Freedom, Discipline, and Violence Theme Analysis

Freedom is a very important concept in Light in August. This is unsurprising, considering that the novel is set in a society still reeling from the relatively recent abolition of slavery, and one governed by strict social norms. While many of the characters seem to possess an intense desire for freedom, others seek to curtail freedom—whether their own or someone else’s. Some characters do this by enforcing the strict social codes designed to limit the freedom of black people and white women. Others turn to faith, attempting to suppress their own impulses through religious devotion. However, few of these attempts to suppress freedom are entirely successful. Ultimately, the novel shows that the human desire for freedom is irrepressible, but that it is also dangerous, as it can lead to cruel, brutal behavior.

In some ways, the novel presents a positive view of freedom. For those whose actions have been constricted by the legacy of slavery, the emerging Jim Crow laws, and the unwritten laws of racism and sexism, freedom is extremely important—the ultimate luxury and object of desire.

Moreover, through the use of nature metaphors, the novel suggests that freedom is the natural state for mankind. At the beginning of the novel, Lena’s journey on foot to find Lucas, the father of her child, is described as follows: “She went out of sight up the road: swollen, slow, deliberate, unhurried and tireless as augmenting afternoon itself.” Here Lena’s radical assertion of freedom—although scandalous to those around her—is shown to be as ordinary and natural as the afternoon. Similar language appears when Byron Bunch is described as “just living on the country, like a locust.” The freedom that both Byron and Lena exhibit is a peaceful form of existence, a way of being in harmony with their natural impulses and with the world around them.

However, at other moments in the book freedom is portrayed in a much more dangerous and disturbing light—particularly through the many acts of violence that appear across the narrative. In order to understand the prominence of violence in Light in August and its relationship to freedom, it is important to consider the historical context of the time and place in which the book is set. In 1932, the rural South was still recovering from the aftermath of slavery and the Civil War. During Reconstruction, efforts to compensate and support newly freed black people clashed with the vicious white supremacist beliefs that still ruled the South, and this led to gruesome outbreaks of violence. Meanwhile, the First World War provided another shocking reminder of the brutality of which humanity was capable.

Modernist works of literature such as Light in August grapple with the bleak side of human freedom revealed by violence, war, and destruction. Violence is everywhere in the novel, including the murders of Mr. McEachern, Joanna Burden, and others, the burning down of Joanna’s house, and the lynching of Joe Christmas. This gives the impression that too often, humans tend to abuse the freedom we possess, using it to harm others.

This depiction of the abuse of freedom might indicate that humanity needs discipline in order to escape violence and chaos. However, the novel portrays discipline in a disturbing light too. Racial violence such as lynching is carried out in the name of curtailing the supposed threat of black male violence. However, in reality this threat is an invention used to excuse white supremacist violence and the ongoing oppression of black people. While some of the characters in the novel use their freedom to enact violence, others—and particularly black characters—find that they are violently prevented from exercising their freedom in the first place.

The close relationship between social control and violence is further developed through the novel’s depiction of religion. Rather than being a way of existing in peace and harmony with the world, religion is portrayed as a disturbingly violent and oppressive force. This is shown most emphatically through the passages describing Joe Christmas’s early life with his strictly religious adoptive family, the McEacherns. Joe’s father, Mr. McEachern, turns to violence as a way of disciplining Joe. For example, when Joe is only eight, Mr. McEachern whips him with a belt in order to force him to learn the catechism. Not only does this show that violence is often used as a force of social control, but it also serves as another reminder of the cyclical nature of violence. Traumatized by his violent upbringing, Joe comes to despise religion, and when Joanna becomes devout and asks Joe to pray with her, he kills her.

Overall, therefore, the novel indicates the bleak idea that neither freedom nor discipline are reliable ways to escape violence—indeed, both freedom and discipline are more often ways to enact violence.