Christmas blatantly asserts his power over JoAnna Burden. Even as she provides him with necessities, he refuses to reveal his past or any information about himself to her: “he was doomed to conceal something always from the women who surrounded him” (262).
Christmas Attempts to Control JoAnna Burden
He continually remains in control of their relationship by deciding when and how often he will visit her and he hopes she will not appear in the cabin or summon him. Though he has a sexual relationship with JoAnna, he refuses to reveal his thoughts to her, assuming such knowledge will give her power.
And though she cares for Christmas, he ultimately sleeps with other women to prevent JoAnna from having too much importance: “She did not know that business took him to Memphis, where he betrayed her with other women, women bought for a price” (163).
Christmas Ultimately Remains Powerless
Despite his effort, however, Christmas remains powerless over his ultimate fate, and JoAnna reminds him of this. When she tells Christmas she is pregnant, he assumes she is attempting to hold him, to manipulatively exercise womanly power over him. Indeed, though Christmas can control other parts of their relationship, the decision to have a child is solely hers.
And JoAnna’s claim that she is pregnant reminds Christmas of his own mother and his lack of power over his birth, heritage, and fate. Christmas recognizes the power of females, “On all sides, even within him, the bodiless fecundmellow voices of negro women murmured. It was as though he and all other manshaped life about him had been returned to the lightless hot wet primogenitive Female” (115).
Though he attempts to assert his power, he is ultimately helpless in light of his fate, the “primogenitive Female.” Ultimately, it is his mother’s fault not only that he is alive, but that he does not know his racial heritage and feels powerless over his identity.
Christmas meets this helplessness with brutality. Even as an adolescent, Christmas shows his authority by savagely beating a black girl his friends gang-rape. Asserting his power physically, “He kicked her hard, kicking into and through a choked wail of surprise and fear” (157). She, of course, has little power over Christmas and has never attempted to manipulate him, yet Christmas displays his control.
And ultimately, of course, he asserts his power by killing JoAnna. Though she attempts to shoot Christmas, his act is premeditated, and he has a razor. Christmas waits in anticipation of JoAnna’s attempt and “was watching the shadowed pistol on the wall; he was watching when he cocked shadow of the hammer flicked away” (283). Even after he kills her, however, she remains a powerful presence, for Christmas’ remaining life is spent paying for his deed.
The protagonist of William Faulkner’s Light in August, Joe Christmas asserts his power over the females he encounters. Christmas exercises power over JoAnna Burden, but also other women he meets. Recognizing his powerlessness over his heritage and fate, he ultimately meets his perceived powerlessness with brutality and fear.
Vintage International, 1932, 0-679-73226-8
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