34 pages • 1 hour read
William FaulknerA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“Through the bloody and September twilight, aftermath of sixty-two rainless days, it had gone like a fire in dry grass: the rumor, the story, whatever it was.”
The speed at which the rumor spreads that a Black man has raped Miss Minnie Cooper is juxtaposed against the speed at which fire ignites dry grass. The bloody September twilight also foreshadows the murder of Will Mayes at the hands of the angry, misled mob.
“‘It’s this durn weather,’ another said. ‘It’s enough to make a man do anything. Even to her.’”
Unbearable heat can make men do things they wouldn’t otherwise do, including raping a woman, any woman, or killing an innocent man. As the mob’s fury escalates, the outside temperature is juxtaposed against irrational decisions made in the heat of the moment.
“Find out the facts first, boys. I know Willy Mayes. It wasn’t him. Let’s get the sheriff and do this thing right.”
Henry Hawkshaw is a man of law, order, truth, and justice. As John McLendon works the group of men into a frenzied mob ready to hunt Will Mayes down, Hawkshaw attempts to appeal to their sense of fairness by calling the sheriff. However, he is repeatedly rebuked.
By William Faulkner
Absalom, Absalom
William Faulkner
A Fable
William Faulkner
A Rose for Emily
William Faulkner
As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner
Barn Burning
William Faulkner
Go Down, Moses
William Faulkner
Intruder In The Dust
William Faulkner
Light in August
William Faulkner
Sanctuary
William Faulkner
Spotted Horses
William Faulkner
That Evening Sun
William Faulkner
The Bear
William Faulkner
The Hamlet
William Faulkner
The Reivers
William Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner
The Unvanquished
William Faulkner