Dry September Essay

Jeremy Nitta
1/18/2010
AP English

DRY SEPTEMBER ESSAY

Often it hurts to see someone trying desperately to fit into a group or society.   We rarely see them succeed, and it pains us to watch them make fools of themselves trying.   Such was the case of Minnie Cooper in William Faulkner's Dry September.   We watch her as she attempts to fit in too late in life, which causes the townspeople to feel pity for her.   And by reading through the story, we see that the narrator is most likely one of these townspeople who feel sorrow for Minnie.   However, we realize that the narrator is not a person close to Minnie, but actually just a person who has seen her through her life, and is actually rather distant from her.   This detachment is key in the story, and this idea is brought out in the way that the author tells the life story of Minnie Cooper.   Faulkner's use of diction is key to the story, but also his point of view and tone helps to shape the picture of Minnie in the story.

Right away in the beginning of the story, we see that the narrator is not completely sure of the age of Minnie Cooper.   This shows us the tone of the story, which is one that is rather indifferent.   The fact that the author is not even close enough to Minnie to know her age also shows us the narrator's point of view, which one of an observer, and that he only knows Minnie with a passing interest.   The narrator's point of view is strengthened throughout the poem.   In the second paragraph, the narrator refers to Minnie as "not the best in Jefferson" when talking about her origins.   His nonchalant tone suggests to us that he doesn't think extremely high of her, but also that he doesn't feel a particular need to bring her down any.   Also, when they are talking about Minnie's relationship with a bank cashier, people of the town are at first concerned about Minnie, but then, they shrug off the concerns, saying "she's old enough to   take care of herself."   (ln. 38)   This suggests to us that even...