Faulkner’s Contradictory Roles as Father and Artist in the Film, William Faulkner: a Life on Paper

627 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Role of parents in shaping a child

Faulkner’s Contradictory Roles as Father and Artist in the Film, William Faulkner: a Life on Paper After viewing the film William Faulkner: a Life on Paper it would be easy to attempt a pseudo-psychoanalytic interpretation of Faulkner’s relationship with his daughter and the other women in his life, but I think that would do a disservice to him. The film focused on the contradiction between Faulkner’s personal life, especially his relationships with women, and his professional life as a writer. The artistic sensibility that caused him to drink to excess and behave erratically does not fit common expectations of a good father. I think, however, that the interviews with his daughter, Jill Summers, and the other women who grew up with him as a father figure (at least one grand-daughter and one niece) indicate how that apparent contradiction was an essential part of the man whom they loved. I would like to consider two comments made by men who had known Faulkner in Oxford, Mississippi. One, a blacksmith, said that one day Faulkner suddenly left in the middle of a conversation with him. Faulkner’s only explanation later was that “when I think of something, I’ve got to go.” The other, a former friend of Faulkner’s speculated that he didn’t “think anyone knew who Bill really was, he was so moody…he was different from anybody else, seemed like.” The first comment indicates Faulkner’s unpredictability, possibly a humorous idiosyncrasy, but certainly not what is expected of a father. The second comment is intricately tied to the first. Because Faulkner’s behavior was unpredictable, often indicating that he was entirely self-absorbed in his own ideas and work, others found him to be distant. Those closest to Faulkner—his daughter, Jill, Phil Stone, and even Joan Williams—do not offer a portrayal of him that objects to his being erratic and distant. Probably the most poignant moment with Jill Summers is when she tells the story of asking her father not to drink before her birthday. His response was to remind her that Shakespeare’s daughter was never remembered by anyone. Although Summers relates the other facts of her father’s short-comings with little display of emotion, her face appeared pained after this story. Yet she said earlier in the film that she was absolutely sure that her father loved her very much. Maybe the problem is partly in what we expect a father to be. The film raises the problem of whether someone can function as both a great

Show More
Related

  • Vitamin B12 Essay

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vitamin B12 is commonly obtained in the diet through consumption of meat, nuts, eggs, milk, shellfish, and green leafy vegetables (j). B12 has a large complex structure based around a corrin ring, which resembles porphyrin with a cobalt ion at the center (l). For this reason compounds with vitamin B12 activity are called cobalamin (k). Cyanocobalamin is the form typically found in fortified foods, which is converted in the body to the active forms methylcobalamin and 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin (k).

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Revolutionary War

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the world’s lens during the 1760s, the British empire had a clear and prominent control over the colonies. However, by the mid-1770s the Americans became enraged enough to declare war against the British for independence. Due to Britain’s massive imperial presence around the globe, the British civilians had a strong inclination for a successful outcome. Instead, the colonists pulled a surprising victory from what should have been a swift defeat. While the British had an abundance of advantages, they lost the Revolutionary War because the British army underestimated the colonists’ perseverance for freedom.

    Read More

  • Thesis For Barn Burning

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sheetz 1 Sarah Sheetz Ms. Rosenberger English 4 October 17, 2016 Faulkner’s Self Help Book In “Barn Burning,” Faulkner illustrates a boy’s coming to age story, including his struggle in choosing whether to stand by in the midst of his father’s destructive cycle of spiteful burning or stand up for his own belief in civic duty. While most readers do not relate to having a father that habitually burns others’ belongings in a strange power scheme, readers relate to the struggle between blood ties and their own values. Taking the theme even broader, readers relate to any struggle with making a decision. Through imagery, reoccurring motifs, and diction, Faulkner creates an intense pressure which enhances readers understanding of Sarty, his struggle,

    Read More

  • The Plagues of Colonial Life

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    Colonial living in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the New World was both diverse and, in many cases, proved deadly through such avenues as disease, Native American attacks, a lack of proper medical treatment, and disastrous weather conditions. Even through all of these hardships, the first colonists persevered, doing their best to see the blessings in their lives and create a better life for their children through all of the uncertainties. Nothing, it seems, in the original colonies was set in stone except for the fact that they never knew what the next day would hold in store. Everything, even small mishaps, had dramatic impacts on the social, economic, and political aspects of their lives. These circumstances, however, were more strongly influenced by geography than class position, unlike what many were used to in England. How population, economics, disease, and climate played into the social conditions of early colonists is truly a story for the ages. Whether people were seeking land, religious freedom, or money and profits, everyone worked to a certain extent just to survive, let alone thrive, in the wilderness that was North America at that time.

    Read More

  • Response to the Film William Faulkner: a Life on Paper

    492 Words  | 1 Pages

    While I was watching the documentary William Faulkner, a Life on Paper I found it striking how the different people that were interviewed talked about two different sides of the author William Faulkner. His daughters, Jill Faulkner Sommers and his stepdaughter, spoke mainly about his alcohol abuse and his moodiness whereas Faulkner’s contemporaries from Oxford underlined Faulkner’s generosity and kindness. The documentary shows Faulkner not only as father of Jill and his stepdaughter but also as a father figure for many others. He had to take care of several families at once. At one point Faulkner had seventeen dependents to provide for. Many of the people that were interviewed describe Faulkner as being very generous and always willing to help others even when he had almost nothing himself. One special example is his brother Dean who died in an airplane accident and because Faulkner had bought the plane he apparently felt guilty about the death of his brother for the rest of his life as his sister-in-law says in the interview.

