Themes in Faulkner’s Go Down, Moses

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Themes in Faulkner’s Go Down, Moses

The three main themes I can place in Go Down, Moses are the role/significance of family structure (familial relationships), the idea of property/ownership, and the relationship between man and nature. The story “Was” presents a story involving the black branch of the McCaslin family tree (Tomey’s Turl is biologically Carothers McCaslin’s son who has been betrayed by his father who allows him to be raised as a slave). It establishes a major theme (the idea of being raised by someone other than a biological parent) that will be further developed as the novel progresses (“Delta Autumn” presents a reunion between the black and white branches of the McCaslin family).

Because Rider is not related to the McCaslins and because he does not appear elsewhere in the book, “Pantaloon in Black” is a story seemingly very disconnected from the rest of the stories in Go Down, Moses. However, thematically, there are many links (i.e. the themes of masculinity, family, and loss/grief, which are prevalent throughout the novel). “Pantaloon in Black” deals with ...

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