The Tragic Themes In Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner (1897-1962) is both an extremely great and importantAmerican modern writer and a master in literature enjoying a high reputation in theworld of literature. As an American southern writer, Faulkner takes root in theAmerican native land characterized by the distinct geographical features during hiswhole life. He insists on literary writing in his homeland and creates manyworld-renowned classics one after another, one of which is Absalom, Absalom!. Thenovel is a masterpiece written at the pinnacle of Faulkner’s creating. Since itspublication, it receives wide attention by a great many literary critics both home andabroad. The novel tells a story about the hero Thomas Sutpen, the poor white man,who devotes himself in his life to pursuit of his “grand blueprint”, namely, to build apure white blood family to realize his dream. However, the novel is of strong andintense tragedy.The thesis intends to give a detailed interpretation of the tragic theme ofFaulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! comprehensively and deeply. This thesis falls into fiveparts. The first part discusses Faulkner’s life and works, critical remarks and researchprogress on his literary achievement and main arguments of this thesis. The secondpart focuses on the modern individuals’ alienation. The third part is a tentative effortto study the black people’s spiritual dehumanization. The fourth part studies the blackpeople’s self-identity problems. The last part is the conclusion of this thesis. Thethesis makes a conclusion that Faulkner not only deeply reflects the novel’s tragicthemes, but also successfully exposes the eternal themes in human life, such as love,hatred, insurrection, incest, alienation, the decline of the family, pursing the identity,which are constitutive of the factors contributing to the novel’s tragic themes. Theabove mentioned makes his work go beyond the southern territoriality with a higheternity and universality and reflects the prevalent problems in human society and theauthor’s deep concern over the human’s fate.