The South Syndrome in William Faulkner's Absolam, Absolam!.

Abstract

  The aim of this abstract is to show the image of South in Absalom, Absalom! which is surely very important aspect of Faulkner’s fiction. It shows that how William Faulkner represents the life of modern man in both conscious and subconscious way. The paper also deals with the impact of Southern Protestantism on general life of man which is best depicted in the behaviour of Mr. Coldfield. The other aspect of South on which the novel concentrates is the racial conflict i.e, Negro-white tension. The other important aspect of this paper is to discuss the presentness of the past and the pastness of the present which means its timeless moral significance. This abstract also unfolds the psychological aspect by using the stream-of-consciousness technique which is a very important and recurring in twentieth century novel.

                        In Absalom, Absalom! Faulkner also represents the image of modern society as a wasteland. The other important aspect of the southern society which this paper aims to depict is the impact of mechanized and industrialized society that forces man to cultivate false values. It also marks that how modern man lost his natural “feelings”, response to life; his religious an empty formalism; he is uncapable of love. It exposes the numberous threats to individualism, pused by the modern society, by moral rigidity by taboos and traditions.