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?
