ReviewReview of Dry September by William Faulkner

Review of Dry September by William Faulkner
by Michael Hall
An Analysis of William Faulkner’s “Dry September”
Although it has declined somewhat, racial discrimination has continued to plague America for centuries.  In the short story “Dry September,” William Faulkner addresses the problem of racism in the South in the post-World War II years.  By applying Marxist criticism, which is based on the concept that the individual is the product of the society that he/she lives in, to “Dry September,” we find that all the main characters, and not just Will, are actually victims of the society they are apart of.  In addition to the sociological problems addressed in the story, Faulkner creates a unique setting in which the weather reflects the attitudes of the main characters.  “Dry September” is a story in which each character is a victim of the sociological problems of the day, and is also a great example of how the physical atmosphere of a story can be used to mimic that of its respective characters. 
   Minnie Cooper’s decision to make an implication about her supposed rape may not have occurred if it had not been for society’s obsession for beauty and youth.  She may have been influenced both by her fellow female citizens and from the films she had seen at the cinema she frequented.  Minnie let people believe that there was some incident between Will and herself as a means of gaining attention.  In her youth, she was the popular girl.  But in adulthood, Minnie’s position in society declined as she dealt with her deteriorating beauty which resulted in a diminished number of male suitors.  However, Minnie tried to fight society’s current when the “town began to see her driving on Sunday afternoons with the cashier in the bank” (Faulkner 341).  The problem, however, was that this cashier was married.  Participation in such an adulterous relationship would have undoubtedly caused her reputation in the eyes of society to free fall.  To prevent this from happening again,...