Corruption of Justice Anonymous 11th Grade

William Faulkner uses his short stories to tell a tale of corruption, especially through the acceptance of white culture, and “A Justice” is no different. He writes his protagonist, Doom, as growing increasingly evil at the same time as his Eurocentric growth, irrevocably connecting the two in the mind of the reader. Faulkner then gives materialism both a negative and a European connotation, showing that it leads to narcissism and should be avoided in order to keep a functional, just society. Finally, he does the same with power, showing that Doom’s exploitation of leadership leads to a corrupt, unjust community. In “A Justice,” William Faulkner shows how the adoption of white man’s customs, particularly materialism and abuse of power, leads to the corruption of justice by perpetuating selfishness and inequality rather than the good of the community.

Throughout the story, the protagonist Ikkemotubbe, or Doom, changes his name multiple times, showing how he grows more evil as his identity grows progressively whiter. As he chooses increasingly Anglo names, his morals shift to value property and power at any cost, which illustrates the selfishness and lack of justice synonymous with European culture. First, Faulkner writes about...