The Disenfranchisement of Women in Sanctuary

William Faulkner’s Sanctuary displays vulgar abuse and violence toward women. Throughout the first part of the novel (chapters 1-17) characters such as Goodwin and Popeye represent the impossible barriers that women face when trying to escape oppression and violence from abusive men. The men in the novel adhere to the stereotypical characteristic of alcoholics, while the women are constantly reminded that they are “whores” no matter how they behave. The men in Faulkner’s Sanctuary use intimidation, violence, and rape to instill fear in the women of the novel, and to control them and treat them as being “other”, or less-than-human. Goodwin, Popeye, and the Old Frenchman house all contribute to the disenfranchisement of the female gender.

Upon arriving at the Old Frenchman house with Gowan, Temple is immediately afraid of their surroundings. The atmosphere around the house is frightening, and when they meet Goodwin, it becomes clear they are not welcome; Goodwin intimidates Temple upon first arrival. “She heard his light, swift feet twice, then his hand touched her cheek and he lifted her from behind the box by the scruff of the neck, like a kitten. “What are you doing in my house?” he said.” (Faulkner, 52) He invades not only her personal space, but physically grabs her, “like a kitten”, dehumanizing her; at that moment Temple is no longer a woman, but an intruder. Fearing for her life from the men around her, Temple hides herself in a bedroom, only contributing to the abuse she would soon suffer. The men see Temple’s self-entrapment as an opportunity, and harass her. “She could tell all of them by the way they breathed. Then, without having heard, felt, the door open, she began to smell something: brilliantine which Popeye used on his hair.” (80) The men harass Temple to infuse fear within her, as another way to maintain power over her; they keep her in fear which prevents her from retaliating or fighting to get away from them. Her inability to run away at that moment leads to the eventual sexual assault she would suffer.

Like Temple, Ruby is also trapped. Although she says she is not afraid, Ruby is held at the Old Frenchman place by the abuse that Goodwin inflicts upon her. Goodwin traps Ruby with violence and prevents her from escaping, just as the fear Temple feels prevents her from escaping. “He plucked the child from her and laid it on the table and caught her other hand as it flicked at his face, and holding both wrists in one hand, he slapped her. It made a dry, flat sound. He slapped her again, first on one cheek, then the other, rocking-her head from side to side. “That’s what I do to them,” he said, slapping her. “See?”.” (95) Goodwin refers to women as “sluts” or “them”, as a way to dehumanize women. He includes Ruby with them as well, making her less of a woman, but rather a punching-bag; an object he can abuse.

            The men in Sanctuary physically and emotionally abuse the women, contributing to the dehumanization of not only Ruby and Temple, but the female gender in general.