In Faulkner's Light in August, Joe Christmas struggles with racial identity. He does not seem to fit into the WHITE/black binary that is very present in the society at the time because he his half black.
Jessica Benjamin wrote about how in binaries one half must assert dominance and the other half in some way accepts the dominance. In his quest for identity, Joe can not seem to fit into either side of the binary but what he does know for sure is that he wants to be part of a binary.
Although binaries are uneven relationships, Joe seems to willing to chose either side of the binary just so he can belong. As he walks around Freedman town, he does not feel similar to the black people. He sees that they are "voices murmuring talking laughing in a language not his"(114). But he also doesn't feel part of the white community either. As he walks past the white people playing cards on the porch, he thinks "'That's all I wanted...that dont seem like a whole lot to ask'"(115). Feeling as though he doesn't fit leaves him lonely but Joe begins to make some choice of which part of the binary he is belongs to.
Joe spend years living with black people and "shunning white people"(225). He later says that he was trying "to expel himself the white blood"(226). Joe chooses which race he wants to be. In doing so he also chooses part of the binary.
Unfortunately, Joe becomes subject to the prejudices and stereotypes of the binary and his decision to accept his black blood leads him to be seen in different ways. Joe Brown uses the knowledge of Joe Christmas's black blood against him and uses that to blame him for the fire and murder of Ms. Burden. Joe chooses to belong but then must also be a subject to the binary.
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