9 Light in August, Ch 17-18

1. Querulous: 1 : habitually complaining
2 : fretful, whining
-Merriam-Webster Online.

Page 404: "But he notices that his thinking sounds querulous, like the peaceful whining of a querulous woman who is not even listening to herself; then he finds that he is preparing his usual hearty breakfast, and he stops quite still, clicking his tongue as though in displeasure."


2. Byron goes to fetch Hightower and a doctor as Lena goes in to labor. However, the doctor takes too long, and by the time he arrives with Byron, Hightower has already delivered the baby. Mrs. Hines is delusional and believes Lena to be Milly and the baby to be Joe. Byron goes to find Joe Brown and bring him to Lena and Mr. Hines sneaks out while Mrs. Hines is asleep. When Mrs. Hines awakes she follows after him, leaving Lena and the child alone. Hightower comes back and Lena explains that Mrs. Hines now seems to think the baby is Joe Christmas's. She also expresses excitement over seeing Byron, whom Hightower learns has just quit his job at the planing mill. Byron, meanwhile, arranges for Joe Brown to be brought to the cabin where Lena and her newborn are staying. He then packs his belongings and leaves on a mule. Once on the road out of town, Byron sees Brown sneak out of the cabin and run away, and immediately turns around in pursuit. The story then jumps to Brown's point of view. He is shown entering the cabin and seeing Lena. Clearly shocked and confused, Brown searches for an excuse to leave, eventually climbing out a window. He sends a note to the sheriff asking for his reward money, but Byron gets to him first. Brown beats up Byron and gets on a train out of town. At the very end of the section it is revealed that Christmas has been killed.


3. I think females are portrayed interestingly throughout the novel, accumulating in this section. There seem to be a few preeminent types of females: those who are strong yet fallen and those who are docile and incompetent in their attempts to nurture those around them. Lena Grove, Reverend Hightower's wife, Bobbie, and Milly are all examples of the disgraced, independent class. Lena has become pregnant out of wedlock, clearly defining her lack of chastity. Reverend Hightower's wife is publically known to be having an affair before her suicide, which encompasses two discrepancies to traditional Southern society. Obviously her adulterous ways would have been frowned upon, but she also would have been deprecated due to her self-immolation. Bobbie, who earns her living as a prostitute, would have been seen as abonimable by the community surrounding her. Similarly to Lena, Milly became pregnant out of wedlock, but in this case with a black man. This would have been an outrage not only because of the lack of matrimony, but also because of the racial significance. To contrast these immoral characters, Faulkner included characters such as Mrs. McEachern and Mrs. Hines. Both women strive continuously to make Joe feel adored and welcome, yet each falls terribly short. Because of their domineering husbands and their submissive behavior, the women are bullied and abused frequently. The cruelty of the men does not stop with the women, however; the obedient nature of the women allows their spouses to torment those around them, often resulting in absolute chaos and harm to others. Both are treated as if they do not matter; their opinions are disregarded entirely and it's almost as if they don't have voices. On page 148, Mrs. McEachern is completely ignored by her husband and Joe Christmas. "She was watching the door when they passed it. "Pa," she said. Neither of them so much as looked at her. They might not have heard, she might not have spoken, at all." The only woman who does not fit entirely into one of these categories is Joanna Burden, who exhibits some qualities of each classification.


4. My first question is whether Faulkner truly believed that all women fit into the two categories mentioned in my analysis. Are all females in his other books like this? Or is this theme only eminent in this particular novel?

My second question is regarding the death of Joe Christmas. Was Mr. Hines finally appeased? Was Christmas lynched, or did he die another way? If the latter is true, who killed him?

My final question is regarding Byron Bunch. What will he do? He seems to be planning to leave Lena and Jefferson, but will he follow through or will he return to the woman he seems so attached to?