Light in August by William

¶ … Light in August by William Faulkner. Specifically it will support the statement that "the novel is an allegory of the human condition, an illustration through Joe, Lena, and Hightower of the ways by which a man may affirm his existence: he may choose revolt and solitude, both sterile and deadly, yet consonant with human dignity, or he may choose acceptance, responsibility, and solidarity." This novel certainly affirms and symbolizes the human condition because it sharply illustrates humankind in all its reality, pain, love, and above all, dignity.

There is a certain dignity about all these characters, despite lack of education, violence, and hatred. Joe Christmas is perhaps the most tragic character in the novel. There is dignity in Christmas when he first comes to work in the mill. Faulkner writes, His shoes were dusty and his trousers were soiled too. But they were of decent serge, sharply creased, and his shirt was soiled but it was a white shirt.. (Faulkner 31).

He is violent, but even in his solitary existence; there is a dignity about him that belies his violent nature, his distrust of women, and his turning away from the religion of his past. Christmas chooses to affirm his existence through revolt and solitude, and his reaction to the human condition is to turn his back on others. He represents the American Black, and what hatred, prejudice, and living in two worlds - black and white - has done to the African-Americans in this country.

This is part of their human condition, and Joe represents it all. Lena Grove is the direct opposite of Joe Christmas, and in fact, they never meet in this novel. Lena, although morally a "sinner" because she is pregnant and unmarried, is good and decent, and she brings out the good in the people around her. Faulkner introduces her, "From beneath a sunbonnet of faded blue, weathered now by other than formal soap and water, she looks up at him quietly and pleasantly: young, pleasantfaced, candid, friendly, and alert" (Faulkner 11).

She is good, and in contrast, Joe surrounds himself with bad and self-destruction. Lena shows the opposite side of humankind, the good and decent kind that can cause people to change their minds and their lives. Hightower on the other hand, represents all that is wrong with the human condition and its reliance on religion. A pious man, he is still a violent and confused man who lives in isolation because of his scandalous past. He too has chosen revolt and solitude, rather than responsibility.

However, he takes responsibility for his wife's death near the end of the book, and leaves the reader feeling that he is redeemed, and will die at peace with himself, and with his God. Hightower illustrates there is hope for just about everyone, while Christmas, who never really seems to recant his life, shows that in some, a life of violence and revolt is the only thing they know or understand.

Joe is a victim and can not rise above this status, while Hightower has been a victim but recants in the end. Faulkner writes of Hightower's thoughts, "And I know that for fifty years I have not even been clay: I have.