What is the theme of Absalom Absalom ?

The theme of William Faulkner's novel "Absalom, Absalom!" is the destructive nature of the desire for power and the corrupting influence of the past on the present. The novel explores the history of a wealthy Southern family, the Sutpens, and their rise and fall in the years leading up to the Civil War. 

Through the characters and their actions, the novel examines the destructive effects of ambition and the way in which the past can shape and haunt the present. The novel also touches on issues of race, class, and the legacy of slavery in the South. It is considered a complex and challenging novel, with many layers of meaning that have been subject to much literary criticism and analysis.

The theme of William Faulkner's novel "Absalom, Absalom!" is the destructive nature of the desire for power and the corrupting influence of the past on the present. The novel explores the history of a wealthy Southern family, the Sutpens, and their rise and fall in the years leading up to the Civil War. Through the characters and their actions, the novel examines the destructive effects of ambition and the way in which the past can shape and haunt the present. The novel also touches on issues of race, class, and the legacy of slavery in the South. It is considered a complex and challenging novel, with many layers of meaning that have been subject to much literary criticism and analysis.

 

Absalom, Absalom Summary

"Absalom, Absalom!" is a novel by William Faulkner that tells the story of Thomas Sutpen, a man who attempts to build a dynasty in the American South before the Civil War. The novel is told from multiple perspectives and covers a period of several decades. The story centers around Sutpen's attempt to establish his family and his legacy, and the eventual dissolution of both. The novel explores themes of race, family, and the South's troubled history.

What is the theme of Absalom Absalom ? Without detention, it should be understood that this is maybe Faulkner's most delicate novel. To the inexperienced anthology, some of the difficulties feel invincible, but if one perseveres, he'll discover why numerous critics consider this to be Faulkner's topmost novel.

 Of the numerous difficulties, the Faulknerian style is one of the major hindrances for the pupil strange with the Faulknerian diction. Another difficulty lies in determining what character is chronicling certain aspects of the story, or when Faulkner as human author begins chronicling as opposed to one of the characters themselves.

 Another difficulty is that a person is frequently talked about long before he's linked. For illustration, a character is frequently appertained to simply as" he" long before that character is actually linked, and numerous small particulars of information are casually mentioned as though the anthology knows the entire story.

The main challenge, however, is determining how much of the plot is provided by the various narrators versus how much of the story is left untold and must be imaginatively recreated by the reader. Perhaps a simple definition or example of the difference between plot and story should be provided to help the reader understand the various elements of plot as opposed to story. Faulkner tells many aspects of the story in Absalom, Absalom!, but leaves many out. What is the theme of Absalom Absalom ? In other words, the plot is secondary to the story. The plot is made up of the elements of the story that the author chooses to tell.

For example, if a person went to see a play about Abraham Lincoln, he would already know the entire story of Lincoln's life, but the plot of the drama would consist of the episodes that the dramatist chose to dramatise. Similarly, in Greek dramas based on ancient myths, the audience knew the entire story or myth but came to see how the dramatist chose to emphasise certain aspects of the myth. Finally, the plot consists of the scenes or episodes that are presented in relation to one another, whereas the story can include matters that are not related to the plot narration.

The plot narration in Absalom, Absalom! is the most unique in modern fiction and occupies a sizeable portion of the reader's or critic's attention. What is the theme of Absalom Absalom ? To help the reader, Faulkner included at the end of the novel 

1) a chronology of the central events, 

2) a genealogy of the characters (for example, in the genealogy note that Faulkner indicates that Quentin died the year the novel ended making his death a part of the story, but we have no indication of this in the plot of the novel), and 

3) a map of Yoknapatawpha county indicating the place where central events occurred.

Consequently, Faulkner mentions in the first chapter the most important or significant events of the entire story. By the end of the first chapter, Faulkner has told the reader almost the entire story, and in subsequent chapters will only offer subtle modifications of this large story told in this first chapter. Of course, on a first reading, we do not realize that this is the germinal of the plot, but all the essential facts are here. In subsequent chapters the plot will consist of narrating individual episodes of the general story; but essentially the basic outline of the entire Sutpen story is presented here in the first chapter.

