Date
4-1-2009
Department
Communication
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Chair
Mark Harris
Primary Subject Area
Literature, American; Literature, General; Psychology, General
Keywords
American literature, dysfunctional, Father figures, Murry Falkner, The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner
Recommended Citation
Holt, Travis V., "The Legacy of a Failing Father: Dysfunctional Father Figures in William Faulkner's Fiction" (2009). Masters Theses. 61.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/61
Abstract
The appearance of dysfunctional father figures in numerous works of William Faulkner makes his struggle to relinquish his animosity for his father, Murry Falkner, a significant theme in his fiction. The dysfunctional father figures play the pivotal role in the social, financial, and psychological decline of their families as the children struggle to escape their father's influence and their dismal fate. The real-life events and situations of Faulkner and his family members serve as a source for Faulkner's fiction, and the constant disgust several of his characters have for their father figures resembles Faulkner's own feelings towards his father. By documenting real situations of Faulkner and his family that appear in his fiction, the reality of his dislike for his father and his attempt to express this feeling through his writing becomes apparent.
