Books that describe violence and trauma, as well as their consequences, can be challenging to read. One book that deals with violent action is Light in August by William Faulkner. Faulkner is a bit of an acquired taste – some people love his work and others really do not. I enjoyed this book and would read more by this author, though would not call him a favorite. Native Son by Richard Wright is an incredible book that combines the broad issues of racial discrimination in the 1930s when a young man commits a crime and is faced with life-altering consequences. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a bit different – it deals with the aftermath of sexual abuse, addiction, and ongoing mental health challenges. This is the second Fitzgerald book I have read (after The Great Gatsby) and enjoyed. As with Faulkner, I’m not sure Fitzgerald is a favorite of mine but worth more reads.
Light in August by William Faulkner. Although it is a very readable book in many ways, it is challenging in its rawness and its depiction of hatred and violence. While the book has both character-driven components and plot-drive components, it is more of a character study to me. The writing in the book is lovely. Some passages ramble a bit and require more careful reading but other passages are wonderfully descriptive of people and places and scenarios. I probably would not visit those people, places and scenarios in person, but I welcomed the opportunity to experience them and to feel as though I was there. The book focuses primarily on how two people, Lena Groves and Joe Christmas, affected the people of a small Southern town in the early 20th century and, consequently, describes the social mores of the day.
Lena Groves is a young pregnant woman who comes into town to find the man who is the father of her child. He left her with vague promises of sending for her once he got settled. Lena is calm and undaunted – she looks to find the man she loves and is willing to walk across states to do so. The responses she generates are interesting. Men tend to find her sympathetic and most try to help her. Women tend to be more suspicious of her and her intentions, given her situation. Her story provides the hopeful components of book, as does her interaction with Byron Bunch, a man who is fairly isolated from society but becomes protective of Lena.
Joe Christmas, who is a complex character of biracial heritage, comes to town for work and ends up committing a violent crime. On one hand, he has been ill-treated for his whole life. On the other hand, he has an explosive temper, particularly toward women but also to anyone who “threatens” him or evokes certain memories. Religion and prayer are triggers for his anger, largely stemming from a difficult and violent relationship with his foster father. His light skin allows him to present as white, though he generates curiosity among people in the town and at the factory where he initially worked. Once his mixed-race heritage is known, curiosity turns to disdain and anger. The impact of racial prejudice is apparent on every page.
Reverend Hightower and Byron Bunch live in the town but are separate from it. Reverend Hightower is an interesting character. As his life story is told throughout the book, his strange and sad life is a mixture of compulsion and a strict adherence to his religious beliefs. His often-conflicted judgments challenge his ability to sustain relationships and vice versa. Byron Bunch is a mill worker who avoids engaging in life until Lena arrives, when he seeks to take on the risk of being open to another person.
These four characters, along with others in the town, find themselves entangled in new and unexpected ways. Their stories provide an interesting snapshot of life in the small Southern town.
Native Son by Richard Wright. The story of Bigger Thomas, his family, and the other characters was engaging and provocative. I would like to have heard more about the context of the 1930s and race relations at the time. There was some description of segregation and the distinctions between North and South, but I would have appreciated hearing a bit more of the history and a more detailed explanation of what life was like for these characters. The discussion of the differences between poor whites and poor Blacks living in the city and about labor unions and the Communist Party were very interesting. On the other hand, part of what makes this book so relevant today is the fact that it doesn’t have elements that more closely define the specific time and place in which it was written.
Bigger was 20 years old, lived with his large family in a cramped space, and had a temper that was difficult to keep in check. His mother was very stress and overworked trying to put put food on the table. Bigger’s lack of patience and quick temper made their crowded living conditions even more challenging. The fact that he wasn’t initially willingly taking the responsibility to get a job to help the family make ends meet was a source of tension and a flaw in his personality. As with many adolescents, he was focused on himself. Bigger’s friends in the neighborhood seemed calmer than he (and perhaps a bit older), which made them seem more mature but they still looked to commit robberies or other crimes together. Once this approach did not work out, Bigger was forced to take a job as a chauffer for the Dalton family.
Mr and Mrs Dalton are a wealthy white couple who were incredibly patronizing in their interactions with Bigger. They felt that they were offering a great opportunity, and to some extent they were, but they were also judgmental and defined success in other people’s lives in their own terms. They did not seem to realize how their actions impacted on other people, particularly people who were in a more precarious situation, like Bigger. The one that I had the most difficulty with was Mary Dalton (the daughter). She just seems to get on my nerves, as she didn’t realize – or more to the point, didn’t care – how critical it was for Bigger to make a good impression in his job. She reminded be of Tom and Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – careless people. I could understand why Bigger was so put off by and distrustful of her. She had an agenda that he didn’t understand, as did her boyfriend Jan.
Part of what makes the story both interesting and frustrating to me is that there is such an extreme quality in Bigger’s actions and reactions. They made sense in the context of the story, but when you stop and think about them some of the actions seemed perhaps a bit off. Some were extreme reactions, while his behaviors when he was in jail and realized that he will not get out of this mess were muted and subdued. But perhaps this reflects my relative safety in society and difficulty in understanding the level of fear experienced by a young Black man who commited a terrible, though unintended, crime. This book was a terrific read and raised profound questions. I would have enjoyed more background on and discussion of these important questions about racism and how it informed Bigger’s actions and decisions.
Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a bit different than the other two books in that the violence is past sexual abuse experienced by one of the characters. The story is non-linear, which is fine, but more than that it was disjointed. In addition to the impact of sexual abuse, the story explored the methods and ethics of mental health treatment, the rise and fall of a marriage, the class and cultural issues of interaction between people, and the decline of a man from world-class charmer to alcoholic small-town doctor. Although the book starts with one perspective, it shifts in Book 2 – from young actress Rosemary to middle-age psychiatrist Dick Diver and his history with Nicole. The shift brings welcome depth and insight, as Book 1 seemed a bit anemic to me.
Rosemary was the newcomer to a group of wealthy people partying in Italy and France, but as she entered the group, she (well, really the author) could have done a better job in bringing the reader along. It was a loosely affiliated group with its own complex structure that was not the easiest to engage as a newcomer. Dick and Nicole were part of the group, but both experience complicated mental health issues – Nicole’s sexual abuse and schizophrenia and Dick’s addiction. Their opposing trends were fascinating. Nicole started out vulnerable, weak and unstable, and she found her voice and confidence. Dick was the ultimate in suave, charming and sophisticated, until he hit the bottle and nosedived to become an angry and pathetic man.
Dick and Nicole could not get together on timing! Along with this, the power balance shifted – from Dick as husband/psychiatrist who ran the show to newly healthy and wealthy Nicole who supported the family’s changing lifestyle. Of course, Rosemary was initially attracted to Dick and they have an affair. The story had many engaging elements, but didn’t come together enough for my taste. There was a disjointed quality about the events described, which often seemed to be included to reinforce points already effectively made in beautifully written descriptive passages.
