The Imagery of the Wood and the Cross in the Light in August It is almost impossible to interpret the light in August without noting the Christian parallels.1 Beekman Cottrell explains: As if to prove that such a [Christian] symbolic interpretation is valid, Faulkner gives us, at the outer or higher level of symbolism, certain facts which many readers have noted and which are, indeed, unavoidable. There is the name Joe Christmas, with his 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 prepared for throughout the novel by Faulkner's constant use of the word crucifixion. These are solid guidelines, and there may be others that are just as compelling. (207) In fact, there are many more compelling Christian symbolisms which, in summary, led Virginia Hlavsa to suggest that in Light in August "Faulkner arranged his events and oriented his themes to parallel the 21 chapters of the Gospel of Saint John. " ("Saint John and Frazer" 11).2These symbolisms, however, move away from the text of Light in August and seek to unify the novel through biblical or mythical allusions alone. They attempt to answer questions about the functioning of Light in August as a literary work by avoiding the novel itself. For this reason, they do not constitute a definitive interpretation of the novel. For François Pitavy, these critics do not base their interpretations on a "methodical analysis". "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 uneven paths for critics.... . middle of article......uri State University, 1995. Gwynn, Frederick L. and Joseph Blotner, eds. Charlottesville University: University of Virginia, 1959. Hlavsa, Virginia V. "The Crucifixion in Light in August: Suspending the Rules at Post." 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 in August” by Faulkner. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1973