Title: Absalom by William Faulkner: A Comprehensive Summary

Author: William Faulkner
Title: Absalom, Absalom!
Publish Date: 1936
Genre: Southern Gothic Novel
Page Length: 320 pages

Infobox:
Author: William Faulkner
Title: Absalom, Absalom!
Publish Date: 1936
Genre: Southern Gothic Novel
Page Length: 320 pages (approximately)

Summary:

Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner is a profound Southern Gothic novel set in the fictional town of Jefferson, Mississippi. Through a fragmented narrative, the story explores themes of guilt, race, incest, and the downfall of the Southern aristocracy.

The novel primarily revolves around Thomas Sutpen, a mysterious and ambitious plantation owner, whose rise and tragic fall echoes throughout generations. Absalom, Absalom! is divided into four parts, each shedding light on various aspects of the Sutpen family saga.

Part 1: In this section, the story unfolds through the perspective of a young Quentin Compson and his roommate at Harvard, Shreve. Quentin recounts the tale of Thomas Sutpen’s origins, revealing how the enigmatic figure arrived in Mississippi with grand plans and an obscure past. Sutpen established his plantation, “Sutpen’s Hundred.”

Part 2: The narrative shifts to Rosa Coldfield, an unmarried Southern woman who becomes obsessed with Sutpen after her sister, Ellen, marries him. Rosa divulges how her infatuation with the Sutpen dynasty began and delves into Sutpen’s ambition, cruelty, and eventual rejection of his wife and family. She also shares the surprising revelation that Sutpen has fathered a child with a slave woman, which further complicates the family dynamics.

Part 3: Henry Sutpen, Thomas Sutpen’s son, narrates this section. Years after Civil War, Henry joins the Confederate army alongside his childhood friend, Charles Bon, unaware that Bon is his half-brother through Thomas Sutpen’s affair with a slave. When Henry discovers the deeply buried truth, it drives him to madness and he kills Bon. The narrative leaves readers with numerous questions, promising reveals in the final section.

Part 4: Through the voice of Jason Compson, Quentin’s father, readers are provided with the final pieces of the puzzle. Jason reveals that he was a close spectator to the Sutpen family’s ultimate downfall. He expresses his resentment towards the aristocratic Sutpens and their influence over his own family’s decline. He continues to detail the tragic demise of the Sutpen dynasty, including the deaths of Charles Bon, Henry, and Judith, Sutpen’s daughter.

Throughout Absalom, Absalom!, Faulkner presents characters who struggle with their deep-rooted beliefs and forge personal identities amidst the backdrop of a changing society. The themes of racial prejudice, the obliteration of the plantation system, and the burden of Southern history run deeply through the novel.

The novel’s riveting plot excels in tying its characters’ lives to larger historical events, scrutinizing the dark and complex nature of the American South. Faulkner’s masterful use of Southern Gothic style, with its eerie settings, intricate familial connections, and vivid description of decay and death, adds an air of suspense and mystery.

Absalom, Absalom! is a seminal work of American literature that delves into the complexities of human nature, examining the tragic consequences of ambition, moral decay, and the oppressive nature of the Southern aristocracy. Faulkner’s vivid and evocative prose, combined with his profound exploration of societal and personal struggles, cements the novel’s status as a timeless and significant literary masterpiece.