William Faulkner Essay Essay, Research Paper

Throughout life, individuals grow and mature through various events and influences. Some of these events and influences are positive, while others can be quite negative. In two of William Faulkner s literary works, he describes the maturation process of two young boys. One story is full of positive events and influences, and the other is mainly negative. William Faulkner s The Reivers and The Bear each depict the different routes and time spans as well as the diverse adult authorities and vehicles through which these two young boys learned universal truths as they matured.

Each of the stories had it s own span of time in which the boy learned the universal truths. In The Reivers, the boy, Lucius, came to learn the universal truths in just a matter of days. He, Boon, and Ned traveled to the big city , Memphis, Tennessee. Their time was brief due to the fact that they needed to have Lucius and the car back home before Boss returned from his trip. However, in The Bear , the boy s time for maturing was over a period of years. He and the group of adult hunters, every June and November, would travel to Big Bottom Forest, and would stay for two weeks at a time. A vast difference is obvious between years and days. The outcome however, was virtually the same.

The places that these boys and the accompanying adults traveled to, played a rather large role in the process. Lucius, Boon, and Ned headed from their small town of Jefferson, Mississippi, to what was considered a larger city, Memphis, Tennessee. While here, Lucius meets many new and interesting

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Individuals, especially at the house which Boon had arranged for them to stay. This place, known as a house of ill repute (whorehouse), plays a rather large role in Lucius lessons in life, and seems to be quite a negative environment for such a young child. A slightly more positive environment would be where the hunters lodged. In The Bear , the boy and the hunters travel from their city, deep into Big Bottom Forest, where they have a camp set up year-round. The boy is introduced into a natural environment, about which he knows much. Even though the environments may not all be positive, they do have an impact on what the children learned in the end.

The adult authorities in each of the stories had diverse influences on the boys. Boon and Ned did not seem to realize that they were in the presence of an impressionable young boy. Everything they did would have an impact sooner or later. However, both of them failed to recognize that. Boon convinced Lucius to lie to various members of his family, all so they could go on the trip. This was an extremely bad influence, basically just teaching Lucius it is alright to lie as long as you do not get caught. When they finally arrived in Memphis, he put Lucius in a house that he should not even have been. A whorehouse was not a place for a child, which Boon knew, and so he lied about what the house really was to Lucius. After their first night in Memphis, when Boon went outside, the car was gone. Soon after, Ned showed up with a horse. Apparently, he had given up Boss car for this horse, which would be raced the next day. This only taught Lucius that he could give away something of someone else s if he got something

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he wanted in return. The adults in The Reivers committed many irresponsible acts. On the other hand, members of the hunting group were always careful about what they taught the boy. They wanted him to become a successful and responsible hunter. Everything they did, they knew, one day he would do also. The adults taught the boy through their actions what to do when he heard the dogs or came within distance of the bear. He raised and cocked his gun as Sam told him and stood motionless again (Faulkner 669) The hunters just wanted to see the boy be successful and yet careful with his hunting. Thus, they watched whatever the boy did and made sure he was always doing things correctly. This is a prime example of a positive influence on a young child. Sam and the others understood what an impact their behavior would have on the boy.

Various vehicles aided to the learning of universal truths amongst the two boys. Lucius was still a child; therefore he did not know much about life in the real world. That is, until he stayed a night in the house of ill repute. He learned many things about life that most do not learn until they are at least teenagers. His first feelings of pity for another individual were when he learned the truth about Cory. Cory was one of the whores in the house which Boon and Lucius stayed, as well as a good friend of Boon s. Lucius did not understand why Cory did the things that she did. He did not feel that someone like her should have to make a living in such a way. He also felt pity for uncle Possum and his family. Where Lucius was from, he had not heard many racist remarks towards people he knew. That is, until Boon and Ned took him to Uncle Possum s for the horse

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race. When the sheriff began using racist remarks, he showed Lucius something that is very hard for a child to understand. The sheriff crossed the line with what he said, especially since he was in the presence of a young boy. The Sheriff was against Lucius staying the night with, a family of niggers while he put Boon, Ned, Cory and her friends in jail for no apparent reason.

