Rev. Shegog's sermon is vital to the last part of the novel. The stark difference between his small, meek appearance and his thunderous, oratorical genius are quite obvious. But it is the message of his sermon that intrigues me.
Faulkner focuses a significant part of the smallest fourth "chapter" on Shegog's sermon regarding the Blood of the Lamb. "Ricklickshun" of the Blood of the Lamb is to remember Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. In old times lambs were often sacraficed to God, but for the sins of all humanity a man was sacrificed. Jesus's sacrifice for all mankind is "de Blood of de Lamb" that Shegog refers to.
By recalling the blood spilt by Jesus, (or "de Lamb") Sehgog says that one is able to repent their sins and start anew.
Life and death. The cyclical process of human nature. Those that are down will eventually turn up again. All three realte to when Jesus rose from the dead. These are the themes of Shegog's sermon.
And also those of the Compson family.
Immediately after Shegog's sermon Faulkner describes Benjy (the fourth section always calls him Ben, but I like Benjy). Benjy is sitting upright and rapt in attention after Shegog's oration. I believe Faulkner draws this focus on Benjy to show the parallels between the sermon and the Compson family.
The Compson family sacrificed Caddy. She was the innocent one. All depended on her, but she eventually cracked and "died." Her promiscuity along with her exile from the family represent the sacrificial "death" that Caddy gave to the family. The rebirth of Caddy, not in a literal sense, is when Quentin runs away. It is the turning point, the end of the downfall for the Compson family.
Shegog's sermon was hard but fun to read because of its rhetoric, language, and spelling. But why would Faulkner put such emphasis on it? What, if not representing the Compson family, could the sermon be about?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment