The Sound and the Fury Chapter 1 (April Seventh, 1928)
Faulkner may as well have started this chapter with Chinese, for it would not have made a significant change to the overall initial comprehension of the chapter. First reading this chapter and trying to firmly grasp it is like trying to whisk egg batter with a shoelace (not that I've tried it, just for the purpose of an analogy); one can't get far without realizing how futile it is and how wise it would be to use that time to analyze another aspect of the chapter rather than the plot (one aspect that is bound to create less of a migraine too).First things first, let's begin with what we, the readers, can explicitly comprehend from chapter 1: Benjy is one of the four Compton family children, he is mentally handicapped, his name was changed from Maury (the family name), and of course, he is the person whose perspective we are experiencing the novel from thus far. It is no "accident" that Faulkner incorporated these details into chapter 1; as twenty-first century English students, we know that what the author is saying is far more of importance than what the characters are saying, although it is nonetheless beneficial to know what the characters are saying because one needs context to interpret author's tone from.
What we can infer from this chapter is that Benjy is as naive and unimpeachable (woah, big word? Google is your friend, my friend) as a character can be. This can be supported in Faulkner's representation of him; he is handicapped mentally, and tends to have the train of thought that a juvenile child does. Parallel to this, children generally are associated as pure and innocent beings whose minds are not corrupted or blemished (yet). Additionally, Benjy is depicted as one with "special senses." For instance, Benjy seems to have been very sensitive to Caddy's scent of trees, remember? This supports that he is like the character of a fool in Shakespearean literature, for what the "fool" says is the truth. The notable part of this representation of Benjy is that we, the readers, can place our credibility in Benjy as he narrates the accounts of the chapter; he cannot soil what is being told, but merely relay them as they unfold, for he is not soiled himself.
His symbolic role in the novel is to be the messenger of truth, which is not always pretty. One truth we get is Benjy's name change which portrays the antiquated Southern societal flaw of placing status over righteous human dignity. As we are taught now, a person's state of being, handicapped or not, does not dictate their merit regardless. The exposure we get about Benjy's unjust treatment and inferior sentiment from other characters is Faulkner indirectly talking to us as to how the South was like in the nineteenth century. And just like that, the chapter is starting to sound more like English, and less like Chinese (Thank you, AP Lit).
-LbugL
nice job! but watch your due dates
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comedic relief, it made talking about a difficult book much more enjoyable. I like how you mentioned Benjy's 'special senses' because the senses play an important role throughout the rest of the story.
ReplyDeleteWow. This was awesome (yes, Loveleen, I am now stalking your blog (: ). I really enjoyed the light and funny diction you used. Although I would have hoped unimpeachable would have been a membean word, I am still content with you using Google. I liked the point you brought up about Benjy's mind being like a child and not corrupted. I agree Benjy is a reliable narrator because of his innocence, but I never thought of Faulkner using him being mental handicapped to represent his inner child. I liked and agree with Benjy's use of smell-remember since he can't speak he has to find another way to communicate with the reader. That would be through smell or bellowing, and well, smell makes a lot more sense. I agree that the "fool" from Shakespeare and Benjy are foils-it makes sense why Benjy would be called a "judgment" similar to a "fool." Very much enjoyed your blog post and learned something new. Really appreciate such a great read! You really understand this stuff! (:
ReplyDeleteI loved that your post has voice and character. It is really good. It is very clear and carries your personality I like how you mentioned a connection between characters like Benjy and the Fool. Out of curosity though how did you fit impeachable into that describtion of Benjy?
ReplyDeleteI wrote *unimpeachable, meaning trustworthy and dependable.
DeleteNice analogy! I really like how you put your own words into this and added your humor into the mix! Your interpretation of the book I think is spot on! From your perspective and recalling the events from the text, it helped others who read your blog have a better understanding! I also agree with you that Benjy is the symbol of truth bcz he is uncorrupted and a reliable character. You didn't make your blog based on just the questions asked you also added your own personality and opinion into it. It was really easy and fun to read!!
ReplyDeleteI really like this post, and your analogy? Brilliant. But as for how Benjy can smell trees, and he associates them with Caddy, I don't think its as special as we make it out to be. Whenever I get a scent of a body of water, my mind automatically goes to fish, because that is what I have associated with lakes. It's probably the same with Caddy for Benjy.
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