Beth's Sound and Fury

Overall, I was a little disappointed with the end of the book. There were no unexpected twists and turns; it just ended with the unfortunate idea that change is not to come for the Compsons. As we discussed in the seminar, Jason represents the Old South, while Quentin and Caddy represent the New South. Ultimately, Quentin commits suicide and Caddy runs away, taking along with them any hope for what the South could become. This leaves Jason and Mother with their traditional, prejudiced views, to prevail. To anyone hoping for a good triumphs over evil story, The Sound and the Fury is not your book. Caddy and Quentin, and Miss Quentin, too, show the redeeming future of the South, but ultimately the Old South way remains throughout the novel.

Jason is the controlling, greedy, and narcissistic Compson son. He is a truly unlikeable character and has no redeeming qualities. As we discussed in class, Jason represents the old South. He seeks money, status, and power, especially over women and African Americans. Jason won’t take responsibility for any of his faults, and actually blames all of his problems on his sister Caddy. Caddy’s daughter, Quentin, now lives with the Compsons. Each month, Caddy sends her daughter money, but Jason steals it. Opposite of his brothers, Jason is not obsessed with Caddy; in fact, he is ashamed of her and only values her money. He schemes his way through life– stealing Quentin’s money, lying to his mother about where he gets his money, and never actually working. He is terribly rude to Quentin and basically everyone he encounters, except for his mother, who thinks Jason is her one good child and the apple of her eye. However, this is far from the truth. Jason is bitter and simply m...

Quentin is the oldest Compson son and is the smart one, the Harvard son, the one the whole family is proud of. Despite a seemingly perfect appearance, Quentin and his chapter are no more perfect than Benjy and his chapter. Quentin is mentally ill, and his chapter displays this with Faulkner’s constant changes in writing and unpredictable flashbacks. Personally, Quentin’s chapter was difficult to read because of his senseless views. Both he and Benjy are obsessed with their sister, Caddy, but Quentin’s obsession is extremely disturbing. Benjy truly loves Caddy, and they share such a special bond because she is the only character who is always willing to help Benjy understand and is selfless with the tender patience, care, and love she shows him. On the other hand, although he does love his sister, Quentin does so quite absurdly. He is consumed with sexual thoughts about Caddy. He believes that in order to protect her, he needs to have sex with her (thus committing incest) to ...

What role does Benjy play in the Compson family? What does his unique perspective show us about the Compsons? Benjy is the thirty-three-year-old, mentally handicapped Compson son. Benjy is similar to a baby. He can’t talk; instead, he communicates his unhappiness through moaning and crying. He doesn’t understand and can't comprehend a lot of things that happen, but he does recognize when things change. For most people in the Compson family, Benjy is nothing more than a burden or annoyance that they have to deal with. The only person who shows true love and compassion towards him is his sister, Caddy. Caddy really tries to help Benjy understand what’s happening and tries to understand Benjy, too. Although Benjy is mentally handicapped, he still has thoughts and emotions, which we see in his chapter. Because of this, we gain a perspective about the Compsons that others do not experience. The Compsons are not morally perfect; they are not very compassionate and kind towards peopl...