Rhonda Massengill "That Evening Sun" by William Faulkner

William Faulkner novel “That Evening Sun” was based on the transition of the slavery time period. In a time where slaves were free to live on their own but still was obligated to take care of the family. He writes about a woman named Sandy (Negro) that helps take care of the family laundry. Then we have another lady named Dilsey which is responsible for cooking and cleaning. Sandy doesn’t live with the family that she takes care of but Dilsey does. Dilsey is very sick at the beginning of the story and Sandy has to do both of their work.
Sandy is going through some marital problems with her husband named Jesus. He has just been put in jail for some type of mischief and Sandy is finally not afraid. Later on she finds out that her husband has been released from jail and she is afraid that he will kill her. The story doesn’t say that her husband was taken to jail because he abused her. I really think that might have been why he was taken to jail. Sandy convinces the dad of the family to walk her home because she is feared for her life. She at one point talks the children into walking her home because she is so sacred. The reason that she picks the white family is because black men were afraid of white people. If a black man killed a white man then they were lynched. Lynching is when you take tar and feathers and you set them on fire. This is how the white man sought revenge against a black man.
At the end of the story the dad comes and gets the children and tells Sandy that Jesus won’t hurt her. He leaves and when he leaves they hear a terrible sound. Jesus ends up showing up and kills his wife. The response that the children made is what disturbed me more than anything. They said “Who will do our washing now”! This just shows how black people were not considered people. The children didn’t more for her death instead it was treated worst than what most kids would treat their animals death. They were more worried about who would take care of them. This just broke my heart.