I started and finished A Sense of Direction in one evening; I couldn't really stop thinking about it, so I couldn't put it down. I found it...
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The title seems quite puzzling until we finish the novel. With two plots paralleling with each other in the story, Joe represents the tragic side of life while Lena, the optimistic one. Joe is not so much doomed by the society as by himself. Lena is the best example to show that men can master their own fates and turn better only if they always cherish beliefs in life and people. Compared with the previous title "dark room", this one "light in august" shows Faulkner's intention of soothing the despaired and helpless men in the modern world by letting them have a glimpse of light brought by Lena Grove in the story. At the end of the novel. men really see the light which gives them hope to live on in the chaotic world. so, Light in August is a suitable title for it reveals Faulkner's lifelong concern about mankind's destinies. In using this title, Faulkner tells modern men that modern world in not totally dark and hopeless.
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Light in August: The Corrected Text (Vintage International) by William Faulkner
jessie1980523, January 26, 2007
The title seems quite puzzling until we finish the novel. With two plots paralleling with each other in the story, Joe represents the tragic side of life while Lena, the optimistic one. Joe is not so much doomed by the society as by himself. Lena is the best example to show that men can master their own fates and turn better only if they always cherish beliefs in life and people. Compared with the previous title "dark room", this one "light in august" shows Faulkner's intention of soothing the despaired and helpless men in the modern world by letting them have a glimpse of light brought by Lena Grove in the story. At the end of the novel. men really see the light which gives them hope to live on in the chaotic world. so, Light in August is a suitable title for it reveals Faulkner's lifelong concern about mankind's destinies. In using this title, Faulkner tells modern men that modern world in not totally dark and hopeless.(12 of 19 readers found this comment helpful)