at his times.Thus,this thesis,by a thorough scan of Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha saga,reveals his cautious attitude towards modern(im)mobility regime and the social reasons behind it.The first two chapters of this thesis is dedicated to the transformation that modern(im)mobility regime brought to Yoknapatawpha County and people’s responses to it.By alienating people from the place they lived and attracting them with the promise of freedom,power and progress,modern(im)mobility regime successfully diluted people’s attachment to their lands and simultaneously ingrained mobility fetish in most Yoknapatawpha people’s minds.Foreseeing the consequences that might be caused by this trend,Faulkner in his novels presented the failed exoduses made by Yoknapatawpha people with disparate social status,including poor whites,mulattoes,colored people and old aristocrats.These failures exhibit the unique financial and spiritual shackles which restrict the mobility of southerners but also indicate the common and immanent constraints in modern(im)mobility regime.In this way,Faulkner reminds readers that modern(im)mobility regime which facilitates people’s movement can also turn voluntary immobility into involuntary immobility,causing many tragedies.Nevertheless,with deep sympathy for the southerners and all human beings,Faulkner is not completely pessimistic about this increasingly mobile world.Instead,in his last novel The Reivers,he drew an idyllic picture in which the character,though staying at their hometown,could treat the arrival of mobility in a rational way.This story gives some sunshine over gloomy Yoknapatawpha world.Hence,the last chapter is dedicated to the analysis of the factors that contribute to the ideal state of "immobile people" in The Reivers.Meanwhile,by connecting Faulkner’s preservation in this ideal immobility with the social situation at that time,this part also attempts to justify Faulkner’s preference for an evolutionary rather than revolutionary response to the mobile world.Faulkner’s preference actually reflects the southern renaissance’s lingering between the homeland and the modern mobile world.Nowadays,with the election of Donald Trump climaxing the rise of plutocracy,it is clear that the South and even the United States haven’t broken the spell of the constraints in the modern(im)mobility regime,let alone achieving equal and free mobility.In this respect,Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha saga reminds people of the problems latent in the modern(im)mobility regime,and also inspires people to constantly question how to exist in this increasingly mobile world while the "place" is disintegrating. |
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