After finishing the novel, I'm still a little confused as to the meaning of the title, Light in August. We started brainstorming possible ideas in class last week, but I'm not sure we ever actually came to a consensus, and I'm curious what everyone thinks. Here is one possible idea:
Faulkner illustrates the light in August as "that fading copper light would seem almost audible, like a dying yellow fall of trumpets dying into an interval of silence and waiting.” It often appears at dusk, when the daylight begins to shadow into the blackness of night.
I think that the August light refers to an opportunity for reality and self-exposure--a chance for the characters to finally define themselves apart from societal expectations. Hightower and Miss Burder hide themselves in the shadow world of their homes, waiting for the time when summer light appears beyond their windows. When Joe Christmas is on the run, wandering through the woods, he too notes the grayness of light that comes at dusk, and he begins to gain a deeper, truer sense of identity. Each of these individuals is so close to defying the controlling forces of stereotypes, and I believe this is something they battle with throughout their lives.
The darkness, on the other hand, represents the places where societal expectations become self-fulfilling prophesies. Ms. Burden's relationship with Christmas occurs only in the darkness of night, because the two characters are playing out their gender and racial roles. Perhaps the absence of light signifies a confusion about identity, or simply a false sense of identity.
The light in August can only occur in nature, removed the blackness of society and all of its prejudices. As the characters look toward light, they look toward hope of one day being able to be who they really are.
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