Faulkner’s Humanitarian Concern For "Other"

The year of2012is the50th anniversary of William Faulkner’s (1897-1962) decease, who created plenty of masterpieces on his "postage stamp" of soil. Go Down, Moses (1942) is one of the remarkable works written by Faulkner.The thesis discovers many "Other" s that link the novel cohesively."Other" is a concept constructed relative to "Self, implying the situation of being marginal, inferior, subordinate, oppressed, and under control. Under the influence of Jacque Lacan, many critics adopt it as a means to pursue the justice, equality, and freedom, raising the concerns for "Other". Faulkner himself has publicly criticized any behaviors going against humanitarianism. Therefore, this thesis not only construes "Other"s in Go Down, Moses, but presents Faulkner’s humanitarian concern for "Other"s as well.The thesis consists of four parts in investigating Faulkner’s humanitarian concern for "Other"s in Go Down, Moses. The first part is a brief introduction to William Faulkner and Go Down, Moses. Besides, literature review, research purpose and structure of the thesis are also presented in this chapter.The second part aims at displaying the theoretical basis of the thesis, explaining the concept of "Other", the relationship between Faulkner and "Other", and what Faulkner’s humanitarianism is like.The third part, the body part of the thesis, explores in three chapters how "Other"s, Moses:blacks, women, and nature are constructed in Go Down. By construing the the three "Other"s respectively, the thesis attempts to exhibit Faulkner’s humanitarian concern for them in his work.The last part draws the conclusion based on the previous textual analyses, reiterating the importance of "Other"s in Go Down, Moses and Faulkner’s humanitarian concern for them.