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Why Joanna Burden is the Main Villain in A Light in August

This literary analysis of William Faulkner's A Light in August uses the fraught relationship of Joe Christmas and Joanna Burden to demonstrate Faulkner's critique of religious fanaticism, racism, and living in the past, particularly in the context of the post-Civil War South. The student argues that Joanna Burden must be seen as a main villain of the text to understand these critiques.
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This essay received a B by one of Kibin's paper graders. Click here to see what was done well and what needs improvement.

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This essay received a B by one of Kibin's paper graders. Click here to see what was done well and what needs improvement.

More essays like this:

joe christmas, social issues
Not sure what I'd do without @Kibin
- Alfredo Alvarez, student @ Miami University
Exactly what I needed.
- Jenna Kraig, student @ UCLA
Wow. Most helpful essay resource ever!
- Chris Stochs, student @ UC Berkeley

View other essays like this one:

Bridget's feedback:

"You've done well in navigating an elusive and complex text, with a good eye for Faulkner's rich symbolism. Considering the complexity of the ideas, examples, and character relationships, your next draft should focus on elements that ensure a smooth reading experience. One small shift that will bring a lot of clarity to the discussion will be in straightening out the verb tenses recounting the action of the novel (present tense); this plays a major role in allowing the reader to keep up with "where" you are in the text and commentary.

Similarly, work with the paragraphing and organization to ensure flow and logic, including streamlining the syntax and discussion; sentence variety will also help create dynamism that moves the reader along. As a final note, I think it's worth clarifying the race of the characters in your opening, especially regarding how Faulkner presents Christmas."

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