William Faulkner

Introduction

American literature has grown exponentially over the years, thanks to great writers, who were not willing to sacrifice their talent and skill for money, for they wrote even when the tide seems to go against them. One such writer is William Faulkner, considered one of the greatest and influential writers in the country. His work touched generations, as it continued to inspire many to find their niche and create their own territories. William Faulkner was born in September 1897 in New Albany Mississippi, before moving to Oxford, where he grew up. It was in Oxford where he drew inspiration, and discovered his talent. He believed in the present, and stated, “There is no such thing as was-only is. If was existed there would be no grief or sorrow.” These words echoed the life he envisioned, and the direction he wanted to take. His works remain relevant today, and readers consider them some of the greatest pieces they have read, proving his theory of the present.

Early Life and Education

Faulkner was born in a wealthy family, as his family had managed to accumulate substantial wealth. This changed after the American civil war, when the family, like most other families in the south, lost most of its wealth. When Faulkner was born, the family lived in New Albany. Although they had lived in the area for more than one year, they had not yet known many people. Some of the neighbors considered them strange (Blotner 3). Faulkner loved reading from an early age, as his mother had encouraged him to. He read many fictional books from authors such as Shakespeare and Conrad. He was a bright in school, and he even skipped the second grade (Blotner 23). From an early age, William knew that he wanted to emulate his great grandfather who was a writer. His great grandfather had written books such as “The Spanish Heroine”, “The Last Diamond”, and “The White Rose of Memphis”. He had great creative abilities and a huge imagination.

Faulkner was an honor student while in school. However, this changed when he became an adolescent, as the formalities of school no longer interested him. Although he went to school, he did not read much schoolwork. He would draw and write, or read other material that was not related to the class work (Blotner 33). Several years later, Faulkner agreed to go to university, taking the courses he preferred (Blotner 74). The university provided special entrant for war veterans and Faulkner took this opportunity although he had not fought in any war or graduated from high school. He enrolled at the University of Mississippi in 1919, and he took French, Spanish and Shakespeare courses (Blotner 76). He was only interested in learning languages, and did not make an effort to learn anything else. William did not play by the rules while he was in school. He did not take examinations, and he annoyed the faculty and the students. Faulkner did not finish university, for he studied for three semesters only. Despite his short stay, Faulkner made a mark in the institution. He submitted artwork, short stories, and poems to various publications in the school. He was instrumental in founding the university’s drama club.

Personal Life

Falkner quit school the final year he was to graduate. He worked at the bank in Oxford, although he was not satisfied there. He had met his girlfriend Estelle while he was in school. Although he was younger than she was, the two of them got along well. William felt that he could confide in Estelle, for they both loved poetry. He would often write verses and take them to her. She would in turn play the piano for him when he came to visit him. William had to bare seeing Estelle with many suitors. Although the two of them considered themselves engaged, Estelle would see other men. She was beautiful and many boys fancied her. Estelle loved William, but their parents were not ready to see them married. They opposed the idea of marriage because of political and financial reasons. William did not have a proper job, and Estelle’s family felt that the Faulkners were too democratic. Estelle’s parents proposed another suitor for her, although she did not love her. Estelle proposed they elope, but William decided against it. Estelle did not know what to do to stop her engagement. William was saddened by the turn of events and he moved from Oxford. He tried to enroll in a pilot school without any success (Blotner 55). After several years, Estelle got divorced and she got married to Faulkner. By this time, she had two children from her previous marriage. After their marriage, they got a child, who died after a short while. They later got another daughter in 1933

Problems with Alcohol

Faulkner had a problem with alcohol, something that his father also suffered. He did not perceive alcoholism as part of the problem, but he saw it as a way of life. He would engage in drinking binges, especially when he was completing a piece of work. He found many areas to exercise this habit, and he would drink in any occasion. This ranged from social to professional gatherings. He would drink when he went for cocktails, during hunting trips, at the office, and in many other places. Although he passed of his alcoholism with a sense of humor, it often affected his work. He checked in different treatment facilities in areas such New Orleans, New York, and Paris among others (Hamblin and Eek 11). He often got into problems because of his drinking. At one time, he had an accident while flying, and at another time, he fell off a horse. He experienced health problems such as kidney seizures and loss of memory. Moreover, he became violence and mean to those who were around him (Hamblin and Eek 12).

Clever Deceptions

Faulkner had had a desire to serve in the force, but he was not successful because of his physique. He was short for military standards, and his attempts had been unsuccessful. He knew that if he were to realize his dream, then he would have to use deception. Faulkner got the chance to enroll in the royal air force as an English man. He posed as a Canadian, and he learnt pronunciation and usage of English in the Canadian way. He passed off as a young Christian born in England. He also changed his date of birth to 1898 (Blotner 61). Faulkner did not get the chance to fly or participate in actual combat. However, he appreciated the chance he had to join the Canadian air force, and mingle with the people. He was especially proud of the chance he had to learn the British culture, for he had admired it for long. Faulkner returned to Oxford, but the spent more time away from his house. He mingled with friends and he made new ones, as he gathered new experiences.

