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Lalrintluanga

Apoorva Dimri

Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course (English)

12thJuly, 2021

Dry September By William Faulkner

1.The story, ‘Dry September’ was written by William Faulkner in 1931. The story was

set in a Jefferson town, Mississippi in South America. The story shows how coloured people

were prejudiced and discriminated in the time period set, and showed a mob trying to kill the

accused black man , Will Mayes who allegedly sexually assaulted a white woman , Miss Minnie

Cooper though there was no proof regarding the accusations. The story was set in the late

summer in the month of September where the atmosphere lacks moisture and the air is dry. As

when atmosphere is hot and dry, a wisp of fire can cause a forest fire. The rumors of the

accusations though without proof spread like a wildfire. Dryness indicates lack of life, which

indicates the dark time period, where prejudices and discrimination among human races prevails

based on their skin color.

Dry September portrays how a wisp of rumors can spread like a forest fire and how

hatred can be fueled by it. As have mentioned, the author apparently wanted to emphasize the

atmosphere by repeatedly stating it throughout the story. He opened the story saying, “Through

the bloody September twilight”, which shows the bloody violence committed by the mob later in

the story. The story was started in a place of a barbershop where “the ceiling fan stirred, without
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freshening it, the vitiated air, sending back upon them, in recurrent surges of stale pomade and

lotion, their own stale breath and odors’’. The word choices like ‘vitiated’, ‘stale’, ‘without

freshening’ convey the dryness and unhealthy mindset of the people in the time period. The

accusation was that a colored man, Will Mayes tried to rape a white woman, Minnie Copper.

“the rumor, the story, whatever it was……none of them……knew exactly what happened”. The

barber Henry Hawkshaw tried to convince the other people in the barbershop that he knew the

accused colored man, Will Mayes and he would not commit such a crime. But the other people

refused to hear a word as they believed in White supremacy and even questioned him that would

he take a ‘nigger’ word before a white woman. This shows how justice was not a first choice

amongst these people and how prejudice came first. They couldn’t believe that a white woman

would lie. Even when a person asked Mc Lendon if he knew what had happened, he simply

replied "Happen? What the hell difference does it make? Are you going to let the black sons get

away with it until one really does it?”. That was his mindset. It was not about a crime committed

or not, it was the existence of the colored people itself that made his blood boiled. Mc Lendon

and a few men then went out of the barbershop trying to hurt the accused Will Mayes. Henry

Hawkshaw, the barber followed them trying to convince them not to hurt Will Mayes, but he

ended up futile. The mob finally caught Will Mayes and tortured him, where Will Mayes politely

told them he was innocent, but they ended up murdering him. When they forced Will Mayes to

the car the author described their breathing as’ a dry hissing’’ which shows that they’ve become

poisonous snakes, influenced by the hot weather. The "lifeless air," the "spent dust," and the

"wan hemorrhage of the moon" emphasize the dry September, and all of these images are

connected with death. The author used the phrase ‘Below the cast the wan
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hemorrhage of the moon increased’’ to indicate how mad and infuriated they’ve become along

with the weather above them. The phrases and the description of the weather is parallel to the

behavior of the people and the author weave it together beautifully in the title itself which is a

“Dry September”.

2. The story, “Dry September”, written By William Faulkner portrayed domestic

terrorism based in racism prevailing in the South America in the 1920s. It was set during the

period where colored people were discriminated in the States and faced prejudiced. In the story,

we can see that white man accusations would be believed and give importance by the white

authorities who exercised the laws. We see that majority of the white people would believe any

accusations made on colored people without any evidence and proofs. At the beginning of the

story itself, William Faulkner said “…none of them…..knew exactly what had happened’’, but

the majority blindly took side to the white woman just because she was ‘white’. When one of

them asked McLendon if he knew what exactly had happened he replied — “What the hell

difference does it make? Are you going to let the black sons get away with it until one really

does it?”. He referred the colored men as ‘black sons’ which implies that he didn’t consider the

colored people equal to them. They also frequently referred them a ‘nigger’. The story shows

that white men had irrational fear and anger towards the black men. The story started by a rumor

spreading that a colored man trying to sexually assault a white woman, Minnie Cooper who was

at her late prime of youth. Minnie Cooper was sexually frustrated as she realized her youthful

beauty has started to fade and men started to stop laying their eyes on her. She apparently took

advantage of the prejudice shown towards the black colored people during that time period, as

she accused Will Mayes of trying to rape her. She apparently believed that by this false
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accusation, she would remind people that she was still sexually desirable. She perhaps was

certain that none would believe what a ‘nigger’ would say.

