The personal issues of obsession, greed, and a mental disability that the Compson men deal
with, disturb the recurring theme of a southern family and morals. As The Sound and the Fury
reaches the end, the distortion and chaos are signs of the unreliable narrative of these men.
The three past narratives of Benjy, Quentin, and Jason are filled with details that make their
narrative a mixture of reality and their wants. Therefore in order to find the truth in a resolution,
and the significance of The Sound and the Fury, a reliable source is required.
In such case Faulkner changes the first person narrative into a third person point of view to
represent the outside view of the crazed Compson family. Not only does the change in view
stand for a sign of reliability to the reader, but the idea that it is the section of DIlsey that ends
the story provides a truth to the plot. For Dilsey does not share the blood or the morals of the
compson family, in order to provide a sense of truth and light away from the chaos that the
flawed brothers create.
Therefore in the organization of the different perspectives Faulkner displays the significance of
arriving to clarity and truth. He places the disorienting view of Benjy followed by the complex
ideas of the Quentin chapter to build an image of the loss of time. As these two brothers are
obsessed with some form of time Faulkner reveals their unreliability to explain a storyline, while
foreshadowing their lives. The obsession to forget time leads to the revelation of the falling
southern family morality that is present in the Jason chapter, as he fails to live up to the
standards of a southern family.
In revealing these ideas and themes Faulkner explains through the Dilsey chapter the truth that
these chaotic lives represent. As DIlsey is the only true representation of a southern woman,
she is the revelation of the destruction that corruption has upon a southern family. One of those
prominent sources of corruption is time, as it places in front of all the character an obstacle to
follow their morals as southerners. These characters must choose to move forward with society,
or be consumed by the past that can no longer exist. Therefore this loss of time signifies that the
recurring themes of time and a southern family make The Sound and the Fury a story of
corrupted morals damaged by the obstacles of time
Your analysis of the Compson family I feel is much like I interpreted it. The family is a bundle of chaos and there is a great amount of distortion. The Compson family is one that has fallen to the lowest point as everything has gone wrong for them. I also liked how you talked about Dilsey being the representation of the southern woman.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think of the Compson boys as being unreliable but this really opened my perspective. I think its interesting how you said the first three narrators are unreliable and don't reveal the truth because I think in a lot of ways they do reveal the truth. Also, yes Dilsey is not related to the Compson family but in a lot of ways i do believe that she is the core of the family and is what holds them together. Great last paragraph.
ReplyDeleteI really like your writing style, your post flowed really smoothly! I also agree with the way you interpreted everything. I would have elaborated on Dilsey a bit more though, because I think she's a really vital and interesting character. It's, I think, really important that Faulker chose a black woman to be the voice of reason, if you will, of the novel. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGiselle I really like the point you highlight in your blog about Dilsey being a reliable narrator. I think the three Compson boys, Benjny, Quentin, and Jason all have a certain aspect about them that makes them mentally unstable; Dilsey provides readers with a clear interpretation and account of what is truly going on in the Compson family.
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