In Faulkner's 'Light in August', Joe Christmas struggles with his identity. Although appearances may be deceiving, Christmas knows himself to be a negro. Given that this story takes place in post- Civil War south, being black entails a sense of inferiority, as if a curse. Christmas grows up aware that his race places him on the subordinate side of the power struggle, or binary, that existed between people at the time. This sense of submissiveness in relation to the dominant white man has engraved a belief of shortcoming causes Christmas to find an outlet in which he can expend these feelings and obtain power, even if only for a moment.
For the most part, Christmas finds this through sex. Throughout the novel, Christmas pays prostitutes for sex, and often times, these relations with women end in violence. When Christmas has an affair with Ms. Burden, this inferiority complex is indirectly explained via the times he assaults her with relentless blows. Because Christmas is unable to assert his dominance and control over his white male peers, he uses the opportunity to control women through sex. This opportunity arises from Christmas's desire to flip the binary and, for once, be in total control of his counterpart. This is why any display of love and affection from a women, which is especially clear in Christmas's relationship with Ms. Burden and Mrs. McEachern, pushes Christmas away and usually causes Christmas to use violence and disrespect in the relationship. Any display of affection and love is seen as a threat to his dominance. At one point, Christmas hopes that Ms. Burden will have left him a note that says that there affair is over and is to be forgotten, yet Christmas finds himself the subject of Ms. Burden's desire to hand over her wealth and power. Faulker writes that Joe Christmas always wanted to have something kept a secret from the women in his life, whether it is with the rope and Ms. McEeachern or the whiskey and Ms. Burden. This shows that Christmas desires to be in greater control than the women not only in sex, but in knowledge. Because of this desire to flip the binary that he is a part of, Joe Christmas portrays himself as a very male chauvinistic individual that will fight to assert dominance over any female counterpart.
I like how you talked about Christmas and Ms. Burdens relationship with each other. I hadn't thought about it in depth and it is so true that her attempt at intimacy just causes him to become violent or hostile. What you said was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI also find their relationship very interesting. Because Burden is such an independent woman and Christmas has never experienced this kind of person, it's as if he wants her to kick him out of the house so he can feel dominant. I really like your analysis.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you said it was his frustration with his inability to find power in race that leads him to his attempt for dominance in his relationships with women. Joe's relationships have been frustrating and I think you found a good cause for why they turn out the way they do.
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