There is a series of occurrences early on in Faulkner’s Light in August where a character, or group of characters, share perceptions (and misperceptions) of other characters in telling ways. Sometimes these opinions are shared overtly between one another, and sometimes they are kept inside a character’s head; always, however, the perceptions are repeated, and offer insight into formations of character. The first notable instance is when Lena hitches a ride to Jefferson with the group of overall-ed men: they begin to talk amongst themselves and make asumptions about Lena and her situation. Faulkner writes, “The squatting men along the wall look at her still and placid face and they think as Armstid thought and as Varner thinks: that she is thinking of a scoundrel who deserted her in trouble and whom they believe that she will never see again… ‘Or maybe it’s about that Sloane’s or Bone’s Mill she is thinking,’ Varner thinks” (26). Here, we gain insight into Varner’s, and the other men’s, thoughts about Lena’s presumed upsettedness: they assume she is thinking ill of the father of her unborn child, of the locations in which he might be, and otherwise ruminating on her present circumstances. What is interesting to me in this moment is the pointed switch once we learn what Lena is actually thinking about, at this time. Faulkner clarifies that, rather, “She is not thinking about this at all. She is thinking about the coins knotted in the bundle beneath her hands. She is remembering breakfast, thinking how she can enter the store this moment and buy cheese and crackers and even sardines if she likes” (26). In this moment we gain great insight into Lena’s even-keeled character and strong will, as she is (surprisingly, to the men) not stressing about her impending future or even that she has been traveling alone for so long while being far along in her pregnancy. Instead, she seems to be deeply present and engaging in the tangibility of what is in her hands, what she recently ate, and what she might purchase soon, now that she has the means to do so thanks to Martha Armstid. Faulkner continues, clarifying: “So she seems to muse upon the mounting road while the slowspitting and squatting men watch her covertly, believing that she is thinking about the man and the approaching crisis, when in reality she is waging a mild battle with that providential caution of the old earth of and with and by which she lives” (26-27). I love the juxtaposition of what is assumed she would be feeling, and what her real feelings are. Her presence on this journey clearly inspires a multitude of opinions from those she encounters, ranging from shock, concern, disapproval, and surely many more, and I find that in these moments, Faulkner elucidates a lighthearted quality of Lena that challenges the misperceptions that people have of her and of her presumed struggles.

Another, quicker instance where Lena flips perceptions of her feelings is when she first meets Byron at the mill, and when he begins to describe a person who she is slowly realizing is potentially Lucas Burch, whom she seeks. Faulkner writes, “She continues to watch him with that expression not so much concerned for the future as suspicious of the now” (51). Like the previous passage, here we see a shift from the future to the present: Lena does not get caught up in the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding her future, but rather, stays extremely present. Lena cautiously considers the situation at hand with quiet care, interprets Byron’s words and descriptions, and tries to make meaning of what this means for her, moving forward. We learn that Lena prefers to stay practically rooted in the present moment instead of being consumed by worries of an uncertain future.