The Powerful Force of Affection: Short Fiction from Faulkner and Porter Rebekah Scholz College

When love is apparent in a relationship, individuals are willing to make sacrifices for their loved ones. While no relationship is perfect, some are inherently grounded in an unwillingness to make sacrifices for each other; in this regard, American Literature is a potent resource from which observations can be made about the relationship between man and woman. Two relevant examples of these relationships are found in Katherine Anne Porter’s “Flowering Judas” and William Faulkner’s “That Evening Sun,” which depict relationships between characters Braggioni and Laura and between characters Jesus and Nancy, respectively. While both relationships are tainted by an unwillingness to make sacrifices for each other, these relationships affect the woman involved differently; while Laura gains even more independence, Nancy is led to a delusional sense of dependence.

Although the relationship between Braggioni and Laura is a potentially romantic one, it is not based off true love. Even though “he wishes to impress this simple girl who covers her great round breasts with thick dark cloth, and who hides long, invaluably beautiful legs under a heavy skirt,” he shows little to no evidence of his affection for her (Porter 872). He even has the...