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Kate Springs

Mr. Inman

AP English III 4B

19 February 2019

“A Justice” – Secondary Annotations

Bradford, Melvin E. “That Other Patriarchy: Observations on Faulkner’s ‘A Justice.’” Modern

Age, vol. 18, 1974. Pgs. 265-271. https://isistatic.org/journal-

archive/ma/18_03/bradford.pdf

Pg. 265-266 “There had been a ‘justice’ This quote explains the irony
among the People. The extent of the title of the story –
of (and the process providing Doom claims to deal out
for) its corruption is rendered justice to the people of his
in the account of Doom’s tribe in the cock-fight and the
obfuscation in the matter of fence, but he subjugates the
Sam’s birth and in the Indians in an unjust
“narration” of Doom’s dictatorship.
Machiavellian seizure of the
chieftancy in the days
preceding that deliberate
confusion.”
Pg. 266 “He is the Man to himself The values that are prominent
already and also the “doom” in the modern age – dishonor,
of the Indians’ inherited injustice – are, according to
way of life.” Faulkner, white values that
have infected the Indian
culture. Doom’s adoption of
these values, his quest for
property, eventually leads to
the tribe’s demise.
Pg. 268 “And, once done, the boat- The steamboat is a symbol of
moving announces Doom’s progress for Doom, a symbol
Manship in its fulI nature; for of white culture. White
the steamboat “dead” again culture in this story is dead,
becomes the House of stuck to the ground, like Pap
Doom’s chieftaincy, his in the Adventures of
announcement that he Huckleberry Finn. Doom’s
possesses all the magic of the quest to retrieve the
white man, the magic of raw steamboat and make it his
power over persons and home is indicative of his
things.” quest to follow white values,
though they are corrupt and
lead to his demise.
Pg. 269 “[Doom] violates the “yellow Doom’s naming of Sam takes
man’s” right to the away the rights of the black
prerogatives of a “place” man, Craw-ford, and Sam, all
implicit in the act of naming, three of them suffering an
to the security of direct injustice by Doom.
commitment from liegelord to
liegeman. Indeed, he denies
his own blood, the anchor of
all patriarchal values.”
Pg. 269 “Yet the basic principle of The naming of a son is a
patriarchy is broken by this basic patriarchial tradition,
ambiguous choice and by the and Doom’s naming of Sam
consequent pattern of Sam’s Fathers removes him from the
life as neither red nor black-a society of both slaves and
son with no definite father, Indians. Sam Fathers is not
with a black half-brother and accepted by any of these
an Indian “Pappy” who is societies because of Doom’s
probably no kin at all.” strive for power.
Pg. 269 “And Craw-ford’s doubly The dividing of the land at
symbolic fence built around the end of the story – the
the slave’s cabin is (as are physical barrier (the fence)
salt and steamboat) only between Craw-ford and the
another way for Doom to black man – brought injustice
preserve his splendid and dishonor into the tribe,
isolation as both modern and leading to its eventual
prince: as disembodied will, demise.
protected from delimiting
involvement (including
family or friends) by the arts
of politics; as the owner (in a
private, exclusive sense) of
his tribe and its land.”
Pg. 270 “The red man, ‘A Justice’ The injustice suffered in this
indicates, forfeited his own story is by the Indians
birthright, ceased to hold in subjugated by Doom, who
fief (or ever to have owned) a have their rights taken away
portion of God’s creation the and their tribe dissolved by
very moment when Doom white values.
realized he individually
‘could sell it for money.’”
Clark, William Bedford. “A Tale of Two Chiefs: William Faulkner's Ikkemotubbe and

Washington Irving's Blackbird.” Western American Literature, vol. 12, no. 3, 1977, pp.

223–225. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43018041.

Pg. 224 “Both Blackbird and The poison is Doom’s


Ikkemotubbe are pictured as ruthlessness and injustice
enamored of the white world, (corrupt white values he
and the poison they import learned while in New
from that word is Orleans) manifested, which
metaphorical as well as leads to the demise of the
literal. As a consequence, traditional values (the values
each of the chiefs presides of his uncle and nephew) of
over the corruption of the the tribe.
established Indian order by a
destructive alien culture.”
Pg. 225 “Without falling for the Doom’s ruthlessness and
temptation to over- injustice (corrupt white
sentimentalize the Indians’ values he learned while in
plight, both Irving and New Orleans) is manifested
Faulkner nevertheless show in the poison, which leads to
that the white man’s poison is the demise of the traditional
strong medicine indeed.” values (the values of his uncle
and nephew) of the tribe.
Pg. 223 “Ikkemotubbe has possessed The first part of the short
himself of a strong medicine story consisted of Doom
for consolidating his control adopting white culture and
over his tribe…the Indian’s twisting it to fit his needs.
ruthless machinations are Faulkner condemns Doom’s
indeed worthy of a actions and the standards of
Renaissance Machivell.” the time, believing that the
cultural mimicry displayed
here erases values more
prominent in the romantic
age.

