Joe Christmas is a living contradiction in the Southern society in which he resides. Throughout Light in August, central character Joe Christmas experiences many factors that contribute to his inability to form substantial relationships with other characters. Joe's childhood in the orphanage and living with the McEacherns have negative psychological effects on his interpersonal skills; however, Joe's relationship with Bobbie is the most detrimental factor to his ability to form bonds with family figures. Before meeting Bobbie, Joe develops a volatile relationship with Mr. McEachern; his strict enforcement of the rules forces Joe to remain docile despite his attempts to rebel. As Bobbie and Joe's relationship develops, Bobbie's attention blinds Joe, leading him to challenge Mr. and Mrs. McEachern. Although Joe betrays those who care about him to satisfy Bobbie, Joe's singular attempt to form a meaningful bond backfires, leaving harmful effects in its wake. Joe Christmas's influential relationship with Bobbie Allen is the critical period that represents his inability to connect with familiar figures. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Because of Joe Christmas's family history, or lack thereof, his unorthodox behavior toward relationships conflicts with traditional Southern ideas about family, causing Joe to isolate himself from family and society. Throughout Light in August, family lineage plays a significant role in the characters' lives. Born illegitimate and placed in an orphanage, family history is not at the forefront of Joe's mind; however, Joe's subconscious plagues him with his lack of knowledge about his biological family. However, family is not limited to biological relationships. Without knowing his biological family, Joe has the ability to form bonds with those closely associated with him, such as Mr. and Mrs. McEachern. Despite Joe's desire to rebel and break away from Mr. McEachern's religious traditions, Joe's virginal character is maintained. until he meets his first love, Bobbie Allen. Early in her fragile relationship, Bobbie steals Joe's innocence, which becomes the turning point in her relationship with Mr. McEachern. Although Joe follows Mr. McEachern's rules, he faces McEachern's wrath knowing that "he would have received the same whipping even if he had committed no sin as he would have received if McEachern had seen him commit it" (Faulkner 156). Although harsh, the consistency of Mr. McEachern's punishments for Joe's disobedience exemplifies how Joe and Mr. McEachern build their relationship on dependency, in which Joe is aware that disobedience leads to consequences. Joe's trust in Mr. McEachern is the template for a relationship with a father figure, however, the threshold of a new relationship interrupts what little progress has been made between the two men. Bobbie Allen, a local waitress, introduces Joe to a life of sin, even as Joe pursues the relationship. In the short time that Joe meets Bobbie, she takes advantage of Joe's vulnerability, from “the first time he saw a naked woman,” to “two weeks later [when] he started smoking […] and had been drinking too” (Faulkner 195, 199). Through Bobbie's introduction of sin and pleasure, Joe becomes more likely to ignore Mr. McEachern's rules to satisfy her. Faulkner exploits the scene in which Bobbie takes Joe's virginity, setting the precedent for Joe's behavior in subsequent rebellious events. Joe meetsBobbie at a time when her relationship with Mr. McEachern was reliable and trustworthy; however, Bobbie causes rebellion in Joe, a stark contrast to the boy he was before. Bobbie encourages Joe's lecherous behavior which evolves into betrayal by Mr. and Mrs. McEachern. Although Bobbie rarely asks Joe for gifts, Joe's desire to please Bobbie results in Mr. and Mrs. McEachern's betrayal. As a reward for good behavior, Mr. McEachern gives Joe a heifer of his own; however, Joe sells the heifer to buy a dress for the dance with Bobbie. In response, Mr. McEachern recognizes the sins Joe is capable of committing: “sloth, ingratitude, irreverence, and blasphemy,” forcing him to recognize that “the child he adopted twelve years ago was [now] a man” (Faulkner 164) . Although inevitable, Bobbie's seniority over Joe accelerates the clash of personalities between the two dominant male figures. In an attempt to differentiate himself from Bobbie's other lovers, Joe ignores his other relationships to impress Bobbie; his infatuation with Bobbie generates an immense change in his behavior, leading him to deceive the only woman who truly loves him, Mrs. McEachern. As a young man in Southern society, money is something Joe needs and doesn't have, "so he began to steal" (Faulkner 191). Joe, young and easily impressionable, “didn't even know he was paying with money for pleasure,” though; he often buys gifts for Bobbie such as "a stale, fly-stained candy box" (Faulkner 191). From the moment Joe is adopted, Mrs. McEachern wants Joe to love her, the same way Joe wants Bobbie's love. In both relationships, love is forced on an individual who does not wish to be loved. In this way Joe and Bobbie are representative of each other. Without a mutual understanding of love, Joe cannot form meaningful bonds with either Mrs. McEachern or Bobbie. Unbeknownst to Joe, his relationship reflects the only example of love available to him, his adoptive parents. Mr. and Mrs. McEachern's poor example of bonding, along with Bobbie Allen, results in Joe's inability to connect with other characters throughout the book. Because Joe values ​​his relationship with Bobbie very much, Joe will do everything to strengthen his relationship with Bobbie. , injuring Mr. and Mrs. McEachern in the process. In Joe's eyes, his relationship with Bobbie is worth attacking his only father figure, Mr. McEachern. The moment Mr. McEachern discovers that Joe is at a dance with a woman, he decides that he must put an end to the sinful relationship between Bobbie and Joe. However, when Mr. McEachern publicly condemns the affair, shouting “away, whore,” to the frightened Bobbie, Joe, in a “furious and dreamlike exaltation of a martyr […] is thrown at his head” (Faulkner 204-205). With the “shattered chair clutched in his hand,” Joe “looked at his adoptive father” then fled the scene without any remorse for his actions (Faulkner 205). Joe killing Mr. McEachern to stay with Bobbie is a pivotal moment in Light in August. At this point in his parasitic relationship with Bobbie, Joe is completely corrupted by the older, more mature woman. Joe goes so far as to kill Mr. McEachern to stay with Bobbie, exemplifying his willingness to abandon morality for an authentic connection. However, if placed in the same situation, Joe's selfless act would not be reciprocated by Bobbie. Bobbie takes advantage of Joe's young age and inexperience for her own personal gain, sucking all the life and morality out of him. Blinded by love, Joe acts irrationally and without remorse, demonstrating his complete disregard for the value of family in the South. Joe's refusal to accept the love of.