Re: The Sound and the Fury, section 4, April 8, 1928
Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:56 am
So I have finished the 2nd reading of the book. It is a really good, very complex book. I still do not totally know why they were going to the graveyard but it does sound like they do it every Sunday. So I am assuming that they go to see their loved ones who have passed on. There are a lot of characters who die in the book.
I really like Dilsey. She is an incredibly strong person. I was kind of wondering what it was at the end that horrified Benji. Was Jason running at them in an aggressive manner? The last part was a little bit confusing although I think I know why Jason becomes so violent at the end. He is a typical abuser losing control of his niece. So he takes it out of the remaining members of the family. This second reading really made me dislike Jason. The first time I was not entirely sure of where I stood because things were not entirely clear to me. The 2nd read through was much clearer.
I am also thinking that while Caddy in some ways is a catalyst, it is also not about Caddy. It is about the individual family members in her life who are terrified of her sexuality and react to that fear. I am not entirely sure what the fear of her sexuality is, although I know this is written in the early part of the 20th century about the south. I am not sure what Faulkner is saying about it though. Perhaps that Caddy is just an image? She is not entirely human to the people in her life, she is a creation of the people around her. Therefore, it would be pointless to give her a voice because maybe that is the point. But why would he saying that she is more beautiful by being elusive? Hmmmm.
I am also wonder about race in the novel as well. DWill also asked this question. This line hit me on page 86: “That was when I realized that a nigger is not a person so much as a form of behavior; a sort of obverse reflection of the white people he lives among.” Maybe Faulker is saying that groups of people are creations by the powerful around them? Of course, Benji has very little power in his world and he has a voice in the novel. The only people who tell their stories are the male characters of the Compson family.
I really like Dilsey. She is an incredibly strong person. I was kind of wondering what it was at the end that horrified Benji. Was Jason running at them in an aggressive manner? The last part was a little bit confusing although I think I know why Jason becomes so violent at the end. He is a typical abuser losing control of his niece. So he takes it out of the remaining members of the family. This second reading really made me dislike Jason. The first time I was not entirely sure of where I stood because things were not entirely clear to me. The 2nd read through was much clearer.
I think that is a great answer. Seen in that light, I'm glad Faulkner didn't give Caddy her own platform. It would have been quite a risk or even a letdown, maybe. What if Caddy couldn't be made interesting in herself? What if she seemed too close to Quentin's habit of thought provide the contrast between the sections that Faulkner was looking for? You're right, since she is already the catalyst (the cadalyst!), then giving her a voice might have seemed like monopolization of the novel. I saw a mention of a comment Faulkner made that he wanted Caddy to be illusive, that he thought she was more beautiful that way. No doubt he had his reasons, and they probably were good ones.
I am also thinking that while Caddy in some ways is a catalyst, it is also not about Caddy. It is about the individual family members in her life who are terrified of her sexuality and react to that fear. I am not entirely sure what the fear of her sexuality is, although I know this is written in the early part of the 20th century about the south. I am not sure what Faulkner is saying about it though. Perhaps that Caddy is just an image? She is not entirely human to the people in her life, she is a creation of the people around her. Therefore, it would be pointless to give her a voice because maybe that is the point. But why would he saying that she is more beautiful by being elusive? Hmmmm.
I am also wonder about race in the novel as well. DWill also asked this question. This line hit me on page 86: “That was when I realized that a nigger is not a person so much as a form of behavior; a sort of obverse reflection of the white people he lives among.” Maybe Faulker is saying that groups of people are creations by the powerful around them? Of course, Benji has very little power in his world and he has a voice in the novel. The only people who tell their stories are the male characters of the Compson family.