Unveiling Racial Prejudice: Analyzing Faulkner's 'That Evening Sun' - Paper Example

The short story “That Evening Sun” by William Faulkner primarily focuses on race relationships in the South and displays the indifferences of the Compson family concerning the life of their servant. The story is primarily about racism where Compson's children explore the “coming of age” theme. The children and learning to practice racism with Nancy who is an African American, a laundress, and an occasional cook is the victim of accustomed racial categorizing. The story revolves around a boy narrating about an African-American girl, Nancy. Violence and racial prejudice and the main themes evident from the story in the South.

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The theme of race prejudice, which is the main social issue in the South is seen through Nancy, who is the main character in the story. The Jim Crow era depicts a time in the South when the whites oppressed the African-Americans through the system of laws. Mr Stovall is portraying both the economic system and the religious institutions in the South. He declines to pay Nancy her dues for doing his laundry work. He shows violence by knocking Nancy severally on the face resulting in her losing her teeth when she decided to confront Mr Stovall. Puzzlingly, he was not punished, Nancy was instead imprisoned, however, it was not evident what she was charged with showing the intentional thoughtlessness in the South of the injustices done in the society. Subsequently, the statement of the sheriff on page 322 that shows African Americans cannot try to commit suicide unless they have used drugs such as cocaine. “That Evening Sun” first appeared in 1931, a time when African Americans were the minority in the South and were facing racism and oppression from the whites. The story presents the weight of history and portrays how historical pressure interacts with the darker drives of violence, selfishness, and racial prejudice.

That Evening Sun highlights how the effects of slavery remained for a significant time after its abolition, Faulkner further points out that racial discrimination is detrimental to the society, inclusive of the whites whose satisfaction assists in upholding the existence of the discriminating world. The Compson family resides in a very different part of the town compared to where Nancy and other African Americans live. The houses where African Americans live have been described as cabins, contrary to the White where houses have many bedrooms and libraries. This links African Americans with poverty and living standards.

Based on the racial divides depicted in “That Evening Sun”, both African Americans and whites develop a sense of importance in society, considering the various racial divides present. The African American characters in the story know they are less valued in the community and have less authority compared to the whites around them. Nancy assumed her prejudice and accepted that she could not do anything in her situation to protect herself.

Through the story, Faulkner uses Nancy and Compson to show hypocrisy in how the white characters such as Mr Compson uphold racism and later blame the African Americans for positioning themselves in a desperate scenario that brings about racism. Mr Compson tells Nancy to leave white men alone, accusing her of the difficulties she is going through.

References

Faulkner, W., & Edel, L. (1995). That Evening Sun." 1931. Collected Stories, 289-309.