"The Sound And The Fury" Literary Criticism

"The Sound and the Fury" Literary Criticism

“Within this rigid world Caddy is at once the focus of order and the instrument of its destruction,” (Bloom 20). Candace Compson, “Caddy”, is the central character of the novel even though none of the narration is seen through her eyes. In each of the three sections by her brothers she is the main subject. Caddy represents something different to everyone one of her brothers, but remains the center of their lives.

“Faulkner was a pioneer in literary modernism, dramatically diverging from the forms and structures traditionally used in novels before his time. Faulkner often employs stream of consciousness narrative, discards any notion of chronological order, uses multiple narrators, shifts between the past and the present tense, and tends toward impossibly long and complex sentences,” (Wall). He practiced many of the techniques in the Sound and the Fury. There is no chronological order to this story at all, leaving it very hard to follow. Faulkner also used multiple narrators throughout the story, and shifted between past and present without any warning.

This story depicts the fall of the Compson family from its former greatness. Through a series of events the family’s lives change completely leaving them a shell of what they used to be. The parents die, Quentin kills himself, Caddy runs away, and a corrupt Jason Jr. is left in control of the family. The only claim of sanity this family had left was Caddy, and when she left they never recovered.

Faulkner wrote the story into four sections, with four different narrators, which enabled him to tell the Compson story from four separate points of view. The first 3 sections are narrated by Caddy’s brothers, Benjy, Quentin, and Jason. All of their monologues end up center around memories of Caddy. The final section is a third-person narration by Faulkner himself. Many find it strange that Caddy doesn’t get to tell the story from her side even though she is the main character.

Benjy is the youngest of the Compson brothers. He had originally been named Maury after his uncle, but when they discover that he is mentally retarded they change his name to Benjamin. Benjy can’t speak so he reacts to familiar sights and sounds by moaning. His brother Jason has despised him since they were children, and after their parents die he has Benjy put in a mental hospital.

“Benjy loves his sister Caddy, and his monologue consists mainly of memories of her. Caddy treated him with love and affection, unlike his mother Caroline, a complaining, dependent woman who treats him as a shameful nuisance,” (Longley 301). Benjy never recovers from Caddy’s leaving the family because of her pregnancy. His whole section of the story reflects this loss. Whenever Benjy sees something that reminds him of Caddy he goes into a moaning fit and it triggers a flashback to a memory he had of her. “Caddy is the chosen substitute for their weak parents because of her ability to provide love, compassion, pity, and sacrifice, all of which are usual offerings from parent to child,”(Bauer). Benjy has no concept of time and everything he remembers is happening in the present time to him, which makes for a very challenging narration to follow.

Quentin is the oldest of the Compson children and the narrator of the novel’s second chapter. “A sensitive and intelligent boy, Quentin is preoccupied with his love for his sister Caddy and his notion of the Compson family’s honor. He commits suicide by drowning himself just before the end of his first year at Harvard,” (Wall). Quentin’s section takes place on the day he kills himself. It tells of the last few events leading up to his death. He got into fights with two different people who were talking about all the women they’ve been with. “Like Benjy, Quentin is determined to maintain вЂ"or rather recapture- some elusive ideal that, in childhood, seemed genuine and permanent,” (Longley 312).

The major characteristic of Quentin, besides his attempts to keep honor and follow the code of morals he believes are right, is his love for Caddy. “The question of incest between Caddy and Quentin has been debated since the novel’s publication,” (Bauer). Quentin seems to be on a quest to protect Caddy’s virginity. When he discovered that she had lost it, he suggested that they both kill themselves to wash away the sin. Quentin also tried to protect Cady when he found out she