The conclusion drawn from this study is that the arrangement of material in Absalom, Absalom! is unified and purposeful. The structure evokes that despair that is the common denominator of mankind. It reveals both the bond between men and the separation of men; and though some of the most dramatic episodes in the novel picture the union of men in brotherly love, most of the material and certainly the arrangement of the material emphasize the estrangement of men. In addition, by juxtaposing chapters, each separated from the others by its own structural and thematic qualities, Faulkner places a burden of interpretation on the reader suggestive of the burden of despair that overwhelms the protagonists of the novel.

The purpose of this study is to seek out, examine, and analyze the relationship that Emily Dickinson shared with her sister, Lavinia, and with her sister-in-law, Susan Gilbert Dickinson. All of her letters and poems have been carefully considered, as well as the letters and diaries of friends and relatives who might shed light on the three women.