It is interesting that through this story, and the characters, you can see the story both ways, as Minnie Cooper being attacked or making it up for the attention. Even in this short story you get so many different kinds of characters, like the barber and McLendon. It seems to me that the barber is a character who is with the times, who accepts that blacks are not slaves anymore and that they should be given a chance. It seems like the other men are stubborn and set in their ways, not willing to change. Even though the barber doesn't succeed in changing the guy's mind he tries even though he knows that he is going to be made fun of and name called by other people in the town.
What makes me curious is that you don't know how it ends, you don't know if it true or not. Myself, I am undecided but more leaning towards it being a lie. The way he describes Minnie makes me think that she felt like people forgot about her, and she wanted some attention. Which in some way I can understand (wanting some attention, but not in this way) because to me the stereotype of southern ladies seems hard. Just because she wasn't the prettiest or smallest lady no one liked her or payed attention to her, including the boys. It makes me feel like this is today's high school, and even some colleges, where for the most part you are judged on your looks and sometimes on your class. Like the "popular girls" and the clicks within the school. Like in the story "Do you feel strong enough to go out?" they said, their eyes bright too, with a dark glitter. "When you have had time to get over the shock, you must tell us what happened. What he said and did; everything." I feel like these girls aren't really her friends and just want to know the gossip so they can spread it around town first. So thinking about it in a non-racial sense like the story is, Minnie herself and her life seem to be the same of some people today, and in which I know that both would wish to change it.
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I really like how you related being a southern women of class to high school. It seems tough for Minnie. We as readers don't even know if she's funny or friendly, all we know is her looks and her social class, and that is the basis for her frienships and romances. I think that the story Minnie told was definately made up. She was just a girl struggling to be noticed like a lot of girls today, and this was the only thing she could think of. Plus in the end when she is laughing, I think that also made me lean a little bit more towards the rumor being false. It seems that Minnie is just like haha oh my god, look at what I've caused.
Laura,
I think that you are right to say that there are two ways in which the story “Dry September” can be viewed. The one is that Minnie lied, whereas the other is that she told the truth. I feel that Faulkner was trying to create this air of uncertainty just to raise the suspicions and interests of his readers.
I found it interesting that you related this story, which was supposed to be set in the South after the Civil War, to present day society. I feel that there is most definitely a parallel between the way in which women were treated back then to how they are treated today. Women are still viewed very often as mere objects to men. Back then they were “innocent southern bells” that needed to be protected, whereas today women are seen as pieces of meat. Between the two time periods, not much has changed. Women now have more rights and more equality, yet it is still a patriarchal society where it is seen as the proper thing that men provide for and take care of women. Women are still seen as the weak gender and judged very harshly on their outward appearance rather than on their personality. As you pretty much stated, if this story was set in present day, Minnie would not be in the popular clique with the way that she is treated by the men.
Laura,
I thought it was really interesting how you compared Minnie’s life to those of high school girls today. Just as you pointed out that it must have been incredibly hard to be an “ideal Southern lady” because of society’s standards, the same holds true today, with girls trying to live up to Hollywood’s standards of what they define as beautiful. And just as girls struggle to achieve an impossible ideal, Minnie seemed caught in the same situation. Your insight into this situation made me feel more sympathetic towards Minnie; even if I still believe she made up a lie and was completely in the wrong.
I liked the point you brought up about this story showing the cliques amongst the girls. The quote you used is a really strong example of this, and I agree with your conclusion that the other women don't care at all about Minnie, they just want to know what happened out of morbid, insatiable curiosity. I, like you, am inclined to think that Minnie made the whole thing up to get attention, which makes me feel that much more sympathetic for Willy.
I really agree with you about Minnie Cooper I think she may have made the story up for attention because she felt lonely and left out. I also see where you are going with the southern ladies in relation to highschool and college although I don't think it is all that bad in college most people have grown up enough to realize that none of that really matters.
I like how you compared the town and the people in it to highschool. I felt the same way. The way that everyone was gossiping about it and how Minnie's friends couldn't wait for her to tell them what really happened. I just pictured all of the girls sitting around a lunch table in the cafeteria telling one girl to spill her guts about what boy she hooked up with over the weekend. I couldn't help but think that these women are really childish if they are still that enthralled with the made-up drama.
I think that Minnie Cooper made the whole story up, too. I feel that she craved attention that she didn't have but used to at a younger age, and wanted it back and knew that if she said she was raped everyone would focus their attention on her. This made me despise Cooper as a character and it was sickening to know that someone would make something up such as being raped to get attention, and at the same time get an innocent man killed.
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