Faulkner address order and chaos, time, and humanity in perspective. He builds and maintains different characters throughout the book, with Quentin's jumbled mind and Jason crass attitude. The first three chapters show how jumbled and chaotic the Compson family is. Faulkner conveys through all three Compson boys the negative effect that Caddy has on the family. She effects each boy in their own way but enough so that the family reaches a state of chaos. He starts off with a bundled mess instead of building the story up and reaching a climax then coming back down. Faulkner throws us right into the middle of the plot and keeps us disoriented until the last chapter. He unravels the plot slowly while showing the complicated inner psyche of humanity.
The last chapter, although not told in Dilsey's point of view, we can assume Faulkner intends to pull Dilsey to the attention of the reader. We follow her on the day of Easter (rather symbolic if I do say so myself) as she continues with upholding the Compson family. We have learned in the first three chapters how Caddy is the heart of her brothers' life and she constantly effects the way they conduct themselves but the last chapter gives us some type of hope.
In the last chapter, we see a third point perspective following the Compson's final downfall. Miss Quentin flees in this chapter and we see the Compson family indefinitely ruined. Caddy is gone, Benjy and Jason are mentally unstable, all in all the Compson family is falling apart. But Faulkner follows Dilsey as she continues on through her day despite the Compson family trying to bring her down. She cooks breakfast and goes to church, bringing Benjy with her. She keeps the house in order while all remains in chaos. Dilsey says in this chapter, "I seed de beginning, en now I sees de ending," this implies the end for the Compson family but Faulkner turns it around in the end when Benjy finds order in his ride home which implies that quite possibly the family can resurrect.
Faulkner addresses the problem of time and how many of us may feel trapped or our constant need to blame someone else for our problems. Or even the fact that most of the time we deviate from tradition and have to find our way back. What Faulkner is able to do is show that even after falling down and hitting rock bottom there is always a chance to resurrect. Although his main message ought to be life is meaningless. He named the book the Sound and Fury and related it to Macbeth's quote that "life is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing." In other words, Faulkner showed us that even through all the chaos and noise caused by the Compson family in the end, nothing is to come of it. Maybe resurrection on part of Dilsey but it seems to be a never ending cycle humanity is stuck in that Faulkner addresses. We are constantly rising and falling, making noise to be muted out. Life is but a meaningless adventure and Faulkner gives us more of a pessimistic view on life by the end of this book. He leaves us with a sliver of hope in Dilsey but really he leaves it for you to make what you want of it.
I had the same idea about the Macbeth quote and I agree that the Compson family seems kind of doomed, but the fact that it's Easter sort of hints at the idea that perhaps Dilsey is the only one that is going to make it through the Compson family downfall.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it is Caddy's sexual relations that destroy the Family as it was both already falling apart and the reactions of the characters due to the society around them that allowed for their own destruction. I also am not entirely certain that Faulkner it's pushing the nihilistic belief the time is meaningless but is instead remarking upon the need of the south to change lest they be destroyed as well.
I thought it was cool how you portrayed Dilsey as a source of stability, and connecting her to Easter may be her as a sign of hope. Cool connection to the Macbeth quote as well
ReplyDelete