The Hamlet: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Hamlet: Analysis of Major Characters" examines the intricate web of relationships and moral complexities within a rural Southern community depicted by William Faulkner. Central to this exploration is Flem Snopes, a manipulative and merciless figure symbolizing economic exploitation in the post-Civil War South. He marries Eula Varner, the daughter of the town's wealthiest man, primarily for personal gain rather than affection. The narrative also delves into other characters such as Will Varner, Eula's father, and Henry Armstid, a local farmer who suffers from his own folly as he repeatedly falls victim to Flem’s schemes.
Additional characters, including V. K. Ratliff, a perceptive salesman, and Ab Snopes, Flem's unscrupulous father, contribute to the portrayal of a community rife with deception and moral decay. The dynamics among characters reveal a society where greed and ignorance lead to tragic outcomes, as seen in Armstid's mental breakdown after failing to uncover promised treasures. Through this character analysis, Faulkner addresses themes of power, class, and the human condition within a mythologized Mississippi setting. This overview invites readers to explore the depth and richness of Faulkner's characterizations and their implications for understanding the broader societal issues at play.
The Hamlet: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: William Faulkner
First published: 1940
Genre: Novel
Locale: Mississippi
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: Late nineteenth century
Flem Snopes, a character who epitomizes an economic force that moved into the South shortly after the Civil War. Snopes is cunning, ruthless, cruel, and devoted to self-aggrandizement through the power that comes with owning property. His business ethics are an abomination; his contempt for the ignorant townspeople he cheats is complete. Flem Snopes, along with his many relatives, is a symbol of economic rape that Faulkner presents throughout the stories and novels he has written about a mythological Mississippi county.
Eula Varner, a sexually precocious rural beauty who becomes Mrs. Flem Snopes after she becomes pregnant by one of three suitors who leave the region when her condition becomes known. Flem marries Eula, not out of compassion but because he is anxious to get established in the community, and she is the daughter of the hamlet's wealthiest man.
Will Varner, Eula's father, the leading citizen of French-man's Bend and the town's largest property owner.
Henry Armstid, a local farmer distinguished by his stupidity and bull-headedness. He is twice duped by Flem Snopes. He buys a worthless horse from him and later, with two other men, buys a piece of property on which Snopes has led them to believe buried treasure will be found. Armstid's blind pride prevents him from learning anything from the crooked transactions. At last, disappointed because he finds no treasure on the property, he loses his mind.
V. K. Ratliff, a sewing-machine salesman who knows everything about everybody in the countryside. Flem Snopes bilks him out of some money by selling him and Armstid a worthless piece of property.
Ab Snopes, Flem's father, a newcomer to the hamlet, who rents a farm from Will Varner. He is suspected of being an arsonist, and he is known to be an unscrupulous horse trader. Poetic justice is served when he, trying to cheat a horse trader, is himself roundly cheated.
Jody Varner, Will Varner's son and heir.
Isaac Snopes, a mentally deficient boy whose peculiar erotic behavior toward a cow causes a town scandal.
Mink Snopes, one of the Snopes clan convicted of murder andsenttoprisonforlife.
Jack Houston, the citizen who impounds Mink Snopes' stray cow and is murdered following a dispute over the cost of feeding the animal.
Labove, a schoolteacher who attempts to seduce Eula Varner, fails, and leaves Frenchman's Bend forever.
Mrs. Henry Armstid, a shy, uneducated woman who lives in abject poverty with Armstid and their four children.
Pat Stamper, an extremely shrewd horse trader who buys a worthless horse from Ab Snopes, paints it and fattens it with a bicycle pump, then sells it back to him.
Buck Hipps, a Texan who, in collusion with Flem Snopes, sells a group of wild spotted horses to the credulous farmers of the Frenchman's Bend area.
Hoake McCarron, one of Eula Varner's more gallant suitors and the father of her unborn child.
Eckrum (Eck) Snopes, a member of the Snopes tribe who receives a wild horse as a gift from Buck Hipps.
Vernon Tull, a townsman who is injured when Eck Snopes's wild horse collides with his wagon.
Odum Bookwright, a naïve citizen who, along with Ratliff and Armstid, is taken in by Flem Snopes on a property deal.