Images of the Wood and the Cross in the Light in AugustIt is almost impossible to interpret Light in August without noting the Christian parallels.1 Beekman Cottrell explains:As if it were proof that such If the [Christian] symbolic interpretation is valid, Faulkner provides us, at the outer or higher level of symbolism, with some facts which many readers have noticed and which are, in fact, unavoidable. There's the name Joe Christmas, with the initials JC. There is the fact of his uncertain paternity and his appearance at the orphanage on Christmas Day. Joe is approximately thirty-three years old at the time of his lynching, and this event is set up throughout the novel by Faulkner's constant use of the word crucifixion. These are precise indications, and perhaps there are others equally convincing. (207) Indeed, there are many more compelling Christian symbolisms, which, in summary, have led Virginia Hlavsa to suggest that in Light in August "Faulkner organized his events and directed his themes parallel to the 21 chapters of the Gospel of Saint John" ("St. John and Frazer" 11).2 These symbolisms, however, depart from the text of Light in August and seek to unify the novel only through biblical or mythical allusions. They attempt to answer questions about how Light in August functions as a literary work while avoiding the novel itself. For this reason, each of them fails to represent a definitive interpretation of the novel. According to François Pitavy, these critics do not base their interpretations on "methodical analysis". They do not "study each chapter or group of chapters to see how and why spatial and temporal ruptures occur" (2). Faulkner's use of Christian myths in Light in August has produced jagged paths for critics... half of article......uri State University, 1995. Gwynn, Frederick L. and Joseph Blotner, eds . Faulkner at the University. Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 1959.Hlavsa, VirginiaV. "The Crucifixion in the light of August: suspension of the rules at the post office". Faulkner and Religion: Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha 1987. Ed. Doreen Fowler and Ann J. Abadie. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 1989: 127-139. -------. "Saint John and Frazer in the Light in August: Biblical Form and Mythical Function". Humanities Research Bulletin 83 (1980): 9-26. -------. "The Mirror, the Lamp, and the Bed: Faulkner and the Modernists." American Literature 57 (1985): 23-43. Meriwether, James B. and Michael Millgate, eds. Lion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner 1926-1962. New York: Random House, 1968.Pitavy, François. "Light of August" by Faulkner. Bloomington: Indiana SU, 1973