Absalom
Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner is the story of a man who outraged the land that then turned and destroyed the man's family (Serafin 356). Growing up as a poor mountain white, Thomas Sutpen yearns for more than what he has ever had. He marries a young woman and fathers a son, but soon after it is revealed to him that his wife has Negro blood. Abandoning his new wife and child, Sutpen leaves to create a life for himself of wealth, family, and social acceptance. Thomas Sutpen marries a gentlewoman, Ellen Coldfield, with whom he begets two children, Henry and Judith. Although he is a man of accomplished dreams and affluence, everything that he has achieved and established crumbles around him (Magill, Magill's Survey of American Literature 675). The events transcend into a twisted plot of revelation, revenge, and murder. When Henry goes off to college, he becomes good friends with Charles Bon, the first son of Thomas. Charles meets and then falls in love with his half-sister Judith, which causes Henry to kill him because he is committing incest. As a result of this incestuous relationship and murder, the fabulous life that Sutpen has worked to maintain is torn apart by the revengeful attitudes of the family memb
So clearly, is this theme portrayed throughout the entire story as a majority of the plot is centered on it (Martine 294). However, this is not rendered possible because of the opposition that is bombarding them from their father and brother. There are many aspects in the novel that show the fact that Henry is not a man of stability. something has happened between him [Bon] and my father" (Faulkner 92). By alluding to the Biblical story of King David, Faulkner is better able to characterize Thomas Sutpen. Henry Sutpen also seeks revenge for the relationship that has developed between Charles and Judith. By falling in love with his half-sister, Charles causes utter disgust and distaste in his father and is also killed by his half-brother. More importantly to realize is that the characters in Faulkner's novel often fail to truly love but instead to lust after what they desire and more often than not this lust leads to the downfall of each character because it is the ultimate cause of evil. Instead of just talking it out and making sure that nothing comes between the two, he decides to take care of the situation once and for all and kill Charles Bon. The blind psychological force of ambition in Sutpen is his tragic flaw and it eventually leads to the destruction of him. Comparing the themes to a particular Bible story and the play Hamlet is easily done and serves to make them stand out even more. Judith Sutpen is involved in a conflict that she herself has no idea she is in. Faulkner alludes to the Bible's Amnon in depicting the life of Charles Bon. The relationships that they hold with their brother and sister are not pure nor are they loving.
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Acceptance Essays
