SparkNotes: Free Study Guides No Fear Shakespeare: The Bard made easy SparkCharts: Just the facts TestPrep: SAT, ACT, and more 101s: College texts condensed Subject Finder: Browse by subject SparkCollege: Get in! SparkLife: 100% study-free home_bottom home_top BN_link
 
◄ PREVIOUS
Key Facts
NEXT ►
Quiz
 

Light in August

 William Faulkner
 

Study Questions and Essay Topics

 

Study Questions

 
1. What rhetorical devices does Faulkner employ—dialogue/monologue, slang/dialect, diction, syntax, typography—in creating his fictional world? What is the thematic significance of appropriating these devices in the way he has?
 
 
2. How is religion portrayed in the novel, particularly as exemplified by the McEachern and Hines families? How does Reverend Hightower's presence enrich or complicate the novel's exploration of the subject?
 
 
3. What is the significance of the novel's title?
 
 
 

Suggested Essay Topics

 
1. How does Faulkner tell his tale? In a linear fashion? What techniques and structural elements does he employ in unfolding and developing his plot, and why?
 
2. In what ways is Joe Christmas a Christlike figure? In what ways do his story and actions differ from the details associated with the life of Jesus?
 
3. Racism is a motivating factor behind several characters' actions in the novel. Is racial politics a major thematic element of the novel, or does Faulkner use it only as a realistic detail, an essential part of the social fabric of the time and setting in which the novel takes place? What are the ramifications of Joe Christmas's biracial background?
 
4. One of the novel's major preoccupations is the relationship between the individual and society at large. In what ways does Faulkner explore this theme and why? What conclusions does he reach?
 
5. What is Joe's relationship like with his foster parents and how does it potentially influence the adult he becomes?
 
 
Help | Feedback | Make a request | Report an error | Send to a friend

◄ PREVIOUS
Key Facts
NEXT ►
Quiz
 
 
 
 
 
 
Message Boards
Ask a question or start a discussion on the community boards.
  • Light in August
  •  
     
     
     
    Printable PDF
    Download a printable version of this SparkNote.
     
     
     
    SparkCharts
    A textbook's worth of information on an easy-to-read chart.
  • Literary Terms
  •  
     
     
    Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | About | Sitemap
    ©2008 SparkNotes LLC, All Rights Reserved.