The "White Trash" Of The Old South In Faulkner’s Civil War Fiction

Focusing on the "white trash" characters of the Old South in Faulkner’s Civil War fiction,this thesis contends that the stigmatizing portrayals of the group of underclass whites bring to light Faulkner’s hidden contempt for this inferior breed and his anxieties over the threat they posed to Southern mores and social hierarchy.The term "white trash" is not merely a classist term of abuse,but also a racial appellation that marks out the impoverished whites,commonly deemed diseased,uncivilized,immoral and criminally-minded,as a distinct,inferior breed that fell short of whiteness and thus must be eliminated in order for whiteness to maintain social dominance.The present study explores the historical development of the abusive terms referring to poor whites,in particular the "white trash",and Faulkner’s construction of white trash characters with a view to his understanding of Southern whiteness.The examination of the history of poor white stigmatization shows that whiteness is not a biological absolute but a cultural construct.On account of the Confederate heritage of Faulkner’s family and his emphasis on the Southern sense of white community,Faulkner’s conception of whiteness is closely connected with the tradition and values of the Old South.This thesis argues that Faulkner set the possession of a decent lineage,respectable codes of conduct,and a deep identification with the Confederate Cause as three crucial requisites for southern whiteness."White trash" characters of the Old South failed to meet these requirements.As a consequence,they were degraded and invariably excluded from the privileged category of southern whiteness.At the story level their aspirations for social advancement invariably resulted in self-destruction,mutual-killing or complete degeneration.The plot arrangements revealed Faulkner’s identification with the Southern discourse of poor white degeneracy,which attributed the desperate plight of white trash to their inborn depravity and moral failings rather than the injustice of social environment.The unfavorable representation of white trash sheds light on Faulkner’s desire to defend the virtues of the traditional Southern culture from the invasion of "poor white trash",a stigmatized breed that was perceived as a morally,politically and culturally disruptive force.