The Sound and The Fury

The Sound and the Fury is a compelling novel written by William Faulkner. It was released in 1929, during an era called the Roaring 20s. This was a time during which literature reflected drastic changes in society, as well as the consumerism that emerged from the invention of the automobile. Faulkner, contrastingly, explores the themes of love and morality in this novel. But most importantly, its message of sorrow and moral decay are incomparable to any other novel. In The Sound and the Fury, through the use of Caddy, William Faulkner is able to portray the theme of misfortune: how each of her three brothers (Benjy, Quentin, and Jason) copes with it, ultimately contributing to how the family has gradually disintegrated over the course of the novel.

Benjy’s loss of Caddy drives his thoughts and memories in the story. From the beginning, Caddy has always given unconditional love to her mental brother, treating him like an equal to his other siblings. She is able to connect with him in a motherly way, as Mrs. Compson is ironically unable to do. In the first section, when the Caroline (the mother) and Uncle Maury fuss at Caddy for not putting gloves on Benjy before going outside, Caroline sympathetically comments, “My poor baby” (Faulkner 8). Defensively, Caddy assures him that “[he] is not a poor baby,” as “[he has] got [his] Caddy” (Faulkner 9). Figuratively, this thought repeats in Benjy’s mind several different times in the novel, as Caddy’s absence soon turns into an obsession for him. For example, Caddy’s “[smelling] like trees” is a scent that Benjy associates with her presence. The day that she got dressed up and wore perfume was the day that Benjy uttered a startling cry. To him, trees remind him of the comfort that Caddy giv...

... middle of paper ...

... Resources from Gale. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

Visser, Irene. "Faulkner's 'The Sound and the Fury.' (William Faulkner)." The Explicator 52.3 (1994): 171+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.

Wagner, Linda W. "Language and act: Caddy Compson." The Southern Literary Journal 14.2 (1982): 49+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.

Wall, Carey. "The Sound and the Fury: The Emotional Center." The Midwest Quarterly 11.4 (July 1970): 371-387. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Zender, Karl F. "The Politics of Incest." Faulkner and the Politics of Reading. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2002. 1-31. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 170. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.