Religious Symbols and Symbolism in Faulkners Light in August Essay

Religious Symbolism in lightness in noble-minded William Faulkners, jobless in August has many references to Christianity. He employs a commodious deal of religious symbolism in all of his characters. These parallels seem really intentional, even though, Faulkner himself says he did not do it purposely. The Christ story is cardinal of the virtually popular stories invented and it seems right that at some point soulfulness is going to write similar to it. William Faulkner says he did not put the Christian parallels in intentionally. Many critics argue that there is no religious symbolism in this novel and that new(prenominal) critics ar looking too mystic into the novel. After reading Faulkners novel, it is hard not to make some connections to Christianity. The most obvious of his ties to the Catholic background and knowledge is in his writing of Light in August. William Faulkner was born in New Albany. His family was a diversity of Presbyterians and Baptists. As an adul t, he became a communi foundationt of the Episcopal Church in Oxford, moreover he rarely attended services there. In response to a question on Faulkners Christianity, he said I fork out the sort of provincial Christian background I feel that Im a good Christianwhether it would please anybody elses criterion I dont know (203). According to Amy Dooley (who is the research attendant of the Center of Faulkner Studies Southeast Missouri State University), Faulkner spoke about morality being something a Southerner absorbs as part of the culture, and he cant stop using it. He said it doesnt matter if he believes it or not. It appears as if Faulkner uses Christianity in his writing to aid his themes of human suffering, transition of rebirth, human continuity, and death. The most significant example of Fau... ...that is never specified either. Christmas office have Negro blood in him so he could be black or he might be white. This gives him a character, which does not fit in with th e other people he is different. This is similar to savior Christ in that there was something different about him to separate him from the other people. That fact and the fact that his initials are the same as Jesus can lead a person to believe that William Faulkner did this intentionally. If one looks at Joe Christmas nature and his entire life and death, one will see that there are no parallels. If Faulkner says he did not put the parallels in intentionally, then it seems however ironic that there are some. In conclusion, Joe is a character in William Faulkners novel, Light in August, and nothing more. Works CitedFaulkner, William. Light in August. 1932. New York Vintage, 1987.