“Faulkner and Racial Prejudice”

            Racism is a horrible thing, in my opinion, but it is a part of our modern lives.  When someone is accused of being racist in our world today, they often lose much of their popularity.  Usually, famous people such as actors and authors are looked down upon severely for being racist.  This is an unheard of thing, people with so much to lose speaking badly of people of other races.  But when you take a good look at the author named William Faulkner, it is hard to decipher is true feelings when it comes to race.

            I’ve only read two of Faulkner’s pieces and I have my own personal views on whether or not he is racist.  In the story called “That Evening Sun,” he uses the N-word.  This doesn’t necessarily mean is racist because in order to write a spectacular story, you must get into your characters’ heads, speak their dialect, and make sure you understand their every movement.  If you can’t understand your own characters, how is anyone else supposed to? Because Faulkner is from the south, this immediately implies that he is racist because of the way he talks in his stories.  I believe that it is possible that he was racist and maybe he did go a little overboard on the dialogue in “That Evening Sun,” but as an author, he is supposed to surprise people, make them think.  And he writes very well, even if it is a little unorthodox.  In “A Rose for Emily,” I saw basically no racial remarks.  I understand that he constantly refers to Emily’s servant as a Negro, but there is no sign of disrespect or hate when he refers to this man.  Also, he uses the N-word in this piece once, but I believe that it is only to relay the character’s attitude and way of thinking.  There is a thin line between being racist and simply making your characters realistic and I believe that Faulkner definitely balances on it.