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Literarea
WILLIAM FAULKNER
THE SOUND
AND THE
FURY
Whereas Ulysses often tops the
list of greatest 20th century Eng-
lish-language novels, The Sounds
and the Fury is often listed right
alongside. While they both utilize
a s/o/c style, Faulkner wields it
in a much different manner. The
story itself is of a post-Civil War
Southern family (the Compsons)
as told through the eyes of the
individual family members –
brothers Benjy, Quentin and
Jason – and their servants. The
main focus in the story is Caddy
Compson, the only daughter in
the family who becomes preg-
nant out of wedlock, gets married
and then sends her daughter back
to live with her family. She’s also
the only character not to “speak”
in the novel. Her story is told
through the other family mem-
bers. It shows a family falling
into greater economic troubles,
culminating with Mr. Compson
selling the last of the family land
to finance Caddy’s wedding.
Faulkner’s s/o/c writing is
evident throughout the book
and varies based on the charac-
ter who is “speaking.” The first
chapter provides the most stun-
ning (and sometimes difficult to
comprehend) example as Benjy
Compson, the autistic older son,
takes the stage, talking about his
passion for fire, the golf course
that now resides on the old fam-
ily land
8
,
and his sister Caddy.
The language is literary impres-
sionism at its finest, as it shifts
between time and setting with
little warning.
In Quentin’s chapter,
Faulkner’s s/o/c writing becomes
decidedly more intelligent,
creative and self-destructive as
Quentin
9
struggles to live with
his sister’s promiscuity, culminat-
ing in
10
his suicide. This section,
because of the psychological tor-
ment Quentin is putting himself
through, can be even more dif-
ficult to read as Faulkner for the
most part disregards grammar
and punctuation. What makes the
section even more confusing
11
is
that Quentin, because of his state
of mind, is a completely unreli-
able narrator
12
.
His words and
phrases stumble together and it’s
difficult to tell where one thought
begins and another one ends.
Two additional sections, com-
ing from the perspective of the Ja-
son, the rational son, and Dilsey,
the loyal matriarchal servant to
the Compson family, offer a more
direct and straight forward narra-
tive, filling in the gaps created by
Benjy and Quentin.
