Reading Blood and History in Go Down, Moses
Reading Blood and History in Go Down, Moses
This chapter offers a reading of William Faulkner’s collection of short stories, Go Down, Moses. One of the highlights of the book is Isaac McCaslin’s renunciation of his birthright, considered an iconic moment in American literature. Go Down, Moses is about a family that insists upon pure blood. It also tackles racism, incest, homosexuality, and the sterile isolation of masturbation. The chapter argues that Isaac’s case occurs in a disconnect between blood and history: he can stop the transmission of his blood but not of his history.
Keywords: racism, William Faulkner, Go Down, Moses, birthright, blood, incest, homosexuality, masturbation, history
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