Joe Christmas by William Faulkner

Studies have shown that people who have been physically or mentally abused as a child are more likely to have an abusive personality as an adult. The cognitive mind is influenced the most as a child for a mind that has not matured yet is susceptible to take in anything that is thrown at it. William Faulkner shows that the events of one’s youth have many effects on behavior as an adult, through the protagonist, Joe Christmas, in his novel Light in August.

Joe Christmas did not have the perfect childhood. Being an orphan and biracial in a racially tense south, growing up was hard for him. Christmas lived in a white-only orphanage until his true pedigree was discovered by the nurse and reported to the orphanage superiors who quickly kicked Christmas out of the shelter. Along with the effect an absence of biological parent figures has, this early event was Christmas's first encounter with racism in the south. Even worse, by being half black and half white, Christmas was neither accepted by the blacks nor whites: he was ostracized by both communities. These events that occurred during the past reflect his personality as an adult.

After being released from the orphanage, Christmas was adopted by the McEachern's. As he entered adolescence, he began to become rebellious and often snuck out of his home which is obvious evidence of disobedience to his adoptive parents. Christmas running away from his parental figures can be identified as a result of the absence of his biological parents and the sense of loss or loneliness he felt when he learned that he was an orphan. Therefore, he may be trying to stay away from any kind of parental figures as he does not want to be attached and once again feel the sense of loss or loneliness. Throughout the novel, Christmas is cruel to all females he encounters. Some of the first events that display his hatred for females are when he is invited into the barn to engage in sexual intercourse with a black female by a group of white men. Instead of engaging in intercourse, "He was moving, because his foot touched her. Then it touched her again because he kicked her. He kicked her hard, kicking into and through a choked wail of surprise and fear.