When the white mob reached the place where Will Mayes worked, they captured and

tortured him. Will Mayes also spoke politely how innocent he was, but he was not listened. The

author William Faulkner clearly presented Will Mayes as not just a black person, but he used

him as a person representing all the colored people in the time period. When the white mob

kidnapped him, he politely told them he had done no such crime and when they tortured him, he

still referred them as ‘captains’, ‘sir’. which ironically earned the empathy of the readers.

Though no detailed story about Will Mayes was specifically stated in the story and there was no

proof of his innocence either, but the sympathy is earned from the readers of the story points out

that the author wanted to make the reader felt deprived justice themselves and let them

experience the indirect discrimination felt throughout the story through a sheet of paper.

When Will Mayes was tortured, the author William Faulkner used the word ‘manacled

hands’ of Will Mayes which shows similarities of the slavery and bondage of the Black Negros

in America. Though they were freed from inhuman slavery, discrimination against them and

prejudices faced from the Whites still persisted as shown in the story. We see that a barber,

Henry Hawkshaw, when he tried to stop the men from harming Will Mayes, he told the white

men, "If anybody done it. Why, you all know well as I do there ain’t any town where they got

better niggers than us.” His statement showed that colored people were seen as liable to commit

crime compared to the their white counterparts. Ironically, they became the one who committed

odious crime by slaughtering a person out of hatred without any existence of proof. The theme of
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the story is Racism practiced throughout America towards Black people.

3. The story ‘Dry September’ not only shows the racial violence committed to the

coloured people in the time period. The author William Faulkner buried a patriarchal nature of

the society in the story. In racism, the majority race considered themselves as superior to other

races and believe that even laws can reprimand them as they are the one who structured the body

of the authorities. In a partriarchal society, men who are physically stronger and dominant

dominate their female counterparts. They make important decisions and exercise power in every

aspect of the society. In the story, Faulkner described Miss Minnie Cooper as a woman who was

at late of her prime living with her aging mother and aunt. He described her days as ‘idle, empty

days.’ She was unmarried and apparently lived a lonely life. She did not belong to the upper

class family but her beauty allowed her to enter into the upper section of society for a time, but

only while her friends were “still children enough to be unclass-conscious.” As she grew old, she

became less noticed and as she did belong to upper class, she couldn’t marry like her upper

classes friend. We know that the story started by introducing a rumour about a black man trying

to sexually assault a white woman. The barber Henry Hawkshaw stated that he knew the colored

man, Will Mayes and the woman, Miss Minnie Cooper as well. When they asked about the white

woman, he replied first that she was about ‘40’ and was unmarried. Miss Minnie Cooper was

defined by her age and her marital status. Beside stating that he did not believe Will Mayes did it

he also added that as Miss Winnie was old and unattractive even a black man would not have the

desire to sexually approach her which indirectly showed the lower status of female in that period

when the story is set. Miss Minnie Copper was said to be having a boyfriend who left her for a
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better job in a city which was not possible for a woman like her. Class distinction and her gender

perhaps did not shine a light for her that she perhaps be tempted to accuse the poor black fellow

to sexually assault her. Other instances of men domination was seen at the end of the story when

McLendon went home after committed heinous crime. He was infuriated to see that her wife was

still awake when he went home which apparently he had warned her before. Her refusal to heed

his warning can be seen as an act of resistance against his domination. McLendon then

physically abused her wife. “Her face was pale, strained, weary looking” showed her unhappy

marriage life. Miss McLendon perhaps was compelled to stay with her husband due to several

circumstances out of which the lower status of divorced female could be one of the reason.

