You’re like me”:Flem Snopes and the Dynamics of Citizenship in William Faulkner’s The Town
You’re like me”:Flem Snopes and the Dynamics of Citizenship in William Faulkner’s The Town

Summary/Abstract: Readers and critics of William Faulkner’s The Town have often accepted the pronouncements of Gavin Stevens and V.K. Ratliff as authoritative conclusions about the Snopes family in general and Flem Snopes in particular. Richard Godden’s “anti-Ratliffian” reading of The Hamlet offers a new path for readers to consider how the limitations and interests of these narrators shape their views. Flem can thus be seen as reflecting the tactics and language leading families have long used to maintain their positions of privilege in Jefferson’s social structure: an insider, not an outsider. In Chapter Ten, following the robbery of Uncle Willy Christian’s drug store, Flem takes advantage of circumstance to stake claim to social position while also delaying his unfinished business with Mink for twenty more years. Gavin holds a leading role in the dynamics of citizenship in Jefferson. He arranges for Uncle Willy to get a shot of morphine before the police investigation begins. Montgomery Ward offers Jefferson a dagger to Flem’s mirror. Unlike Flem, he does not understand that Jefferson does not tolerate overt corruption; all corruption must be covered by the veil of civic virtue and justice. Although Gavin loudly proclaims his fidelity to truth, come what may, he tells Flem exactly what must be done to ensure that Montgomery Ward does not get tried in Federal Court. Thanks to Sherriff Hampton’s lax security and general incompetence, “someone” takes the key to Montgomery Ward’s studio and replaces Kodak developer fluid with seven gallons of moonshine whiskey. With there no longer being any need to produce pornographic images for a conviction, Montgomery Ward will be sent to Parchman, just as Flem wants; the reputations of Montgomery Ward's customers will not be soiled. At the end of Chapter Ten, Flem visits Gavin’s office to return the key to Montgomery Ward’s studio. In a moment of clarity Gavin tells him, “You’re like me.” As is often the case in the novel, Gavin’s statement is true, though not in the way he intends. Flem the autodidact has learned his lessons well, and he offers the clearest image of what it really means to be a citizen in Jefferson.

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