ions from only their actions and dialogue. Faulkner weaves humor into the story through the distinct dialogue and ironic situations that occur in “Mule in the Yard”. For example, in the opening scene, Mrs. Hait and old Het are chasing a mule out of their yard. If the reader imagines the scene that Faulkner writes about with “…old Het…waving a shopping bag. [Yelling] ‘Hoo!’ [As] Mrs. Hait whirled. Again she skidded savagely on the greasy planks as she and the mule rushed parallel with one another…” (364), there is definitely humor within it. Yet, the humor is not as effective as it is in “Spotted Horses” where it is a part of the entire tone of the story, not only in the situations but also with the interior involvement of the narrator and his interaction with the characters. Because the narrator in “Spotted Horses” is experiencing the scene where the action is taking place, the reader receives a richer understanding of the characters. It is almost as if the reader might know the characters personally. Importantly, “Spotted Horses” deals with several more characters than “Mule in the Yard”, which only has three significant characters. These characters are defined only by their actions through the objective narration. Mrs. Hait is described as an independent woman who wears “a calico wrapper and a sweater coat, and a man’s felt hat which they knew had belonged to her ten years’ dead husband” (364) and brand new high mans shoes with buttons and “toes like tulip bulbs.” (364) The audience can only infer that she does not fear the mule based on her several confrontations with him as well as the way in which she refers to it as “Them sons of bitches”. (364) The author can not tell the audience why she wears what she does or why she has such a motivation to get rid of the mule besides...
