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| Plot Summary of Light in August |
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"The novel begins with Lena Grove, a pregnant teenager who has hitched her way all the way to Jefferson, seeking the child's father, Lucas Burch. Arriving at his supposed work, she meets Byron Bunch, another outcast of society, who realizes that the man Lena is looking for is actually known as Joe Brown, the town drunk and bootlegger. Joe Brown is a dumb man who came to power by partnering with the newcomer, Joe Christmas.
Joe Christmas is an intelligent, outcast who holds a grudge against all of mankind for the way life has treated him. He was orphaned at a young age, and raised by an abusive man who passed the trait on to Christmas. Because of this Christmas has little success with woman, falling in love with a prostitute, only to be betrayed. He runs away from his home, and comes to this small town to work at the mill where he meets Byron and Brown. There he rooms with an older spinster, Ms. Joanna Burden. The two have an affair, but when things get serious, Christmas kills her. This is about the time Lena enters the town.
Byron, smitten with Lena, trys to shelter he from the town's current events between Brown and Christmas, waiting for the right moment to come before bending to Lena's persistence to find "Lucas". Christmas was born of black blood, but has lived his life as a white man, punished everytime he is found out. Ms. Burden, for her friendship with the black people. Byron and Lena for choices they have made on their own. "
Amie Stanley, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Light in August |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- 1900-1920's
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Struggle over
- nature of existence (heavy philosophy)
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Pregnancy/Child rearing
Yes
Major part of story:
- dealing with unexpected pregnancy
Main char. serviced by prostitute?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- killer
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
- deluded
- emotionally unstable
- wild
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Black
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- society
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- throughout most of the book.
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 5 (an average amount)
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- hostile, like Gomer Pyle on steroids
Style
Person
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- impregnation/reproduction
- rape/molest (yeech!)
Lot of foul language?
Yes
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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