51 pages • 1 hour read
William FaulknerSanctuary
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1931A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Southern gentility is often brought up by the characters, with both Temple and Gowan repeatedly referencing their families and experiences as a kind of safety net. What is Sanctuary’s message about the idea of Southern gentility?
Though the novel focuses on Temple’s story, it begins with Horace Benbow. Why is Benbow introduced first? What does this opening say about the broader themes of the novel?
Compare the characters Temple and Ruby. How do their different social classes change their treatment within the novel?
Which literary genre(s) does Sanctuary exemplify? Why? Justify your choice with examples from the text and discussion of the overarching themes of the novel.
Discuss the depictions of nature and scenery in the novel. How do Faulkner’s descriptions enhance the themes of the story?
How does Popeye’s ending affect the larger story? What does it say about the broader themes of guilt and punishment?
Upper class, genteel Southern society is placed at odds against the criminal world that was also at play in 1930s Mississippi in the novel. How are these worlds different? How are they similar? What does the juxtaposition of these two worlds say about Faulkner’s Mississippi?
Faulkner claims to have written Sanctuary purely for money. Does this affect how you read the story? How might the subject matter of Sanctuary reflect popular tastes in 1931?
What is the biggest change Temple undergoes over the course of the novel? How different is she at the end compared to the beginning?
To what could the title, Sanctuary, refer? Explain your reasoning using examples from the text.
Related Titles
By William Faulkner
