Identity Crisis

One constantly reappearing theme in the life of Joe Christmas in Light in August is the element of race. He appears mostly white, but is still part black, and this plays a major role not only in how people react to him, but also in how he reacts to others. This is where I was most intrigued. He clearly is not really sure how to treat his racial predicament. On page 225, Faulkner demonstrates one such moment of uncertainty and change in mentality, saying that "sometimes he would remember how he had once tricked or teased white men into calling him a negro in order to fight them, to beat them or be beaten; now he fought the negro who called him white." This fascinated me because it showed such a major shift in how he identifies himself, yet it is not a full or permanent shift. Throughout the rest of the book, he still seems to struggle with whether he feels he belongs in a black or white community. Considering how serious race was as an issue in that era, being uncertain of one's race seems not only difficult, but also both unusual and socially problematic.

Comments

[Jiayi. Y]

The reason why Faulkner made Joe Christmas biracial may be that he wanted to expose the concept of race as something that's changable by perspective and not rigid and permanent. Black people think Christmas is white and white people know he is part black. Faulkner seems to be laughing at how absurd it is that people judge others by their race. He shows that in fact anyone can be anyone. The community - by upholding the value of race or even the value of conformity, making it important and making a big deal out of it- is killing itself. It is not utilizing the productive power of some members of society. For example, just because Hightower is mysterious and does not follow the typical or ideal image of a husband, a preacher and a man, he is ostracized from the town, even though he has the capacity to tell them something significant and noble, and he can teach art. The town instead of making full use of what Hightower has to offer shuts him out completely. The similar concept applies to Miss Burden who is avoided and is never been visited just because she supports racial equality and is from the North. Faulkner using characters in isolation caused by race, ideas, or noncomformity is trying to say that we shouldn't feel so threatened by difference and diversity. If the society is able to accept diversity and difference, not only will it not give people who are different from the majority a hard time, but it will also benefit from what those people are capable of doing.

[Liz Reyes]

This is an excellent point. Among all the things that Christmas stuggles with, one of the most noted is his uncertainty concerning his race. The quote is an excellent example because it expresses how Christmas is between worlds and is now being pushed to a side of a binary that is not favored. I feel also with Faulkner, he uses Christmas as the utmost exmaple of all the binaries he sets up affecting one person.Christmas wishes that he could in fact be white, but is now even being fought by blacks, people he already opposes. I think it also expresses the conflict that he has no control over. It is not so much a personal thing as a societal label. He is what society wants him to be.

[diego rodriguez]

I definitely think you guys really get at the element of race. Joe's conflict with identifying with one race versus another represent a challenge that many people face even today. But think that most important factor of his violent sentiments is the pressure of society around him, as liz said. Here in oak park, there is a very liberal society, which accepts people of all diffrent races and ethnicities. But in Joe's society, there is a fine line between while and black, which leaves joe with a lot of anxiety and little help.

[Margo t]

I definitely agree, those were my thoughts throughout the 14 chapters we've read so far. You've made a great point and he also seems to not be bothered by the fact that he isn't noticed by the white community when walking through the white community. To me, race is a huge theme in the book but except for certain circumstances, it doesn't seem too important to people other than the director of the orphanage and the dietician.