William Faulkner: Dry September
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For this essay I have chosen to analyze William Faulkners short story Dry September. Released in 1931, this short story is divided into 5 sections. It takes place in the south, most likely in Jefferson, Mississippi (a fictional location invented by Faulkner, which he uses for many of his stories), and involves themes such as rape, violence, racism and hate crimes.
The story is told by a third-person narrator, who seems to report without bias. It is clear, though, that he intentionally leaves out certain details and facts; whether or not the rumor about Miss Cooper and Willy Mayes is true and whether or not McLendon and the group of men kill Will after Hawk has fled the car.
The reason for keeping the reader in the dark about these details, might be that the writer wants us to come to our own conclusions; to make us think for ourselves. In effect, we are kept in the same situation as the people of the town; not knowing what to believe and what is fact. The author might have thought of this as an appeal to the readers not to react like the townspeople, but to think rationally before passing our judgment.
The narrative style is very direct. It seems that the text has been stripped-down, and no unnecessary words are included. The author wishes to leaves as much as possible unspoken, and leave it up to the reader to fill in the blanks. The voice of the narrator is calm and cool, even when the scene is chaotic;
“The barber sat forward. The narrow tunnel of the road rushed up and past. Their motion was like an extinct furnace blast: cooler, but utterly dead. The car bounded from rut to rut.
Mr Henry, the Negro said.”
Another thing worth noticing is that the relationship between Hawk and Willy Mayes is never explained. When they are in the car, Willys words “Mr Henry” sounds like a plea for help. It seems that he thinks Hawkshaw has the power to save him, but the barber, who had advocated so strongly for Willys innocence, is powerless, impotent, against the violent and hateful ex-soldiers in the car.
The repeated use of the words Nigger and Niggerlover, helps to fuel the readers anger; the men seem irrational and full of a dark hatred, which turns us against them.
The most important characters of the story are Hawkshaw, Minnie Cooper, John McLendon and Willy Mayes, but having limited space I have chosen to focus on just the two mentioned first.
Henry Hawkshaw, or Hawk as he is called, seems to be a voice of reason between the angered men of the town looking to kill Willy. He repeatedly pleads to their rationality hoping to make them reconsider what they set out to do. We are made aware of the fact that he knows about both Willy Mayes and Minnie Cooper, and that he trusts Willy more than Minnie. “I know Will Mayes. Hes a good nigger. And I know Miss Minnie Cooper, too.” The only direct description of him is on the first page; “He was a man of middle age; a thin, sand-colored man with a mild face”
Although Hawk tries to reason with the men and gets into the car with them, in an attempt to save Willy, his rhetoric is useless against the mens violence and hatred. Eventually, he jumps out of the car, leaving Willy to his fate. This might make him seem like a coward,