The Hamlet

"The Hamlet" is the first book in the Snopes Trilogy by William Faulkner. The story takes place in the made-up county of Yoknapatawpha. It focuses on Ab Snopes and his son Flem, as well as their relations with the Varner family in Frenchman's Bend. Ab Snopes comes to town as a tenant farmer. As the story goes on, the Snopeses go from being outsiders to being a controversial and dangerous part of the town. Flem, in particular, becomes well-known because he is smart and knows how to use others. The book talks about greed, desire, and how power can be abused. As the Snopes family gets more powerful, V.K. Ratliff stands out as a good person in the story. The story is made more interesting and complicated by Faulkner's use of dark humor and odd characters. The Hamlet sets the stage for the other two books in the trilogy. It shows how a family that used to be poor becomes a force that has a big effect on the social life of the town.