The Sound and the Fury

The Sound and the Fury is obviously very difficult to understand sometimes. I find it interesting, though, that I had very few problems understanding Benjy’s section even though he is a mentally handicapped character. His memories and flashbacks are so vivid that they provide the reader with better understanding of this family’s past. I also picked up on the catalysts that make him remember very quickly. It got to the point where I knew a flashback was coming even before it started.

Even though Quentin is not the one with a mental disability, his section was much harder for me to comprehend. His actions are fairly clear until he too starts having flashbacks. Unlike Benjy’s flashbacks, Quentin’s are not a vivid, re-living of the past. Instead they are mere memories fragmented and randomly occurring throughout the course of his day. Sometimes, Quentin will start remembering something, cut off in the middle, and resume again a few pages later. Perhaps Faulkner does this jumping around in Quentin’s section to signify the way human brains move erratically from one thought to another, especially under stress. The average human being has a very hard time dealing with intense emotions, as shown by Quentin’s resorting to suicide. Quentin’s obsession with the past has crippled him internally and his brain is scrambling to make sense of it all. It is very confusing to read the inner workings of a person’s mind, especially when they are so convoluted.

Quentin’s section stands out because it is almost eighteen years before any of the other four sections. The other three are all within a day of each other and make up the whole of Easter weekend. This kind of distinction in time must mean that Faulkner thought June 2nd, 1910 to be a very important day for the Compson family. Because Quentin’s section takes place on the day that he dies, it is his last opportunity to express any details that may provide greater insight into the lives of his family, mostly Caddy and Father.

Benjy’s and Quentin’s thoughts are both focused on Caddy, making her an important piece to the Compson puzzle. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues into the other two sections. I think that Caddy is a kind of infamous character who is always talked about but never heard from. She is definitely one of, if not the only, main character. In Benjy’s section, she is the sweet, nurturing little girl with a small wild streak. In Quentin’s section, however, she is a girl with no regard for the rules of society and she gets pregnant out of wedlock.

A few times in Quentin’s section, he mentions that he has committed incest. It is not clear though if he and Caddy really had a sexual relationship or not. His passionate feelings for her may suggest that they have or could possibly just be an indication of his protectiveness over her. When they were kids, Quentin seemed dedicated to keeping Caddy out of trouble. For example, he urges her several times not to be inappropriate by removing her dress. He could be feeling this same anxiety towards whatever atrocity she has committed in their teenage years.

I hope to find out through the last two sections what exactly was torturing Quentin so much that he would go through with suicide. Hopefully Jason or Dilsey will have some insight into the events that took place between Caddy and Quentin.