Sutpen’s obsession with his social stature and legacy are
what lead to his decline. Growing up as a child from a father with nothing he
realizes that that is not what he wants in his future. This realization causes
him to run from his family and start a life on his own using the color of his
skin to his advantage. Sutpen’s obsession with having a successful life is what
leads him to have a large sum of land in his life. In the first time he succeeds
in having this land, he feels as though he ruins it by marrying and then producing a child to carry
on his legacy who is part black.
After he realizes
his first goal can be accomplished again, he takes his skills elsewhere. However,
his greed, selfishness, and ignorance follow him and in the end cause him to
live an unhappy and corrupt life. His dream of having a perfect family on a
perfect plantation is somewhat succeeded with his marriage to Ellen, but
Charles Bon acts as a ghost and haunts him to make sure he can not achieve his “perfect”
life. His ignorance, pursuit for something “perfect”, and overall lack of care
for his family lead to his overall decline.
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ReplyDeleteSeveral of Faulkner’s characters, both living and dead, can be seen as ghosts in Absalom, Absalom!. Aside from Charles Bon serving as a ghost to Thomas Sutpen, Sutpen is a ghost to Rosa, and, in a way, Rosa serves as a ghost to Quentin. Bon literally “haunts” his father with his return, yet Sutpen is able to kill him off. Rosa and Quentin aren’t as lucky. Rosa is haunted by her unwillingness to forgive Sutpen and this eats away at her turning her into a bitter old women. Rosa’s ghost then corrupts Quentin when she asks him to remember his story. The story of Thomas Sutpen and his family consumes his life for the remainder of the novel.
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