D’Alessandro, Michael. “Childless ‘Fathers,’ Native Sons: Mississippi Tribal Histories and

Performing the Indian in Faulkner’s Go Down, Moses.” Mississippi Quarterly, vol. 67,

no. 3, Summer 2014, pp. 375–401. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=116334524&site=lrc-live.
Pg. 382-383 “As Sam lets others cast him Sam suffers injustice at the
as an imaginary Chickasaw hands of the Southern
prince, and then willingly aristocracy, who treat his as a
performs that role, Faulkner servant because of his race –
depicts the region’s lack of the Southerners treat him
intercultural understanding. with all the negative side
Many Southerners like Ike effects of the stereotypes of
simply assign individuals to black people and Indians,
different races based on while he was shunned by the
preconceived notions.” actual black people and
Indians.
Pg. 384 “Naively misreading Sam as Quentin is a type of Ike; his
the mystical Indian of days complete and total disregard
past, Ike represents a for Sam’s story is indicative
generation of Southern of the unwillingness of the
children disconnected from Southern aristocracy. to listen
actual history.” to the injustice that their
values have caused.
Pg. 386 “But Sam’s separation from Sam is separated from black
his father Ikkemotubbe (aptly society- his black father is not
nicknamed Doom) severed even his father. He is
him from a Chickasaw separated by Indian society,
culture even before the tribe and he is treated as inferior to
departed westward. Thus Sam the Southern whites. The real
seeks to initiate Ike into a injustice in this story is
Native American society to suffered by Sam, a social
which Sam never wholly pariah.
belonged in the first place.”

Gage, Duane. “William Faulkner's Indians.” American Indian Quarterly, vol. 1, no. 1, 1974, pp.

27–33. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1184198.

Pg. 29 “The racial component is a The main theme of the story


basic part of the story: the red is the abuse and injustice that
man and the black man the black man (speaking of
compete for the love of the both the slave in the story and
black woman on almost equal the race) suffers, and the
terms; the half-Choctaw man message that Faulkner is
is treated as a negro, trying to convey is the
according to the racial code inequality between white,
of the white man.” blacks, and Indians.
Pg. 33 “Faulkner also uses his One major part of this story is
Indians to accentuate the the oppressive treatment of
relationships between the the Indians by both the
races in the South. In a social higher-status Indians and the
position above the blacks but white men. The Indians in
below the whites, the Indians this story, Doom and the
tend to judge men not on the people he oppresses, are used
basis of color but on personal to show the true nature of
qualities.” people beyond race.
Pg. 33 “When Faulkner creates a The first part of the short
scene in which Indians are story consisted of Doom
treated as blacks, it becomes adopting white culture and
a profound statement on how twisting it to fit his needs.
meaningless it is to judge Faulkner condemns Doom’s
people on the color of their actions and the standards of
skin. In the stories in which the time, believing that the
the Indian takes on the white cultural mimicry displayed
man’s culture, he loses here erases values more
something of the primitive prominent in the romantic
qualities which Faulkner age.
seems to feel are more
meaningful in life than the
wasteful sophisticated things
we associate with progress.”

Johnson, Bruce G. “Indigenous Doom: Colonial Mimicry in Faulkner's Indian Tales.” Faulkner

Journal, vol. 18, no. 1/2, 2002, pp. 101–127. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24908270.

