Finding an identity is a stepping stone in understanding who we are. Joe Christmas's racial identity continues to determine where he stands in society. He learns that he is not fully accepted in the White and Black community. He is a misfit. A misfit with an unusual name... His initials are J.C. Just like Jesus Christ. I think that Faulkner chose his name for a specific purpose: to show the similarities between Christmas and Christ. After all, they were both hated by their society and suffered greatly. Christ carried the cross for the shame of the world. Christmas carried his cross for the shame of his past. SPOILER ALERT: They both died at the age of 33...coincidence, I think not. Yet, Faulkner portrays Christmas to be far from Christlike...Instead he is misogynistic, violent, and merciless. Faulkner does not make him a spiritual
figure, in fact he actually spends much of the novel trying to avoid
Christianity. Why does Faulkner make such clear connections between the two characters and yet make them polar opposites as well?
I never saw this perspective on the story! How were you able to connect these two things so perfectly. Anyways, i love the connection you made about Christmas and Christ. It never even crossed by path that the two could share so many similar backgrounds. I like the connection you made on how Christ had to carry the cross in shame of his "bad" actions and how Christmas shows his shame not with an object but by remaining in his past and letting it still affect him in his older years. It's true, Christ was fully devoted toward religion, while Christmas tried to run from it. Could Christmas have a hatred toward religion due to how abusive his foster preacher father acted toward him?
ReplyDeleteI think that since McEachern claimed to be christian and he forced religion on Christmas, he learned to hate it. I can't really blame him.
DeleteYeah, i see where your coming from and i agree with you. If i were in his situation, i would probably feel the same way.
DeleteThis also occurred with the novel Grapes of Wrath. The character Jim Casy also had the initials of J.C. and it wasn't a coincidence as well. Jim Casy quit preaching because of bad habits. Meaning it was the shame which he carried that brought him to do it. Maybe the authors used these initials to symbolize shame that the characters carry. Like Christmas he carried the cross of shame because of his past and his ethnicity.
ReplyDeleteThat was a great connection between both novels Grapes of Wrath and & Light in August. I do notice the connection between Jim Casy and Joe Christmas. Both men let their past misfortunes haunt them & it was a burden upon their shoulders.
DeleteI agree, just like i didn't make the connection with Joe Christmas, i never thought of Jim Casey either. That was a very good point. Both characters struggle to move on from their past . Like Jim Casey died without conquering his past struggles and how Zion stated in her post that Joe dies at 33, it makes me wonder if Joe was able to conquer his past before he dies?
DeleteLike Lupe, I also made the connection that Jim Casey (J.C) was in the Grapes of Wrath. I'm starting to see a pattern, for lack of better words, between these initials and names in relation to Jesus Christ. All the characters carry some sort of 'cross' as Jesus Christ did.
ReplyDeleteAt first reading the story, my first impression was not having a religion resemblance but points show that a connection can be possible. Zion, to answer your question, maybe Faulkner is trying to show the hypocrite of christian religion.
ReplyDeleteEX:
1. Christians was prosecuted for their religion by the Romans then became the prosecutors during the crusades. (The violence transfer from McEachern to Joe Christmas to his next victim).
2. American slave owners were considered Christians the same Christians that are supposed to be benevolent and helpful to their fellow man. (This setting is placed in the South, were most slaves worked. plus it is around the same time period of the story.
Finally, I believe that Faulkner is trying to show that the holy religion can be corrupted.
I agree, any religion can be corrupted. There's reoccurring concept that I've noticed with religion in the novels we've read in class: People are hypocritical. Also, the idea that the oppressed become the oppressor come into play very often.
DeleteI agree with all of you. I really liked how you compared Jesus Christ to Joe Christmas and their initials because I never really noticed that until now. I think that maybe Faulkner was trying to show the shame that he carried with the struggles with his past, women, and his hatred for religion. However, it may be clear that the author did this on purpose to compare both of these characters because they are so similar.
ReplyDeleteWow, blew my mind, zion. The polarization of the symbolism is great. Usually, symbolism fits the variables like a sleeve like with Jim Casy..but perhaps Christmas' "religious movement" would be his walk to change himself or self realization, not literally Christianity.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you I myself would never has made that connection. The similarities between the two are uncanny. I especially like the point that you mad that Christmas carried a cross for the shame of his past
ReplyDeleteGood parallel; hadn't really thought of it (might have when Christmas died; might not have, either way, good thought). It does make Christmas' purpose in the novel a little more clear, then: he has to die for the sins of Mankind. He's a terrible person, sure, but I doubt the same could be said if he were born in a world with less terrible ideas on race, sex, religion, gender, and so forth. He's a victim of circumstance, to a great extent, and he has to die for the sins of the world in which he was born- the sins of the world that broke him.
ReplyDeleteLike several of my peers, as soon as you mentioned Joe Christmas' initials i was reminded of Jim Casey of the grapes of wrath. (btw i didn't need that spoiler). I wouldn't have been one to juxtapose Jesus and Christmas, but after seeing what you had to say, i could see the similarities the two share. Perhaps Faulkner was trying to show how imperfect Christmas is and how broken he is and to do so he decided to compare him to someone who is viewed as being perfect.
ReplyDeleteWow, great connection you guys. It didn't cross my mind between the similarities of Joe Christmas, Jim Casey, and Jesus Christ. I see how they all had to struggle and carry their shame. I like the idea of how Joe Christmas and Jesus Christ are polar opposites and their view on religion.
ReplyDeleteI love all the connections that were made ! All the J.C haha. This post and all the comments gave me a whole new perspective of Joe !
ReplyDeleteAnother similaritie that Jesus Christ and Joe Christmas share is being ostracized from the community. Jesus christ was crucified because the Romans didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah of the jews. Joe is shunned for being biracial.
ReplyDeleteWow. I've never realized this. Now i see a few more connections like his name has the word christ in it, like McEachern stated when Christmas was first adopted. Its weird how his name is holy but yet he hates anything and everything holy.
ReplyDeleteOMG Zion! Your connection was perfect! I think Faulkner did this to show that two different people can be alike yet so different. Their roles in their communities were huge even though they were opposites. I feel like the similarities are because Faulkner shows us how people do not need to be alike to suffer and go through the same shame.
ReplyDeleteI really like the connections you made Zion. I think it is really interesting that the characteristics of Joe Christmas, and Jesus Christ. Another connection on that topic is how Christmas began using his race to an advantage around the age 30. His thirties was a very important part of his life. When Jesus was in his thirties, that's when he began his impact. They both were introduced to the people who hated them, and the people who didn't during their thirties. They both also share the fact that their fathers were not with them towards the end of their life. Joe's father was killed when Joe was a teen. The last time Jesus' father was mentioned was when Jesus was a tween. In conclusion, nice job Zion.
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