Abner Rex

Every side has a hero. History is written from the perspective of the winners, and a tragedy leaves no winner. Does this mean that there is to be no history either? I would be lead to believe so. William Faulkner sets Abner to parallel the classic tragic hero that lives his life in despair due to a flaw in his humanity. Abner is a hero that would live up to every aspect of a tragic hero other than any form of catharsis. Abner’s has a hubris that cannot be denied. He believes that everything he does is right and that he cannot be wrong because he is white. This egocentric attitude causes him to elevate himself above that of other people and he believes that he should be equal to the aristocrats. This foolish pride simply exacerbates his most prominent fault, which his fiery and uncontrollable rage. There is no build up to a final fall unless you look at it in a different aspect where the buildup is to a final area where everything is to be settled. In the end the audience gets no catharsis in the form of Abner having retribution; however the final scene gives a sense of hope that Sartoris will be able to begin life anew.

If you were to adhere strictly the the traditional sense of the term Tragic Hero, then Abner does not fit other than having foolish pride and a fatal flaw. However, you can connect with this man. There has been a point in everyone’s life where they feel the need to level the playing field for them or even for their family so that they may live a better life.