Faulkners Light in August - Point of View :: Light August Essays

Light in August - Point of View most(prenominal) of Light in Augusts story is told by a third-person narrator. In some third-person novels the narrator is omniscient (all-knowing) and objective. In others he takes the point of view of the central character. In Light in August the narrator is often objective, as, for example, when reporting dialogue. But what is unusual about this novel is the way in which the narrators point of view shifts frequently from one character to another. And even when reporting from the point of view of one character alone, the narrator sometimes stays on the surface of that characters speech and thoughts, temporary hookup at other times he has access to memories so deep the character himself may not be consciously aware of them. The difference in the midst of this shifting point of view and the point of view of an omniscient narrator is important. For example, you first hear of Joe Christmas from Byrons point of view. Byron seems a symp athetic character, so you tend to necessitate what he says. Later you see Joe Christmas from his own point of view but without access to his deepest thoughts and feelings. When (in Chapter 6) the narrator finally dives into Joes buried memories, you get a completely several(predicate) picture of him. But in Chapter 19 you see his final escape and murder from the point of view of Percy Grimm. One of Faulkners purposes in this approach is to contrast unexclusive images with private realities. The Joe Christmas that the town of Jefferson knows is different from the Joe Christmas seen from within, and Faulkners shifting point of view keeps you aware of that and other such contrasts. Occasionally one of Light in Augusts characters tells his story in the first person, for example, the furniture dealer in Chapter 21.