In William Faulkner's fragmented novel Go Down, Moses, the author explores a number of themes in seven fragmented short stories. Chief among these is the debilitating impact of exploitation and slavery on African Americans, race relations, and society. The book's title refers to an African American spiritual that refers to Exodus 5:1 from the Bible and both end with the words "Let my people go." One of the minor characters in the novel, Mollie Beauchamp, is featured in the final story of the novel, "Go Down, Moses." In this story, the death of Mollie's grandson and the appearance of Gavin Stevens, an educated and traveled man, connect the theme of slavery and race in the other stories. For Gavin's recognition of Mollie's desire to be treated like anyone else is Faulkner's way of providing hope that the exploitation and ignorance that enslave African Americans may one day end.
In "Go Down, Moses," a black man is questioned in his prison cell by a census taker. We find out his name is "Samuel Beauchamp" and, once the census taker leaves, we discover Samuel is on death row. We also learn that Samuel was raised by his grandmother, Mollie Beauchamp. We then move to Jefferson where Gavin Stevens, an educated lawyer takes up the case of Mollie ("Molly") Beauchamp, an old woman who has had an ominous premonition about her grandson, Samuel, who she also refers to as "Benjamin." Showing the paternalistic stance toward African Americans that was part of white tradition during slavery, Gavin pities Mollie and takes the case of finding her grandson. The story also makes a direct reference to the title of the novel in Mollie's chants regarding the fate of her grandson Benjamin. She alludes to Egypt and Pharaoh from the Bible and spiritual "Go Down, Moses" which represents the slavemaster, "He dead...Pharaoh got him...Done sold my Benjamin...Sold him in Egypt" (Faulkner 380). Benjamin was sold into slavery by Roth Edmo...