Faulkner’s Exploration of the Human Spirit Essay -- Literary Analysis

William Faulkner accepted his Nobel Peace Prize in December 1950. During his acceptance speech, Faulkner proclaimed that the grant was made not to him as a man, but to his lifes work, which was created, out of the materials of the human spirit something which did not exist before (PF ). He snarl that the modern writer had lost connection to his spirit and that he must reconnect with the universal truths of the heartlove and honor and pity and pride and compassion and afford (PF ). Through his characters voice and exposure of their spirit, Faulkner solidified mans immortality by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and have which have been the glory of his past (PF ). Although some critics have characterized his work as violet, dealing with immoral themes and the miseries and brutality of life it can be argued that even his close to sad and depraved characters express positive virtues and personal strengths. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the portrayal and manifestation of the human spirit in a divide few of William Faulkners literary characters, showing that they possess both human strength and flaws. So what is the human spirit and why is it significant? It is a slightly indefinable concept. According to Faulkner the human spirit is the connection to the universal truths of the heartlove and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice (PF). But to a greater extent than that, he was concerned with the idea that man had become oblivious to the problems of the spirit that he lost his awareness of the inner struggle of heart in contravene with itself. The human spirit can also be described in terms of surviving adversity, adapting to c... ...lkner. Ed. Malcolm Cowley. New York Penguin Books, 2003. Viking Press, 1946.Falkner, William. The Sound and the Fury. New York Vintage Books, 1990. J. Cape & H. Smith, 1929.Gwynn, Frederick L. and Joseph L. Blotner, eds. Fa ulkner in the University Class Conferences at the University of Virginia 1957-58. New York Vintage Books, 1959.Howe, Irving. William Faulkner A Critical Study. Chicago Univ. Chicago Press, 1975.Orig. 1951. Vintage Books, 1962.Meriwether, James B. and Michael Millgate, eds. Lion in the Garden Interviews with William Faulkner 1926-1962. New York ergodic House, 1968.ODonnell, George M. Faulkners Mythology. William Faulkner Four Decades of Criticism. Linda W. Wagner, ed. East Lansing, MI MSU Press, 1973. 83-93.Teske, John A. The Social Construction of the Human Spirit. http//users.etown.edu/t/teskeja/schs.html