The day after they were put in jail was the race to get the car back. Lucius was the one who was to race. He knew that he would be racing an older individual, but still gained the courage to go through with it after a talk with Ned. Then, winning the race gave Lucius a sense of pride like no other. He didn t let anybody down and won the automobile back. Even though Boss showed up, Lucius was given his time to be known as a hero and have pride and honor for what he had achieved. However, when they returned home, he learned something else. It could quite possibly have been the most important thing he learned. It was how to be a gentleman, and his teacher was Boss. Lucius was about to be punished by his father in the cellar, when Boss insisted that he talked to him. Boss told him that he needed to be a gentleman, and explained what one was. A gentleman accepts the responsibility for his actions; he bears the burden of their consequences, even if he, himself, did not instigate them, but only

acquiesced to them (The Reivers). Boss knew that by talking to Lucius, he would teach him more than he would by receiving a simple spanking. The talk made Lucius think and enabled him to become a gentleman. In The Bear , the boy also had vehicles which aided in his learning of the truths. The woods which

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housed the bear, and the boy hunted, gave him the knowledge he needed to find the bear. After walking through them for three years, he knew it all, giving him more courage to find the bear. When he was out looking for the bear, and saw it again, he remembered something that Sam had taught him. And he now knew what Sam Fathers had meant about the right dog, a dog in which size would mean less than nothing (Faulkner 675). He then knew he had the right dog, and brought it back that April when he ventured to the forest. When he found the bear, he let his dog go and the courage that is possessed gave courage to the other two dogs, and all three took off after the bear. Once he realized that the dog was not about to stop, he threw his gun down and ran after it, grabbing it in his arms. Seeing the dog in danger gave the boy the courage to save it, even though he ended up right beneath the bear. With that visit, the bear showed the boy a sense of liberty and freedom. There was an old bear, fierce and ruthless, not merely just to stay alive, but with the fierce pride of liberty and freedom, proud enough of that liberty and freedom to see it threatened without fear or even alarm (Faulkner 677). The bear was a symbol of all the universal truths. It had pity, courage, honor, and pride, love of liberty and freedom, and even justice. The boy finally realized this the last time he came into contact with the bear and

through the discussion with his father. Even though these boys had different vehicles aiding in their learning, they still came to realize the same universal truths.

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Overall, when it comes down to it, these boys learned virtually the same lessons. Each of the boys came to understand the real meaning of courage and pride. Although it was done through different ways, they understood these truths. If Lucius did not have courage or pride, he would not have been able to face Boss. Also, if the boy didn t have these, he would have never been able to go out looking for the bear. The boys also learned the meaning of honor, pity, justice and the love of liberty. The way that they looked at things in the end showed they had matured. Lucius, however, was not able to understand it at first though. I couldn t understand why everything was the same when I wasn t the same (The Reivers). It took the boy in The Bear some time, but he finally understood. Courage, and honor, and pride, his father said, and pity, and love of justice and of liberty. They all touch the heart, and what the heart holds to becomes truth, as far as we know truth. Do you see now? Sam, and Old Ben, and Nip, he thought. And himself too. He had been all right too. His father had said so. Yes, sir, he said (Faulkner 677). In the end, the boys realized what maturing was about, and learned virtually the same lessons.

William Faulkner s, The Reivers and The Bear , each depict the different routes and time spans as well as the diverse adult authorities and vehicles

through which these two young boys learned universal truths as they matured. In each story, a different span of time is taken to teach the boy the universal

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truths. A large contribution to the learning of the truths was the place to which the boys traveled. The adults that they traveled with in each story were extremely diverse; therefore had different impacts on the boys. Along with the adults, the boys had many different vehicles that helped them in the process of maturing. However, practically the same lessons were learned by the boys, even though the processes were different. Various processes can be taken by individuals, and each can still have similar outcomes.