Hello and welcome to the Discourse. Requiem For a Nun is the sequel of William Faulkner’s earlier novel Sanctuary and it tells the story of Temple Drake after she returns from Sanctuary in Paris. We learned that she was abducted and raped by Pompey who kept her in a brothel. Being impotent, Pompey forced a fellow criminal Red to exploit Temple under his watch. Temple was too frightened of Pompeye and she had guilt feeling that she was actually enjoying her being exploited to some extent. She realizes that she is in love with Red but before she could strengthen her relationship with Red, Pompeye kills him. She had written some letters to Red that were collected by his younger brother Pete who used them to further blackmail and exploit Temple.
The title of this sequel contains ‘Nun’ which can refer to either someone who sacrifices herself to save the sinners, and it has also been used as an Elizabethan era slang meaning a prostitute.
Characters of Requiem for a Nun
Nancy Mannigoe is a black drug addict and occasional prostitute whom Temple Drake hires as her nursemaid to take care of her kids. Temple Drake has been married to Gowan Stevens and is now Mrs. Temple Stevens. Eight years ago, because of the irresponsible behavior of Gowan, Temple fell in hands of a bunch of bootleggers and criminals and was forced to live a short life as a prostitute and sex slave of a criminal named Popeye. Popeye is now dead. Gowan Stevens marries Temple after that out of a sense of responsibility. The two have settled back in the well-to-do society of Jefferson and now they have two kids. Gavin Stevens is the uncle of Gowan Stevens. Pete is the younger brother of Red, whom Temple once loved during her days in the brothel of Miss Reba.
Summary of Requiem for a Nun
The story begins with Nancy Mannigoe facing a trial for murdering Temple’s six months old daughter. Nancy is found guilty and is sentenced to death. However, Gavin Stevens, uncle, and guardian of Gowan Stevens aren’t satisfied. He feels that Temple is withholding some information about the murder of his six-month-old granddaughter.
Eight years ago, Temple returned from Sanctuary in Paris to Jefferson in Yoknapatawpha county along with her father. She suffered extreme torture and rape by Popeye who while himself was impotent and unable to have sex, used other things to rape her, like a corncob. He further forced Temple to live in a brothel and made her have sex with one of his fellow criminals Red, in front of him. Temple couldn’t fight and gradually, she started liking her life in the brothel. She even fell in love with Red. The hard events had such an impression on her that she offered false testimony in court to save Popeye because of which Lee Goodwin was sentenced to death for the murder of Tommy, and was later lynched. Tommy was the only one of the bootleggers who along with Ruby Lamar, tried to protect Temple. Tommy was shot dead by Popeye while he was trying to safeguard Temple. Later on, when Popeye felt that Temple might have fallen in love with Red, he murdered Red too. While Temple was recovered by her father from the brothel and was taken to Sanctuary for treatment, Popeye was caught for some crime that he might not have actually committed and was sentenced to death.
After her return from Sanctuary, Gown Stevens married her as he couldn’t face the guilt of causing all the mishaps and mistreatment that Temple was forced to go through because of his careless behavior. With time, Temple and Gowan both were recovering from their dark past and now they were a happy couple with two children. Temple gave birth to a girl child six months ago and she decided to take the help of Nancy Mannigoe as a nursemaid to keep care of her kids. However, Temple had other reasons too to appoint Nancy. Nancy was a black drug addict and occasional prostitute. Temple chose her as she was the only one in her home with whom Temple could discuss and share experiences of her life in the brothel of Miss Reba. Temple was yet not able to forget her past and in a way, she had some sweet memories of those times that she didn’t want to give away.
On the other hand, Red’s younger brother Pete finds some letters written by Temple to his dead brother. He comes to know that Temple was in love with Red and decides to blackmail her for some money. He visits Jefferson and meets Temple, threatening her of revealing her secret love for Red to her family, and asks for monetary help. Temple is afraid and somewhat impressed by Pete’s threatening attitude. She again finds her passion in Pete and not only decides to offer him what he asked for but to elope with him too.
Gowan’s uncle Gavin knew Nancy for a long and he knew that she was trying to overcome her drug addiction. He finds it unlikely that Nancy will murder such a cute kid for whom she was chosen as a nursemaid. He decides to defend her in court and finds that Temple is withholding some information about the murder. Gavin confronts Temple in absence of Gowan and asks her to inform him exactly how her daughter was killed. Temple says that Nancy was neither mentally ill nor she had criminal intent, yet she murdered the kid. Temple further says that there were some reasons for which Nancy killed the baby. Gavin implores Temple to say more but Temple decides to avoid answering anymore and goes away to California on an extended trip.
Now when Gavin knows that Nancy wasn’t wholly responsible for the murder of the kid, he tries to save her with more intent but fails. Just one week before Nancy’s scheduled execution, Temple returns from her long trip. She arranges a meeting with Gavin in absence of Gowan. She drugs Gowan with sleeping pills, which he dodges without her knowledge. Believing that Gowan is in deep sleep, he calls Gavin to discuss Nancy and the murder of her six-month-old daughter. She tells Gavin that though Nancy did kill her baby but she also had a hand in that murder and wants to help Gavin in saving Nancy’s life. Gavin says that it is already too late and she must directly visit the Governor of Mississippi to appeal and urge him to stop Nancy’s execution. Gowan overhears all this conversation and vows to know all the truth.
The day before Nancy’s execution, Temple visits Governor’s office at Jefferson, Mississippi. She sees that Governor is sitting in the officer but his face is on the opposite side of her. She decides to confess and says that before her daughter’s murder, she had already planned to leave her husband and kids and run away with Pete, the younger brother of her former lover Red. She informs him that she met Red during the days of her abduction when she was forced to live in a brothel. She informed how Popeye forced her to have sex with Red in front of him and later on, she started liking and loving Red. When Popeye came to know this, he murdered Red and Temple was devastated. Though she returned from Sanctuary in Paris to lead a normal life in Yoknapatawpha county, she could never forget her experiences of being an abductee of Popeye and her days in the brothel. Later on, Red’s younger brother Pete visited her with some letter that she wrote to Red. He started blackmailing her. Pete reminded her of Red and her old days. She was impressed by his dominating attitude and felt love for him and proposed to run away with him. Nancy was too close to her and she came to know about her plan to leave her family. Nancy tried everything possible to stop her from eloping with Pete and while doing so, she smothered her baby as a final attempt to stop Temple from running away, while Nancy knew it will cost her own life. Temple urges the Governor to stop the execution of Nancy but to her surprise, she comes to know that the Governor had already rejected the clemency appeal of Nancy and had left the office much before she visited there.
She soon comes to know that the person to whom she confessed her guilt was none other than her own husband Gowan. Gowan then faces her and says that he too is sorry for initiating the chain of events that led her to the current state, had he not shown irresponsibility eight years ago, Temple might not have been abducted and raped by Popeye. Gowan says that the past is unchangeable and over and goes out. Temple remains there, standing and worrying about her own salvation.
The next day, before her execution, Temple and Gavin go to meet Nancy. Temple tells her how she tried her best to save her by trying to confess in front of the Governor. She says that Nancy was not solely responsible for the murder of her daughter. Nancy says that now Temple must live to face the consequences of her actions. Nancy praises God and extols the virtues of suffering while accepting her execution.
This is it for today. We have discussed the whole story of Temple Drake composed in the novels Sanctuary and Requiem for a Nun. We will continue to discuss other works of William Faulkner. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards.
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