Times have changed

In William Faulkner’s, Delta Autumn an old man named McCaslin is traveling to a hunting camp in the Mississippi River Delta. Throughout time McCaslin has observed change in hunting in the wilderness and change in equality in society.

            The narrator introduces a change in hunting from the start of the story. “At first they had come in wagons...But that time was gone now and now they went in cars, driving faster and faster each year...” (Faulkner 281). Change is prevalent here because it is shown how hunting has become much less intense compared to the past. “Now a man drove two hundred miles from Jefferson before he found wilderness to hunt in” (Faulkner 284). Due to deforestation there was also a lot less land and they had “farther to drive, the territory in which game still existed drawing yearly inward as his life was drawing in” (Faulkner 281). Land was being lost over time and the game for hunting was decreasing drastically.

            McCaslin also seems to be noticing a change in the equality of people in his society. Due to his past environment McCaslin has racist traits still present in his character. On page 282, Legate states, “But he’s got a doe in here. On two legs – when she’s standing up. Pretty light colored too. The one he was after them nights last fall when he said he was coon-hunting.” Legate is using the word “doe” to symbolize an African American woman. His speech with McCaslin shows racism when comparing the woman to an animal. The use of diction in this passage shows how hunting has changed in a way, and how racism has as well. Legate states how Boyd was coon-hunting meaning fooling around with women in the area, rather than actually hunting. The act of hunting itself is less serious in this context. Also, Legates attitude towards interracial relationships is different when his speech is geared to McCaslin (thus he makes the doe analogy). He later states to McCaslin that, “that’s something a man your age ain’t supposed to had no interest in in twenty years” (Faulkner 282). Now interracial relationships are more common, and were never to be thought of in the past.

McCaslin does not approve of the affair that Boyd has with the black woman, and how he gives her money to support the child he has given her. He states, “Maybe in a thousand or two thousand years it will have blended...” McCaslin is basically saying that she has no chance with a white man. McCaslin reveals his true racism with remarks such as, “What did you expect...You’re a nigger...Get out of here; I can do nothing for you! Can’t nobody do nothing for you!” (Faulkner 289). McCaslin is enraged when he sees this lady and realizes how times have changed. He still pities her and tells her to take the money and marry a man her own race. He notices that this change is inevitable.

In the last paragraph on page 290, McCaslin thought, “This Delta.’ This land, which man has deswamped...” McCaslin thinks about how the hunting land has been changed and destroyed are similar to how times are now changing. People do not care about race just like they do not care about the destroyed woods. “No wonder the ruined woods I used to know don’t cry for retribution...the people who have destroyed it will accomplish its revenge” (Faulkner 290). McCaslin feels as if this equality is only going to ruin itself. People will regret their decisions (such as the interracial relationship) just like they will regret destroying all this hunting land.

            Something interesting is how the killing of doe is now forbidden. I feel like there is an underlying meaning to the change in this law and the “doe” itself. The “killing of doe” seems to represent the racism that is present in the past. I believe that the killing of doe may have been used to symbolize the killing and violence of African Americans in the past. Near the end of the story Boyd decides to hunt and Legate states that they killed a deer. McCaslin layed back and said, “It was a doe.” McCaslin believes that the doe is the black lady herself. McCaslin thinks that it is normal to still kill doe (and legal) and racism is normal as well. He thinks that Boyd kills the doe in a means of self-obliteration. In McCaslin’s eyes Boyd has committed a huge mistake by getting involved in an interracial relationship.