The Title

Now that we have almost finished the book, what do you think the significance is of William Faulkner's title, Light in August?

Between The World and Me

The poem talks about the whole world turning on one person, and as I read it, Christmas was a constant reminder. Was this a universal thought?

The grandparents

What do you guys think will happen when mr. And mrs. Hines find Christmas? What significance will they be? What will possibly occur?

Byron and Hightower

What do you feel is the reasoning behind Hightower's strong disapproval  for Byron's assisting Lena to find Joe Brown? Perhaps a sense of jealousy,  or is he looking out for his friend's best interest?

Another Victim?

In chapter four, the events that led up to Miss. Burden's death are revealed through the testimony of Joe Brown. However, Joe also states that Christmas threatened him to stay quiet about his relationship with Miss Burden; He hints that he may very well kill him.

"Maybe you ought to sleep more. And Brown said 'How much more?' and Christmas said 'maybe from now on.'" (pg. 94)

As we've seen through the flashbacks from Christmas's past, he  is capable of great violence and will go through with the threat if he feels it necessary  Should Christmas come back, he would surely come for Joe. What would this mean for Lena, if Joe were to be killed? What are your thoughts on this matter?

As seen in Christmas's character, we find that he obtains a violent, relentless attitude, which creates the antagonist of the story. Because of Christmas's character, we justify his actions yet, are they truly justified? Do you think his past is enough to forgive his future?

Christmas

Should Christmas feel remorse for what he did to Mr.Mceachern? Or are his actions tolerable (from a morality based perspective) because of the given situation?

Jezebel?

The dietician's name, as mentioned when Christmas was 5 and in the orphanage, to be 27, was Jezebel. (Faulkner 123 and 132)

When Christmas meets the waitress, he is 17. It states that "She is a waitress in a small, dingy, back street restaurant in town. Even a casual adult glance could tell that she would never see thirty again." (Faulkner 172)...When the waitress found out Christmas' name she did not react the same way most have when they find out his name, and when she finds out he is half and half, she stops meeting him...
We then find out in Chapter 9, that her name is also Jezebel, and she was recognized by McEachern. (Faulkner 204)

 Is it a coincidence that these two girls have the same name and McEachern knew them both?...or are they one in the same?

Because if my calculations are correct 27-5=22+17=39...and "she would never see 30 again."

Byron Bunch

Why does Byron live a routine life?

In chapter 3, he states in a conversation to Hightower...
"I don't know...I reckon that's just my life."
Thinking to himself 'But I know now why it is, it is because a fellow is more afraid of the trouble he might have than he ever is of the trouble he's already got. He'll cling to trouble he's used to before he'll risk a change.' (Faulkner 75)

Do think something dramatic happened to him in his past for him to think this way?
If so, what?
If not, why do you think he is the way he is?

Faulkners Writing style

Falkner writes with a unique writing style. His book so far seems to have no particular order. The novel also

seems to focuse on one character at a time by following them in the present or the past by the use of

flashbacks which at times makes the book confusing. What do you think Faulkner achieves by writing this

way?

Ultimately, Faulkner’s portrait of Joe’s earlier years serves to complicate the moral questions of his tale. As more information is revealed about Joe’s childhood, we begin to wonder whether Joe’s violent, brooding nature was predisposed or whether his abusive treatment as a child unleashed a tragic chain of causation. For the most part, Faulkner leaves this question  unresolved. How do you think Christmas developed his violent streak? Was the violence created by McEachern or was it always hidden in the recesses of his heart? 

Society

"Then the town was sorry with being glad, as people sometimes are sorry for those whom they have at last forced to do as they wanted them to." (Faulkner, 70) In chapter 3, we observed how society basically forces Hightower to leave the town and begin a new life somewhere else. Hightower decides to continue living in the town as an outcast yet, the town once again begins to have acts of kindness towards Hightower because they now feel "sorry" for him after they were the ones who placed him in that situation. This reminds me how sometimes society portrays the same acts these days. There is never a sense of satisfaction being that one day society can accept a group of a different ethnicity and another day they are protesting against them. However, at the end there is that feeling of sympathy towards that group being protested against. I might be wrong about this but what do you guys think?