Faust

Originally a German folktale, Faust is a disgruntled intellectual that becomes frustrated with his studies and desires limitless knowledge. In his pursuit of knowledge, Faust makes an unwholesome pact with the Devil, his soul in exchange for pleasure and success. Faust receives all the Devil has promised, but remains unsatisfied with his life and all the worldly pleasures. In most adaptations of the story, Faust loses his soul and corrupts those nearest to him, including spoiling young virgins. Popularized in the sixteenth century by Christopher Marlowe in his play, "The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus", the story of Faust continues to be a literary and artistic inspiration. Faust is the personification of an overly ambitious character that dangerously relinquishes his soul, his integrity, to attain false riches and unfulfilling success.

In reference to //Absalom! Absalom//!, Faulkner often refers to Thomas Supten as an old "Faust". The epitome of familial woe and destruction, Supten might not be a scholar but he is guilty of the same crime as the original folktale. In exchange for wealth, position, and acres of land, Supten eagerly sacrifices his children. Wooing the Coldfield clan to dispose of their eldest daughter, Supten is continuously maneuvering and manipulating to the extent of enabling murder. Whether Supten loses his soul is a divine conversation, but in Mississippi, his large estate burns to the ground.

//The two daughters Negro and White and the aunt twelve miles away watching from her distance as the two daughters watched from theirs the old demon, the ancient varicose and despairing Faustus// (AA 182).

Works Cited:

Phillips, Walter Alison. "Faust". Encyclopedia Britannica (11th ed.) 1911.