Joe Christmas is a walking contradiction in the Southern society in which he resides. Throughout Light in August, central character Joe Christmas faces many factors that contribute to his inability to form substantial relationships with other characters. Joe's childhood in the orphanage and his life with the McEacherns have negative psychological effects on his interpersonal skills; However, Joe's relationship with Bobbie is the most detrimental factor in his ability to bond with family figures. Before meeting Bobbie, Joe develops an unstable relationship with Mr. McEachern; his strict enforcement of the rules forces Joe to remain docile despite his attempts to rebel. As Bobbie and Joe's relationship develops, Bobbie's attention blinds Joe, leading him to challenge Mr. and Mrs. McEachern. Although Joe betrays those who care for him to satisfy Bobbie, Joe's singular attempt to form an important bond backfires, leaving harmful effects in its wake. Joe Christmas's influential relationship with Bobbie Allen is the critical period that represents his inability to connect with family figures. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get an original essay Due to Joe Christmas's family history, or lack thereof, his unorthodox behavior toward relationships conflicts with the Traditional Southern ideas about family, leading Joe to isolate himself from his family and society. Throughout Light in August, family lineage plays an important role in the lives of the characters. Born an illegitimate child and placed in an orphanage, family history is not at the forefront of Joe's concerns; nevertheless, Joe's subconscious torments him with his lack of knowledge about his biological family. However, family is not limited to biological relationships. Without knowledge of his biological family, Joe has the ability to form bonds with those closely associated with him, such as Mr. and Mrs. McEachern. Despite Joe's desire to rebel and break with Mr. McEachern's religious traditions, Joe's virginal character is maintained. until he met his first love, Bobbie Allen. Early in her fragile relationship, Bobbie steals Joe's innocence, which becomes the turning point in her relationship with Mr. McEachern. Although Joe followed Mr. McEachern's rules, he faces McEachern's wrath knowing "that he would receive the same whipping even if he had committed no sin as he would receive if McEachern had seen committing it” (Faulkner 156). Although harsh, Mr. McEachern's punishments for Joe's disobedience illustrate how Joe and Mr. McEachern build their relationship on dependence, in which Joe is aware that disobedience carries consequences. Joe's trust in Mr. McEachern is the model of a relationship with a father figure, however, the threshold of a new relationship interrupts the small progress made between the two men. Bobbie Allen, a local waitress, introduces Joe to a life of sin, although Joe continues this relationship. During the short time that Joe met Bobbie, she took advantage of Joe's vulnerability, from "the first time he saw a naked woman" to "two weeks later [when] he had started smoking [ …] and that he had drunk too” (Faulkner 195, 199). Through Bobbie's introduction of sin and pleasure, Joe becomes more willing to ignore Mr. McEachern's rules in order to satisfy her. Faulkner capitalizes on the scene in which Bobbie takes Joe's virginity, thus setting a precedent for Joe's behavior.Joe during later rebel events. Joe meets Bobbie at a time when his relationship with Mr. McEachern was reliable and trustworthy; however, Bobbie provokes rebellion in Joe, a stark contrast to the boy he was before. Bobbie encourages Joe's lecherous behavior which evolves into his betrayal of Mr. and Mrs. McEachern. Although Bobbie rarely asks Joe for gifts, his desire to please Bobbie results in her betrayal of Mr. and Mrs. McEachern. As a reward for his good behavior, Mr. McEachern gives Joe his own heifer; however, Joe sells the heifer in order to buy a costume for the dance with Bobbie. In response, Mr. McEachern acknowledges the sins that Joe is capable of committing: "laziness, ingratitude, irreverence and blasphemy", forcing him to recognize that "the child he adopted twelve years old was [now] a man” (Faulkner 164). Although inevitable, Bobbie's seniority relative to Joe accelerates a clash of personalities between the two dominant male figures. In his efforts to differentiate himself from Bobbie's other lovers, Joe ignores his other relationships to impress Bobbie; his infatuation with Bobbie generates an immense change in his behavior, leading him to cheat on the only woman who truly loves him, Mrs. McEachern. As a young man in Southern society, money is something Joe needs and does not have, "that's how he started stealing" (Faulkner 191). Joe, young and easily impressionable, "didn't even know he was paying money for pleasure"; he frequently buys gifts for Bobbie, such as "a box of stale, speckled candy" (Faulkner 191). From the moment Joe is adopted, Mrs. McEachern wants Joe to love her, the same way Joe desires Bobbie's love. In both relationships, love is imposed on an individual who has no desire to be loved. In this way, Joe and Bobbie are representative of each other. Without a mutual understanding of love, Joe cannot form meaningful bonds with either Mrs. McEachern or Bobbie. Unbeknownst to Joe, his relationship mirrors the only example of love he has, his adoptive parents. Mr. and Mrs. McEachern's poor example of bonding, in conjunction with Bobbie Allen, results in Joe's inability to connect with other characters throughout the book. Because Joe values ​​his relationship with Bobbie, Joe will go to extreme lengths to strengthen his relationship with Bobbie. , hurting Mr. and Mrs. McEachern in the process. In Joe's eyes, his relationship with Bobbie is worth attacking his only father figure, Mr. McEachern. The moment Mr. McEachern discovers that Joe is dancing with a woman, he decides that he must end the sinful relationship between Bobbie and Joe. However, when Mr. McEachern publicly condemned this relationship by shouting "go away, whore" at the frightened Bobbie, Joe, in a "furious, dreamlike exaltation of a martyr [...] struck her on the head" (Faulkner 204 -205). With “the broken chair clutched in his hand,” Joe “looking down at his adoptive father” then fled the scene without any remorse for his actions (Faulkner 205). Joe killing Mr. McEachern in order to stay with Bobbie is a pivotal moment in Light in August. At this point in his parasitic relationship with Bobbie, Joe is completely corrupted by the older, more mature woman. Joe goes so far as to kill Mr. McEachern to stay with Bobbie, illustrating his willingness to abandon morality for true connection. However, if placed in the same situation, Joe's selfless act would not be reciprocated on Bobbie's part. Bobbie takes advantage of Joe's young age and inexperience for personal gain by sucking all life and morality out of him. Blinded by love, Joe acts irrationally and without remorse, representing his complete disregard for value.