Insanity In The Sound And The Fury

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Recommended: Assumptions underlying Applied Behavior Analysis

Sarah Seghrouchni
Definition of Insanity
Lunatic, crazy, deranged…insane. The term insanity is a controversial word. There is no definite and precise definition of insanity or the state of being insane. In today’s world, the adjective "insane” is used to characterize someone who acts capriciously and in a way that is nowhere near socially acceptable. But what does it really mean to be “insane”? Insane is something that you can become. It is something that can envelop one’s thoughts and actions in a split second. Insanity can take over as quick as the snap of a finger although it may take time to develop. In William Faulkner’s novel, The Sound and the Fury, brothers Quentin Compson and Jason Compson personify all the key elements of insanity. …show more content…

However, Jason is easily one of the most hypocritical, deranged, and unlikeable characters in the novel. He becomes increasingly twisted as time goes on as he continues to embezzle money from his family. Since the rest of his family shows little respect and love towards Jason, the one and only thing Jason displays any affection towards is money. Money personifies the comfort he lacks from his entire family. His lack of guilt for essentially stealing money is quite bizarre and at one instance he explains that he “…counted the money again that night and put it away, and I didn’t feel so bad.” Would a sane person feel a sense of warmth and comfort in stealing money? Additionally to Jason’s materialistic nature, as an adult, Jason is a flamboyant misogynist and feels like the world is against him. He also has a strong hatred towards black people, northerners, and Jews. At one point, he even explains that “"I give every man his due, regardless of religion or anything else. I have nothing against the Jews as an individual, it’s just the race. You’ll admit that they produce nothing.” His hypocrisy and prejudice make him oblivious to his own faults. In addition to his overall negative outlook on life, Jason is preoccupied with Caddy just like the other brothers. Caddy’s husband, Herbert, retracted the job offer he had for Jason when he divorced Caddy. Jason blames Caddy for this incident which drives and boosts the bitterness and anger within Jason. He is unable to take personal responsibility for events in his life making him increasingly angry and eventually

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