Roan+Tooth

In "Was," the opening story in //Go Down, Moses// the character of Sophonsiba is described by a young Carothers Edmonds as having a "roan tooth" (10, 12) or a "roan-colored tooth" (11).

During a 1957 speaking engagement at the University of Virginia, William Faulkner was asked, "Sir, what is a roan tooth?" According to the [|transcript], Faulkner responded: "Oh, it was a - probably a dead tooth that had turned a blueish color, which to this little boy was the color of roan horse. That was the first color he thought of, that it was a dead tooth in this lady's mouth here that had a bluish cast or purplish cast to it."

Works Cited:

Faulkner, William. //Go Down, Moses: The Corrected Text//. New York, Vintage: 1990. Print.

"Engineering School Students, Tape 3" //Faulkner at Virginia//. 8 May 1957. 13 Dec 2013. Web.