Disharmonious Relationship Among Father And Sons In William Faulkner's, Absalom, Absalom!

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the disharmonious relationships between fathers and sons in William Faulkner’s novel Absalom, Absalom!. Family relationships play an important role in the novel, particularly through the conflicts arising from Thomas Sutpen’s ambition, authoritarian behavior, and expectations of his sons. These conflicts reveal the destructive consequences of paternal authority, racial prejudice, social ambition, and the pursuit of family status in the Southern society of the American South. The study focuses on how the relationships between fathers and sons deteriorate and how these conflicts contribute to the tragic development of the Sutpen family.

This study employs a qualitative descriptive method and a literary psychological approach to examine the characters, conflicts, and interactions represented in the novel. The primary data consist of words, phrases, sentences, dialogues, and narrative passages that illustrate disharmonious relationships between fathers and sons. The data are collected through close reading and documentation, then classified and analyzed according to the research focus. The analysis examines the forms of paternal domination, emotional distance, rejection, conflicting expectations, and resistance exhibited by the characters. Relevant literary theories concerning family relationships, characterization, and conflict are used to support the interpretation.

This study is expected to demonstrate that the disharmonious relationships in Absalom, Absalom! are closely connected to Thomas Sutpen’s obsession with establishing a powerful family dynasty. His ambitions and rigid expectations create tensions that undermine communication, affection, and mutual understanding within the family. These conflicts also reflect broader social problems involving class, race, and patriarchal authority in the American South. Ultimately, the study seeks to explain how Faulkner portrays the destructive effects of excessive ambition and authoritarian parenting on family relationships.