Pg. 101 “Through his portrayal of the Through the actions of Doom,
Chickasaw and Choctaw Faulkner condemns both the
tribes’ published in seven cultural mimicry of the
short stories between 1930 Indians of the whites and the
and 1948, Faulkner condemns whites’ oppressive treatment
the colonization of an of the Indians.
indigenous people and their
land by a Euramerican culture
obsessed with ownership.”
Pg. 101 “In a narrative saga that The values that are prominent
complicates the hierarchical in the modern age – dishonor,
opposition between the injustice – are, according to
colonial victimizers and the Faulkner, white values that
American Indian victims, have infected the Indian
however, Faulkner indicts culture. Doom’s adoption of
both whites and Amerindians these values, his quest for
in these tales. Ironically and property, eventually leads to
tragically, the Indian tribes the tribe’s demise.
ultimately assume the
ownership roles of the white
culture in these stories, as
they engage in a similar quest
for multiple forms of
property.”
Pg. 102 “While Bhabba posits that One main theme of the story
mimicry will therefore always is the negative effects of
produce the ironic gap of Doom’s adoption of white
‘difference’ (whether it is culture – the bridging of the
intended or not), Faulkner’s gap between Faulkner’s
Native American tales show whites and Indians makes the
that this gap can be partially American people (both whites
bridged, and he chronicles the and Indians) an amoral
tragic effects of the closing of people obsessed with greed
this gap for both colonizers and property.
and colonized alike.”
Pg. 102 “[in] ‘A Justice’ (1931) Faulkner’s main point is the
Faulkner’s Indians mimic dangers of assimilation – the
their colonizers’ value system “dominant culture” is the
in a way that does not white culture, which is
threaten the colonial amoral, dishonest, and unjust.
authority. Rather, their Faulkner warns against the
internalization of white mores Indians’ adopting the white
only helps to perpetuate the culture because it leads to
capitalistic spirit of the injustice against both Indians
dominant culture.” and African Americans alike.
Pg. 102 “In these two tales the Again, Faulkner warns
Indians’ actions are against the dangers of the
contextualized by a mimicry mimicry of white culture –
of loss, as they unwittingly Doom’s quest for power and
initiate their own cultural property is what eventually
demise by purposefully led to the collapse of his tribe
mimicking their colonizers’ (in a later story).
quest for property.”
Pg. 103 “as Faulkner’s fictional The dividing of the land at
chronicle demonstrates, the the end of the story – the
abandonment of communal physical barrier (the fence)
ownership of land was among between Craw-ford and the
the factors leading to the black man – brought injustice
demise of Native American and dishonor into the tribe,
culture.” leading to its eventual
demise.
Pg. 111 “Rather than using mimicry A theme that Faulkner uses
to subvert colonial authority, on multiple occasions is the
Ikkemotubbe embraces a danger of trying to remain
mimicry of white power by stationary in a changing
adopting white social world. As in “A Rose for
practices in his bid for Emily”, when Emily dies
cultural hegemony in a alone as a result of trying to
changing world. Essentially stay in the same place,
returning to his tribe as a Ikemotubbe eventually
socially constructed ‘white’ dooms his tribe by trying to
man… Ikkemotubbe move on too fast.
embodies the capitalistic
ideology that ultimately
‘Dooms’ his people.”
Pg. 111 “In ‘A Justice’ Faulkner Again, Faulkner’s theme in
shows how the Indians’ this story is the danger of
mimicry of white values adopting corrupt white
ultimately leads to their practices of the modern age -
demise… Faulkner focuses injustice, dishonor – and how
not upon the subversive that ‘dooms’ the tribe.
qualities of mimicry, but
upon the ways in which
mimicry actually hurts these
colonized Indians.”
Pg. 111 “Although these Native The greed, materialistic,
Americans become injustice, and dishonor of the
economically empowered by whites infects the Indians as a
mimicking their colonizers’ result of Doom’s mimicry of
value system, they are white values, eventually
‘Doomed’ by the materialistic leading to these values
and self-serving philosophy working against the black
that this system promotes.” man and Sam Fathers.
Pg. 113 “Clearly, this etymological Doom gives himself a
shift in Doom’s process of re- European name, signifying
naming himself reflects the his desire to mimic European
Euramerican influence on his culture. With the new name
acquired identity; he now he has become corrupt,
perceives himself as a immoral, and unjust.
powerful ‘white’ tyrant- the
Man.”
Pg. 113 “Although the power invested The poison is Doom’s
in Doom’s numerous ruthlessness and injustice
possessions is emblematic of (corrupt white values he
the authority granted to him learned while in New
by an increasingly Orleans) manifested, which
materialistic Amerindian leads to the demise of the
culture, the poisonous white traditional values (the values
powder that he procured of his uncle and nephew) of
during his sojourn in New the tribe.
Orleans is the true source of
his uncontested dominance.”
Pg. 113 “Ultimately, this poison, Doom’s ruthlessness and
which is his greatest injustice (corrupt white
possession, symbolizes values he learned while in
Doom’s infection of his own New Orleans) is manifested
people, as he spreads the in the poison, which leads to
‘disease’ of materialism the demise of the traditional
throughout his native land.” values (the values of his uncle
and nephew) of the tribe.
Pg. 114 “[the building of the fence] is The building of the fence is
more precisely emblematic of the division of the tribe
Doom’s desire to divide these manifested, the separation of
races so that they will not these two races leading to the
continue to disrupt his cultural demise of the tribe
empire-building.” and their eventual
assimilation into white
culture.
Pg. 115 “Instead, [Sam Fathers] is not Another theme in the story is
only marginalized by the the injustice suffered by Sam
whites, but also shunned by Father – he is rejected by his
both red and black cultures in familial line, the slaves and
this story, though Doom’s Indians, and is treated as a
and the black slave’s servant, less than human, by
rejection of his patriarchy the whites, all for a crime he
(hence his name, Had-Two- had no part in.
Fathers, becomes ironic and
tragic).”

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