Though the main theme of the story focused on the discrimination faced by the poor

black man. Both the accused Will Mayes and Miss Minnie Cooper were a victim from the

judgmental society. Women were treated as objects and defined by their beauty which perhaps

tempted Miss Minnie to falsely accused the black man to shout-out that she was still exist in the

society and still desirable. Will Mayes suffered because of the dominated White men and Miss

Minnie suffered because she did not belong to upper class family and she was a female whose

beauty was fading. The author William Faulkner buried the fact that gender inequality and

racism are the result of dominance by the stronger groups of the society out of which race was

the case for Will Mayes and gender was the case for Miss Minnie Cooper.
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4. The story “Dry September” narrated a story about how the coloured people faced

discrimination and injustice in the States in the period in which the story was set. Though it

might leave an impression in the minds of the readers that discrimination is endemic and cited

only in the States which is completely false. Discrimination can be seen anywhere as long as

human races inhabit the earth. “Dry September” only covered discrimination over a particular

period in history faced by the coloured people. In other words Discrimination and injustice are

universal. In our own country, India, caste system existed for a long time and people from the

upper caste discriminated the lower castes and even considered them as ‘Untouchables’. A

person must follow his father’s occupation and was forced to if he does not obey. One couldn’t

apply for another occupation as he is compelled by the caste system to follow his ancestor’s job.

Though people claim that caste system doesn’t exist anymore religious and cultural conflicts lead

to death and violence frequently across the country. Many people claim that we are deluded by

our own statement that we have abolished the caste system. The government makes laws and

reservations to protect the lower caste people and try to help them to climb the social ladder.

Inter-marriage between different castes though allowed but in reality people still prefer to marry

a person from their own caste as witnessed through matrimonial pages of renowned newspapers.

Even politician today raise the issue of caste system among the audience and take advantage of

it. During the election they raise the issue for votes everybody takes the advantage from this

issues. Religious conflict among Hindus and Muslims during the British Rule In India also led to

massacre leading to death of many innocent citizens, furthering led to the separation of the

country. Conflicts arises when differences among people exist. These differences can be of clan,

caste, language, religion, etc. This is not the only case in our country though. Though ‘’Dry
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September’’ was written back in 1931 and dealt with the issue regarding the white oppression

and discrimination of the African-American people, the seeds of discrimination hasn’t

completely died out yet. Racism against Black people still hit the news these days and online

trolling and bullying against black people are still witnessed though many decades have passed

since the story was published.

As have mentioned, from our own country we cited many examples like caste

discrimination and prejudices. Beside these, discrimination of the North Eastern People of our

own country is underrated and is an issue which has been frequently discussed. India unlike US

has a diverse cultural, society and religions across different geographical regions of the country.

But it is very unfortunate that we cant coexist in peace without conflict. North East People have

faced lot of discrimination on the mainland country. Just as the Black People were discriminated

in the States, they are also discriminated because of their looks as they considered them to be not

Indian enough. Cases of crime against North East Women occurs frequently. It is really upsetting

to notice injustice and inequality still prevails in the 21st century. Though Government has tried

to uplift the status of minorities through reservations in occupation, education etc, few cases

regarding the matter are witnessed frequently. The status of women though have been tried be

improvised and Many success have been made in several fields. Equal payments in equal work,

Conventional roles of men and women have been challenged with several other examples.

Slowly and deliberately we must water the ‘dryness’ of our life and germinate and develop

respect towards our other human beings not because they deserve it but because they are human

beings as well. Only then, we can succeed in building a society where all can coexist peacefully.
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Works Cited

Faulkner, William. “Dry September”. Scribner’s Magazine,1931, pp.169-183.

https://web.archive.org/web/20080222022641/http://nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/4/faulkner/se

ptember.htm

L. Ford, Arthur. “Dust and Dreams: A Study of Faulkner's "Dry September””. College English,

Vol. 24, No. 3. National Council of Teachers of English, 1962. pp. 219-220.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/373290?origin=JSTOR-pdf.