Although most men and women recognize how traditional gender roles dictate their actions in hopes of being accepted into society, very few can claim to have been completely exiled from their community because they appear too “masculine” or vice versa. In Light in August, the people of Jefferson are presented as a single antagonist where they exist solely to oppose any unwanted changes within the community. Joanna Burden is first introduced with feminine traits typical of a traditional female character; one who exists to satisfy the needs and desires of their male counterpart. As Joanna begins to develop a relationship with Joe Christmas, it is revealed that she too has an uncanny ability to embody masculine traits. However, the fact that Burden cannot be classified as either a man or a woman calls into question the city's aversion to gender fluidity. Joanna Burden's confusing separation between masculinity and femininity is the most decisive factor in the Jefferson community's collective decision to reject her from society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Because of the citizens' need to uphold their traditional Southern values, Jefferson's community takes on a character of its own that marginalizes anyone deemed undesirable or incapable of conforming to its ideals. During this period, the simple idea of ​​homosexuality is not accepted, forcing some characters into isolation from society as their sexual orientations are continually questioned. Although Joanna Burden has resided in Jefferson her entire life, she is "still a stranger...who is still talked about in town with strange dealings with the Negroes in town and out" (Faulkner 46). This exemplifies the abnormal tendency of the community to form a single, unified opinion in contrast to the variance of opinions expected from a large population. Jefferson's citizens exile and ignore Joanna due to her transgression of social norms, which unconsciously affects her personality. The community's aversion to actions that counter their conservative ideologies, such as out-of-wedlock pregnancy, is a factor that demonstrates Jefferson's citizens are incapable of forming individual moral beliefs. Lena's brother is representative of this underlying problem when he "noticed her changing shape... [and] called her a whore" (Faulkner 6). His opinion on Lena's pregnancy is in line with and conforms to Southern society's expectations of the imperative to marry. Jefferson's community develops into an entity that exists to serve as the city's metaphorical moral compass. Any character who deviates from their collective opinion or attempts to change Jefferson's conservative agenda is shunned until the individual fades into oblivion. Before Faulkner further develops the relationship between Joanna Burden and Joe Christmas during his first phase, Miss Burden is originally portrayed as a stereotypical white figure. Southern femininity. In Jefferson, white women are expected to uphold Southern tradition with no inclination to change or question it, all the while imposing themselves on the cookie-cutter image of the domestic housewife. Joanna constantly prepares meals for Joe, but never sits down to eat with him, instead standing "in one of her seemingly endless successions of clean calico house dresses and sometimes a little cloth bonnet like a peasant" (Faulkner 233). Rigid gender roles place Joanna Burden in a seemingly immovable ideaof how white women should be represented physically in a society that emphasizes the importance of social hierarchies. In this case, it is the symbol of the Southern community's attempt to exploit its existence for the benefit of the opposite sex. Miss Burden temporarily comes to terms with her femininity when she considers having a child; Another traditional role of women where they are supposed to live in servitude as a caretaker. For Joanna, the idea of ​​pregnancy gives her a sense of empowerment: “At first she talked about it impersonally, talking about babies. It was some time before [Joe] discovered… he was discussing it as a possibility, a practical thought” (Faulkner 264-265). Pregnancy gives her a feminine sexuality that is not achieved through sexual acts, but rather through motherhood – one of the most important contributions a woman is expected to make to Southern society, or more specifically, to Jefferson's community. Any deviation from these beliefs gives citizens a reason to punish the unorthodox individual and exile him from the community. Although Joanna Burden embodies some feminine traits, her unconventional masculinity is what causes her to become an outcast after being deemed a threat to the community. Southern social order. Instead of a typical heterosexual relationship that is common and expected in Jefferson, Joanna assumes a position of male authority, challenging the traditional female archetype. When Joe Christmas first meets Joanna, he describes her masculine traits: "There was no feminine hesitation... It was as if she were physically wrestling with another man over an object of no real value to either of them, and for who fought only on principle" (Faulkner 235). A female character with the ability to alter her personality to resemble that of the opposite sex, such as Miss Burden, quickly becomes a danger to Jefferson's male population; Joe and Joanna's relationship is called into question when their sexual relations can be interpreted as homosexual sex, a taboo act within Jefferson's community. Another implication of Joanna's gender fluidity is exemplified when she transforms into the more dominant “male” figure in the relationship, while Joe becomes her submissive counterpart. Christmas suddenly realizes that he is forced into the position of what Joanna Burden should be: a woman: “'My God,' he thought, 'it was as if I were the woman and she was the man' (Faulkner 235). This threatens the very moral principles that Jefferson's community prides itself on, that men and women should adhere to their God-given roles in society. Joanna challenges the traditionally black and white binary of man versus woman in a culture that is highly intolerant of mixtures of any variation, be it gender, race, or sexual behavior. Since Miss Burden has feminine and masculine aspects, she is neither a man nor a woman, but instead a combination of both. His embodiment of femininity and masculinity is not originally displayed outwardly through his actions and personality, but is ultimately permanently inscribed on his body. During the third phase of Joanna's relationship with Joe, she is depicted as having "a spinster's face: prominently boned, long, somewhat thin, almost masculine: in contrast to it her plump body was more richly and sweetly animalistic than ever ” (Faulkner 266). The juxtaposition of the two descriptions exemplifies the physical duality it now represents; although her weight gain can be compared to pregnancy or femininity, her body still rejects the implication of gender. Faulkner also blurs the divide between the sexes by referring to pregnancy in a distorted and unorthodox way due to both.