The purpose, in bare outline, is to familiarize the reader with the story so that in all subsequent retellings the element of surprise will not interfere with the probing into the causes of the various actions. By the end of the first chapter, Faulkner wanted his reader to feel as though he knew the story as well as did the townspeople of Jefferson, Mississippi. As the story was both a part of Quentin's heritage and a part of the town of Jefferson, so by revealing much of the story now, it becomes, with each retelling, a familiar part of our heritage also. This is Faulkner's method of leading the reader into the story and making the reader accept it in the same way that Quentin accepts the story. Thus by this method the story gains a certain amount of universality. For example, the average reader is not aware of the fact that Faulkner tells us six different times in the first chapter about Sutpen's arrival in Jefferson because each retelling has a different purpose.

Absalom Absalom Characters

"Absalom, Absalom!" has a large cast of characters, but some of the main ones include:

Thomas Sutpen : The protagonist of the novel, Sutpen is a man who comes to Mississippi from the Caribbean and attempts to build a dynasty in the American South. What is the theme of Absalom Absalom ? He marries into a prominent local family and has children, but his past and actions ultimately lead to the destruction of his family and legacy.

Henry Sutpen: Thomas Sutpen's son, who becomes friends with the novel's narrator, Quentin Compson. He becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about his father's past and the events that led to the downfall of the Sutpen family.

Charles Bon: Thomas Sutpen's first son, who is revealed to be of mixed race and is disowned by his father. He becomes romantically involved with his half-sister, Judith Sutpen.

Judith Sutpen: Thomas Sutpen's daughter, who is initially engaged to Charles Bon but ultimately marries another man. She becomes central to the novel's exploration of race and the South's troubled history.

Quentin Compson: The novel's narrator, who is a friend of Henry Sutpen. He becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about the Sutpen family and the events that led to their downfall.

Rosa Coldfield: An older woman who tells Quentin the story of the Sutpen family and becomes obsessed with avenging her sister's death.

Ellen Coldfield: Rosa Coldfield's sister and Thomas Sutpen's first wife.

These are some of the main characters of the novel, but there are other minor characters that also play important role in the story.

Absalom Absalom Themes

"Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner explores several themes, including:

Race: The novel deals with the theme of race in the American South, particularly the relationship between white and black people. Thomas Sutpen's past and actions reveal the deep-seated racism that existed in the South during the 19th century.

Family: The novel explores the idea of family and the ways in which individuals are shaped by their family history. The Sutpen family is portrayed as both a source of strength and a source of destruction.

Legacy: The novel also deals with the idea of legacy, specifically the desire to leave a lasting legacy and the ways in which individuals attempt to shape their own legacy. Thomas Sutpen's desire to create a dynasty ultimately leads to the downfall of his family.

The American South: The novel is set in the American South and explores the region's troubled history, including the legacy of slavery and the Civil War.

Obsession: Many of the characters in the novel become obsessed with uncovering the truth about the Sutpen family and the events that led to their downfall. This theme of obsession is intertwined with the others, as the Sutpens' past and the characters' obsession are connected to the idea of legacy and the South's troubled history.

Time and memory: The novel is told in a non-linear fashion, and the characters' recollections of past events are often incomplete and conflicting, which adds to the uncertainty of the story and highlights the idea of how time and memory can shape people's understanding of the past.

What genre is Absalom, Absalom?

"Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner is considered a work of Southern Gothic literature. Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic literature that is set in the American South and often explores the region's dark and troubled history, including issues such as race, family, and class.

The stories often have a sense of decay, violence, and the supernatural. The genre also characterized by its use of grotesque, macabre and dark imagery, as well as a sense of the grotesque, which often comes from the characters themselves.

In addition to Southern Gothic, the novel can also be considered a modernist literature, as it challenges traditional narrative structures and makes use of stream-of-consciousness, non-linear storytelling, and multiple narrators.

 

What does Absalom represent in the Bible?

In the Bible, Absalom is a character from the Second Book of Samuel, he was the third son of King David of Israel. Absalom is known for his rebellion against his father and his subsequent death.

Absalom is initially presented as a charismatic and handsome prince, but he becomes increasingly ambitious and resentful of his father's rule. He plots to overthrow his father and ultimately leads a rebellion against him, during which he is killed in battle.

In the Bible, Absalom symbolizes rebellion and treachery, as he turns against his own father, the king and the legitimate ruler. His rebellion is seen as a threat to the stability and continuity of the kingdom. Additionally, he also represents the idea of personal ambition, which can lead to the downfall of individuals and entire families.

In literature and culture, Absalom is often used as a symbol of a rebellious son, who turns against a father figure, and the consequences that come with it.

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