The Sound and the Fury- Blog 2

Although the screenplay is based on the experience of Quentin, I consulted the entirety of the novel to inform my writing decisions. One constant is the importance of Caddy, who is the clearest manifestation of the Compsons' decline. Of the four children, she is the only female, and the males worship her. She is the only individual in the family who respects the mentally disabled Benjy. Quentin is destroyed by her loss of pride, and tells his father he committed incest in attempt to salvage her reputation. The reprehensible Jason IV steals payments intended for her daughter, an example of his selfish behaviour and distaste for his family. Caddy's life is a struggle: she gives birth to the child of Dalton Ames, and her husband Herbert Head shuns her after making this discovery. This personal tragedy creates a domino effect and results in the unraveling of several characters- especially Quentin.

The structure of the novel is comprised of four parts, each of which details a different point of view. First, there is Benjy, whose interpretation of the world around him is often indecipherable. Faulkner succeeds with the ambitious task of writing as a mentally disabled man, and the dysfunctional nature of the Compsons is immediately clear. Secondly, there is Quentin, who commits suicide, unable to cope with his lingering anxieties. Next, the brutal Jason is used as a vehicle to communicate the family decline. Finally, the insightful servant Dilsey witnesses the troubles the Compsons face, and the novel ends on a disturbing note.