    Read More

  • Education In William Faulkner's Indian Education

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the passage, Indian Education we start off by following Victor who is a Indian boy from the Reservation, from first grade up to high school. Even though he is bullied in first grade, Victor finally gets payback when he gets even on Frenchy SiJohn by shoving his face in the snow and then starts punching Frenchy over and over again. Victor undergoes bad luck as the next two years he has two mean teachers in second and in third grade that do not like him very much, but luckily in fourth grade, he has a teacher named Mr. Schluter who inspires him to become a doctor so he can heal his people in the tribe. The next year life takes a turn for the worse as Victor’s cousin begins sniffing rubber cement. If it was not for his new friend Randy the

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: Jewel

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hewson, Marc. ""My children were of me alone": Maternal Influence in Faulkner's As I Lay Dying." Mississippi Quarterly 53.4 (2000): n. pag. Literature Resource Center. Web. 17 Apr 2011.

    Read More

  • William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying"

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hewson, Marc. “'My children were of me alone': Maternal Influence in Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.” Mississippi Quarterly 54.4 (2001): 595-95. Literature Resources From Gale. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.

    Read More

  • American Revolution: The Siege of Charleston

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Revolution: the war for our independence. This revolution opened the door to our liberty, freedom, and basically what America is now. Most Americans have heard the stories of famous battles, important people (George Washington for instance), and everything in between. However, this was only for our side of the American Revolution and a small fraction of people have been told of Britain’s campaign of the revolution. The only thing people have been told was the Britain lost the war. What of Britain’s triumphs, strategies, and everything that happened in the span of a few years? Not many people know it, but the British struck a major blow against the Patriots in the last few years of the war. Even though the United States won the American Revolution, Britain struck a major blow against the colonists when the British successfully and brutally took the town of Charleston, South Carolina.

    Read More

  • American History : The Revolutionary War

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    As an American observes the life around him, noting the many advancements made in merely the last century, he must wonder how America climbed to such a level. The 21st century technology, the military and political power, education and ethics, all came from such meager beginnings, solidified by the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War proved to be a significant turning point in the history of our country, but what caused America to win? What were some of the most significant factors in the victory of these American patriots? By examining these three particular factors, America’s military assets, it’s aid from other countries, and its own spirit of independence, one’s understanding of the Revolutionary War, an essential root of this nation, is truly increased.

    Read More

  • The Untraditional Life of William Faulkner

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    Though it was not certain that William could support a family, he did have a child with his wife and supported the daughter from his wife’s first marriage. It was not a happy family, as most southern families have been portrayed. Faulkner drank and continued to internalize himself from the rest of the family, as he had always internalized himself from society. The drinking was not and everyday thing, but his family said that it would happen for long periods at a time. He would drink for a few weeks until he wanted to sober himself up. A southern gentleman is to be the father figure in his family, to teach his children right from wrong, but William seemed to be concerned with only himself. When he drank, he was not there for his family. When his daughter asked him not to start drinking because her birthday was coming up, Faulkner said to her “no one remembers Shakespeare’s daughter.” Tradition in the southern family did encompass “tough love”, but a southern gentleman is to be an example to his children, with characteristics embodying responsibility and honor. William Faulkner was neither responsible nor honorable.

    Read More

  • The Outcome of the Revolutionary War

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Revolution was a prominent point of change in the lives of early Americans. It provided new freedoms and opportunities with a challenge for the colonists to design a new government for themselves. At the same time it reduced the freedom of the Indians and made little progress for both women and slaves. The Revolutionary war was revolutionary and whether for better or worse it brought about a dramatic change in the lives of those involved. When we know both the positive and negative that came from this war we can fully appreciate this point in our history.

    Read More

  • Comparing William Faulkner's Short Stories, A Rose for Emily and Dry September

    1905 Words  | 4 Pages

    Brooks, Cleanth. "William Faulkner: Visions of Good and Evil." Faulkner, New Perspectives. Ed. Richard H. Brodhead. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey : Prentice-Hall, 1983.

    Read More

  • B Vitamins Essay

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    The B vitamins have a wide and varied range of functions in the human body. Most B vitamins are involved in the process of converting blood sugar into energy. Diets rich in B vitamins are particularly important for pregnant and breast-feeding women and for other people who require more energy, such as athletes and heavy-labor workers.

    Read More

  • Vitamin B Benefits Essay

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    Vitamin B, a family of eight different vitamins is good for health. They play a big role in treating as well as preventing heart diseases. In fact, it helps in bringing down the risk of stroke. Regular intake of Vitamin B in old age helps in keeping memory sharp and thus improves their lifestyle. People who are urging for that perfect body consider Vitamin B supplement and intake as a blessing and a booster for a faster result. You might be happy to know that it even has drastic performance in preventing breast as well as colon cancer. Hence the popularity quotient of Vitamin B supplements in all age groups is increasing day by day.

    Read More

More about Faulkner’s Contradictory Roles as Father and Artist in the Film, William Faulkner: a Life on Paper

Open Document