Summary

“Dry September” by William Faulkner revolves around the lynching of a black man after he was accused of attacking a white woman.

On a hot evening in September, a group of men in a barber shop discuss a rumour about a woman called Minnie Cooper who was allegedly insulted or attacked by a black man named Will Mayes. No one really knows what happened, but one of the barbers, Henry Hawkshaw, believes Will is innocent. One of the customers, Butch, is outraged by Hawkshaw’s statement and asks why he would not take the word of a white woman over that of a black man. Hawkshaw is disinclined to believe Minnie’s story because she is old and unmarried.

John McLendon comes into the barber shop demanding that Will should be punished. Hawkshaw argues that they should find out more about the incident before taking action. However, McLendon gathers the men to his side, and they leave the barber shop to go after Will.

Minnie is presented as being a woman of nearly 40 years old living with her mother and aunt. In her youth, she used to be...