Analyzing Historical Themes in William Faulkner’s Short Stories
Often in literature, various stories can be linked by a connecting idea. Stories that fit this statement are William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” “A Courtship,” “All the Dead Pilots,” and “That Evening Sun.” These short stories all show Faulkner’s strengths as a short stories author, incorporating literary elements and plot to portray historical themes. Faulkner’s short stories expose his deep thought and writing skills that reveal human behavior in different cultures.
In order to analyze literary works, it is often necessary to discover the author’s source of inspiration. In this case, William Faulkner often drew inspiration from his life experiences and the time period he knew so well. On September 25 1897, William Cuthbert Falkner was born into his Oxford home in Mississippi (Harmon 96). Murry and Miss Maud, William’s parents, were viewed by Falkner as complete opposites; with Murry Falkner a man with a temper, due to his dependency on alcohol. Falkner’s mother, known as Miss Maud, was more supportive toward William, often participating in artistic hobbies (Harmon 96). William Falkner encountered two other prominent figures in his life, in addition to his parents; Mammy Callie and the Old Colonel. Mammy Callie was Falkner’s childhood nurse, born into slavery in 1840 (Harmon 96). Falkner’s Great Grandfather, known as the Old Colonel, was a Civil War hero and inspired some of Falkner’s short stories dealing with war. Falkner developed into a smart child, skipping second grade (Harmon 96). However, by the time he was in eleventh grade, he had failed once already and decided to quit school (Harmon 96). Falkner later met Estelle Oldham, who would prove to be his first love. Oldham suggested eloping with Falkner, but he had other plans for the war. Falkner enlisted to fight during WWI, but was rejected because he was too short (Harmon 96). In desperation, he forged papers to join the British Royal...