44 pages 1 hour read

William Faulkner

The Hamlet

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1940

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Themes

Ambition as a Threat to the Social Fabric

In the tiny town of Frenchman’s Bend, power accrues to whoever is most willing to disregard ethical considerations in its pursuit. Though the Snopes family, particularly Flem, are the key examples of ruthlessness, the Varners are similarly powerful and employ similar methods. Will Varner is described as “a farmer, a usurer, a veterinarian; Judge Benbow of Jefferson once said of him that a milder-mannered man never bled a mule or stuffed a ballot box” (4). Though he has a less ruthless reputation than the one Flem develops, he uses the same methods to maintain power. The power struggle between the Varners and the Snopeses is not a conflict between different sets of values; both families value power and wealth above all else, and the only question is which family will be most successful in scamming and manipulating the other members of the community.

Flem Snopes is the key example of ruthless ambition in The Hamlet. Though he remains in the shadows, he is proved to be pulling the strings of economic power within Frenchman’s Bend. His willingness to scam or betray anyone to get ahead, even his own family, leads to widespread unhappiness and suffering in the town.

Related Titles

By William Faulkner

Study Guide

logo

Absalom, Absalom

William Faulkner

Absalom, Absalom

William Faulkner

Study Guide

logo

A Fable

William Faulkner

A Fable

William Faulkner

Study Guide

logo

A Rose for Emily

William Faulkner

A Rose for Emily

William Faulkner

Study Guide

logo

Barn Burning

William Faulkner

Barn Burning

William Faulkner

Study Guide

logo

Dry September

William Faulkner

Dry September

William Faulkner

Plot Summary

logo

Go Down, Moses

William Faulkner

Go Down, Moses

William Faulkner

Study Guide

logo

Intruder In The Dust

William Faulkner

Intruder In The Dust

William Faulkner

Study Guide

logo

Light in August

William Faulkner

Light in August

William Faulkner

Study Guide

logo

Sanctuary

William Faulkner

Sanctuary

William Faulkner

Plot Summary

logo

Spotted Horses

William Faulkner

Spotted Horses

William Faulkner

Plot Summary

logo

That Evening Sun

William Faulkner

That Evening Sun

William Faulkner

Study Guide

logo

The Bear

William Faulkner

The Bear

William Faulkner

Plot Summary

logo

The Reivers

William Faulkner

The Reivers

William Faulkner

Plot Summary

logo

The Unvanquished

William Faulkner

The Unvanquished

William Faulkner