Dry September

I think that Faulkner truly captures the southern vibe of this town.  The dialogue is effective in pretty accurately portraying the characters as people from the south.  The opening scene in the barber shop is strong.  It is clear to the reader what is happening.  We are shown the feelings of many different characters at this point, and it is also clear that it is not definite that Minnie was attacked.  It's nice to see the different points of view, it gives the characters individuality.  They don't all believe the same thing, they don't all blame a "Negro."  

I love Faulkner's descriptions.  he writes so beautifully, almost suspenseful as well.

My favorite was the very last paragraph of the piece.  

"He went on through the house, ripping off his shirt, and on the dark, screened porch at the rear he stood and mopped his head and shoulders with the shirt and flung it away. He took the pistol from his hip and laid it on the table beside the bed, and sat on the bed and removed his shoes, and rose and slipped his trousers off. He was sweating again already, and he stooped and hunted furiously for the shirt. At last he found it and wiped his body again, and, with his body pressed against the dusty screen, he stood panting. There was no movement, no sound, not even an insect. The dark world seemed to lie stricken beneath the cold moon and the lidless stars."

There is incredible imagery here, you can feel the sleaze from McLendon's character.  Even words like "mopped" indicates the cleaning of a mess, because that what we use mops for.  He is using the shirt he was just wearing, as a mop, to clean is body.  Words like "hunted" show 

McLendon's nature.  He is not a gentle man, he is clearly angry and instinctual.  After he has just wiped his body, "he pressed his body against the dusty screen." Cleanliness is obviously not important to him.  Why not have the character take a shower if he is sweating?  Having McLendon take a shower instead wouldn't show the sleazy nature of this character.  "He stood panting."  Faulkner has just used words like "hunted" and "panting" this adds to McLendon's animalistic nature.  The last sentence is just so eery, it leaves the reader fearing for his wife, who doesn't seem to have been given a name.