Work and Life Experiences

Faulkner did many odd jobs in between his writing. He worked at a bookstore, newspaper, and as a postmaster. He was not a hard working person, and he sometimes did his work with negligence. This was especially the case when he was working at the post office. He ended up misplacing and losing mails, as he spent most of his time reading or playing cards. He worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood, and he wrote the scripts of the films To Have and Have Not, and The Big Sleep. He worked with MGM when he arrived in Hollywood. He did not have any experience as a screenwriter, and this often frustrated him. His first successful screen play at MGM was Turn About. He had spent a lot of time at the company, without anything to show for it (Minter 140). Paramount purchased Sanctuary from him, and compensated him with a substantial amount of money, which enabled him to continue writing fiction (Minter 141). The various positions he worked enabled him to have an open mind, and they created content for his work. Faulkner explores different themes in his works. He explores themes such as racism, connection between past and present, and morality. His work Light in August and Absalom, Absalom! Written in 1932 and 1936 respectively, expound on the theme of race and discrimination that existed then.

Faulkner’s first novel was “Soldiers’ Pay”, which was published in 1926.he followed this with other novels such as “Mosquitoes”, “Sanctuary”, “The Sound and the Fury” and “As I Lay Dying”. The novels contained dark material in terms of the violence portrayed. Although critics did not applaud Faulkner’s novel Sanctuary because of the dark content of rape, the novel remained a best seller for several years. He began writing short stories as a way of supplementing his income. His first short story “A Rose for Emily” was published in 1930. He published the short stories in magazines and newspapers such as The Forum, American Mercury, and Saturday Evening Post. He had two collections of poetry, the first, which was “These 13”, and the other, which was “A Green Bough”. He was inspired to write by Sherwood Anderson. Anderson gave him the first teachings as a writer because he told him to write about his experiences and his native land. He told Faulkner to write about the people and the places that he knew. Faulkner had spent most of his life in the south. Faulkner got his inspiration in writing from his home area in Oxford. He created the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, which he used as a base for his novels. The county had a typical southern influence of its time. There were different characters, and Faulkner used them to describe the situation of the southern states at that time.

Faulkner grew up at a time when blacks were the main servants in households. His nanny was black, and so were the other servants he knew. He would listen to them tell stories, and this increased his source of information. The stories of their culture and experiences influenced him, and this would later show in his work. Being a southerner, Faulkner was exposed to the racism that permeated his society. At the same time, he was aware of the faults of the African American slaves. In his work, he portrayed the two faces of the black community during his time (Hamblin and Eek 6-9). He learned from the experiences of others, and he observed many things. This would later help him in getting content for his work. Although many people criticized his work because of the violence, Faulkner illustrated the reality that many people faced during his time.

Some of his works relate to his background. One of the themes in his short story Barn Burning explores the rebellion that a son has towards his father and his family. The son opposed his father openly (Hamblin and Eek 39). His brother on the other hand was supportive, and he remained loyal to his family. William’s life was a rebellious one. He did not finish school, and he was in conflict with his father. Like the son in the story, William was not a man of virtue, and he often relied on deception and his extensive imagination to get what he wanted. William’s brother, Jack, was a hero to his family. He fought in the war, and he completed school. In the short story

A Rose for Emily, Faulkner expounds on the theme of social class. He shows how people in a community can have misplaced and misunderstood expectations about a person, and how these expectations contribute to the person’s unhappiness. In telling this story, Faulkner could have been envisioning his life, and the happiness he could have had with his childhood girlfriend, had it not been for the expectations of their families. The community in A Rose for Emily was not concerned with Emily’s happiness when she showed interest in a man for the first time in years. The people could see that Emily was happy, as she went along with her suitor, but they were only concerned with the fact that the couple had different social backgrounds (Hamblin and Eek 332). Similarly, Estelle and Faulkner’s families were not concerned with the love that the couple shared. They were only concerned with the differences that the couple had.

Role models and Social Support

Faulkner surrounded himself around people who encouraged him. He met Anderson Sherwood in 1925. Sherwood wrote many short stories and novels. At the time of their meeting, Sherwood was at the peak of his career. Faulkner admired his work, and he spent a lot of time with him. Anderson encouraged Faulkner to develop his work on originality. He was a great inspiration and a positive role model in Faulkner’s life. They collaborated in writing Al Jackson, which was a tall tale based on a half-alligator. Anderson helped Faulkner in publishing his first novel by introducing him to a publisher. Although the two would later fall out, Faulkner regarded Anderson as a mentor and a great inspiration.

When Faulkner began writing, many criticized his work for portraying a lot of violence. Faulkner dealt with issues such as rape and murder, topics many authors avoided. He suffered continuous discouragement, as publishers refused to publish his work. He struggled financially, and this increased his problems. However, he did not let this discourage him from pursuing his goals. He continued to write even though he was rejected. He won two Pulitzer prizes and a Nobel Prize in literature in 1949. He also won the National Book Award.

William Faulkner remains one of the greatest American literary artists, with many people considering him the American Shakespeare. He faced many challenges, and he refused to conform to the norm. His decision to deviate from the norm and to adopt an open mind when writing produced some of the greatest literary pieces in the country.

Works Cited:

Bloom, Harold. William Faulkner. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing, 2008. Print

Blotner, L. Joseph. Faulkner: A Biography. Jackson, MS: Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2005. Print

Hamblin, W. Robert and Charles, A. Peek. A William Faulkner Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. Print

Minter, David. William Faulkner: His Life and Work. Baltimore, MD: JHU Press, 1997. Print

Watson, G. James. William Faulkner: Self-Presentation and Performance. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2002. Print