Who is Henry Stribling/Hawkshaw from Collected Stories of William Faulkner and what is their importance?

Hawkshaw is a man living in a dream world to fulfill a promise. On her deathbed Hawkshaw's fiancee asks him to take care of the mortgage on her parent's house, a request which he honors. It seems that once this mortgage is paid off he feels free to pursue his own desires. Since his fiancee's death he has been traveling around until he decided to stay in a little town where he has an unusual interest in a little girl with hair the same color as his fiancee's. After the mortgage is taken care of, Hawkshaw marries this girl.