Motionless as an Idol - Columbus State University

Bullock 31for Faulkner to communicate the whole of his message related to marginalization, but itcan only serve to bolster his points about Southern judgment and adherence to traditionabove all else.As I Lay Dying has many religious references mostly to God as provider andoverseer that are used in a culturally religious way, rather than a personally spiritual one.Typically, Southern heritage dictates at least a conversational knowledge ofProtestantism; people often participate in church events from a sense of duty andcommunity rather than any individual spiritual desire or exploration. Faulkner taps intothese understood falsities of cultural spirituality, though these references would resoundnot only with a Southern audience but with Faulkner himself, whose spiritualityinterviewers were never able to pin down. Cleanth Brooks describes the uncertaintysurrounding Faulkner's religion like this:[M]any of [Faulkner's] statements [about his religious beliefs] are vague orpuzzling, or even contradict what is said in other passages. Ithink we do besttherefore to look at his fiction - that is, to study the way in which his charactersbehave and to note his implied judgments, as author, of their actions and beliefs.After all,like that of most modern Americans, Faulkner's theological educationwas shaky. (123)Therefore, adopting Brooks's suggestion, I propose to examine the presentation ofFaulkner's characters as representative of, if not Faulkner's, the typical Southerner'sspirituality as they present their facades of religion through a socially constructedvocabulary and understanding of religion's place in their culture. The most important