Write 5 page essay on the topic Examine how the concept of the banality of evil is used in the works of William Faulkner.Download file to see previous pages... In essence, this means that the banality

Write 5 page essay on the topic Examine how the concept of the banality of evil is used in the works of William Faulkner.

In essence, this means that the banality of evil posits that ordinary people have the capacity to normalize the unthinkable. Therefore, the conduct of unspeakably terrible things in a systematic or organized manner rests solely on normalization. The banality of evil allows acts that are ugly, murderous. degrading and unspeakable to become routine and acceptable as normal or the norm. William Faulkner wrote a massive quantity of works, some of which encompass the concept of the banality of evil. Faulkner sought to portray humans as having the wiliness to consider unspeakable actions as normal. This paper will examine the concept of the banality of evil in William Faulkner’s works. His works show that such normalization is the root of evil in the society and not the unspeakable acts. The banality of evil depends solely on a division of labor in which certain people perform unspeakable acts while others rationalize these actions. In Sanctuary, Faulkner constructs the story on the framework of crime and detective work, which influences the story’s progression. The framework of the work’s genre also influences the ultimate violence enacted on characters throughout the novel, specifically Temple Drake. Faulkner used the genre of horror to exemplify the banality of evil existent in the story. ...

Sanctuary encompassed numerous horror scenes characterized by mutilation and violations through sharp objects such as razors and knives. Perhaps one of the mortifying acts of violence encompassed in the novel is the horrific human violation through a blunt, phallic corn cob. Bloodshed, in Sanctuary, is normalized and perceived as meaningful as it raises questions regarding racial purity, as well as masculine/feminine constructions within the society (Faulkner 216). Sanctuary gives flesh to beings nearly too depraved or sick to fit the description of human beings. Notably, characters in Sanctuary transgressed all boundaries of human normalcy although the characters do not consider their actions as depraved. These characters rationalize and normalize their actions allowing the consideration of such violent, depraved acts as normal human behaviors. Faulkner shows, through characters such as Popeye, how humans tend to rationalize the evilest actions considering them as normal. For instance, since Popeye was impotent and considered the act of rape a normal human action, he proceeded to rape Temple using a corn cob. The townspeople, on the other hand, also exemplify the banality of evil when they castrate and lynch Goodwin who was innocent of the purported crimes. In this case, the townspeople normalized the acts of castration and lynching as proper punishments for crimes committed. Temple also shows how the society normalized the act of poking fun at other people’s inabilities as she laughs at Popeye’s impotence. The characters in Sanctuary also consider sexual immorality normal human behavior.