A Comparative Study Of Addie In As I Lay Dying And Lena In Light In August

William Faulkner shows genuine concern for the Southern people, especially for the Southern women who endure the most. There is no denying that women characters play a pivotal role in Faulkner's novels. After feminist literary theories come to penetrate Faulkner criticism, there is a favorable response from critics to Faulkner's works: they perceive the author himself either as a misogynist or a pro-feminist. Yet in analyzing Addie Bundren and Lena Grove—the women images in As I Lay Dying and Light in August, it is found that Faulkner is neither simply a misogynist nor a pro-feminist.The comparative study of the two women characters aims to conduct a detailed analysis of their physical and psychological journey under the social context. By analyzing their roles in society and their responses to patriarchy, the author's attitude towards women can be manifested from a feminist point of view. Faulkner is a great writer who could not live out of his social and family background, and his novels reflect the subordinate status of women characters. However, the author renders an account of concern for the two women characters and their spirit of revolt and endurance in his novels. In the end, the conclusion is drawn on the basis of the previous analyses: what fascinates Faulkner most is the inner conflicts of human beings, especially of women characters as the indispensable component of humanity.