"Intruder in the Dust"

Paper Summary:

William Faulkner's attitude on race relations at the outset of the Civil Rights Movement in the American South is best expressed in one of his lesser works, "Intruder in the Dust". The paper shows how Faulkner subtly expresses his views through the different characters of the novel, such as Lucas Beauchamp and Vinson Gowrie. The paper also draws parallels between the novel and Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird". The paper concludes that Faulkner played a key role in introducing themes of southern race warfare in a context that is at the same time sympathetic to southern culture. The paper also argues that Faulkner's work is so attractive to modern critics because it allows people to see the south through its own vernacular.

From the Paper:

"However, whereas Harper Lee portrayed a historical event, Faulkner portrayed one that was contemporary, for which he earned harsh criticism from the Southern establishment; Faulkner wrote his book at the beginning of the struggle for Civil Rights and Harper Lee wrote about it after it had been recognized and treated as a social problem by the federal government. At the time of Intruder in the Dust's publication, the "Dixiecrat" party of Strom Thurmond sought to preserve traditional southern racism from the egalitarian policies of the Democratic Party under the helm of President Truman. What had been the "Solid South" was in a state of disarray as the whole of the south voted in a third party candidate in protest. According to Joel Williamson's William Faulkner and Southern History, Faulkner found himself under fire from both sides of the race relations debate."

More papers on "Intruder in the Dust":

• Analytical Essay # 72875 : "Norma Fields' "In the Realm of a Dying Emperor"
• Term Paper # 121359 : "Authors of "Smartest Guys in the Room"
• Comparison Essay # 17269 : "Faulkner's Abstract and Metaphysical Themes"

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