William Faulkner’s novel "Absalom, Absalom!" was first published in 1936 and deals with the problems of the family Sutpen before, during and after the American Civil War. Thus, slavery plays an important role in this novel because the Sutpens own a huge plantation in Virginia and hence have slaves to do the work. The attitude towards slavery within the novel is very bad. The people do not like slaves or coloured people in general and this becomes obvious through several narrators.
The Civil War and especially slavery is an important theme in American history. The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865 and around 1.1 million people lost their lives in it. The war took place because of the prohibition of slavery in the north of America although it was still allowed in the south where slaves were used for the work on plantations or in the household.
Therefore, the prohibition of slavery was a huge contentious issue. Abraham Lincoln was the president of the Union army and thus from the North and Jefferson Davis was the president from the Confederate army from the South. South Carolina was the first state that announced its separation from the United States of America and six other southern states joined them. The bloodiest battle was in Gattysburg in July 1863 where around 51 000 soldiers were killed. This battle was at the same time the turning point in the Civil War because the Union won. After the war it was decided that everyone has a right to vote not depending on colour, religion or any other circumstances what was then the reason why the Ku-Klux-Klan was formed on Christmas Eve 1865.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- The Civil War and the Theme of Slavery in American History
- The Novel Absalom, Absalom!
- Slavery in Absalom, Absalom!
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This work explores the theme of slavery in the American South during the Civil War era, with a particular focus on William Faulkner's novel Absalom, Absalom!. It examines the perspectives and attitudes towards slavery prevalent in the novel, analyzing how characters like Rosa Coldfield and Charles Bon view and interact with enslaved people.
- The portrayal of slavery in American literature
- The role of racial prejudice in the antebellum South
- The dehumanization of slaves and their representation in Faulkner's novel
- The impact of slavery on individual characters and their relationships
- The broader societal implications of slavery in the United States
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- The Introduction provides a historical context for the study, highlighting the significance of the Civil War and slavery in American history. It establishes the time period and the main issues that will be explored.
- The second chapter focuses on William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!, summarizing the novel's setting, characters, and the general theme of slavery as it relates to the Sutpen family.
- The third chapter delves into the novel's portrayal of slavery, analyzing Rosa Coldfield's perspective on slaves and her language used to describe them. It explores the dehumanizing treatment of slaves and the inherent racism of the time.
- The fourth chapter further explores the novel's depiction of slavery, examining the interactions between Thomas Sutpen and his slaves and the power dynamics involved. It analyzes how slavery is depicted as a system of control and exploitation.
- The fifth chapter explores the character of Charles Bon and his relationship with his biracial wife and son. It analyzes the social implications of interracial marriage in the South and the pervasive racism that permeates the novel.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main keywords and focus topics of this text are: slavery, American Civil War, William Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom!, racism, dehumanization, racial prejudice, antebellum South, interracial marriage, social implications, power dynamics, and the representation of slaves in literature.
- Citar trabajo
- Laura Commer (Autor), 2015, The depiction of slavery in William Faulkner's novel "Absalom, Absalom!", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/338479
