Quentin's Eerie Goodbye: June 2, 1910

As I plow through the second chapter of Fury, I would like to hope I am beginning to see eye to eye with the mystery that Faulker was. Although my interpretation may be incorrect, I feel strongly that Faulker gave a voice to the "inferior" through his writings, especially in this second chapter. Though the first chapter, from a mentally handicapped point of view, does unbiasedly introduce readers to characters and events, I believe Faulker is giving a voice to those who are unable to put their thoughts onto paper, hence Benjy. This is seen repetitively, whether it be in Quentin's interactions with foreigners such as the little Italian girl, or the Compson's interactions with their African American slaves. Most importantly in the second chapter, Faulker gives a voice to the mentally ill. This copious empowerment and unique point of view readers receive from these unusual characters is unparalleled in frequent, popular literature.

At times, Quentin's chapter was almost as difficult to understand as Benjy's chapter was. The mental state of Quentin is clearly shaky, and his mental health is degenerating. By the second to last page, Quentin is rambling with no punctuation, with little sentence structure, and quick frankly, with no sense. Although his sentences are difficult to decipher, the overall message is clear. Quentin's obsession with Caddy and his inability to remain mentally sane are what the page long rants symbolize.

Benjy's interactions with time seem to be endless, whether he is setting down a watch, asking for the time, or watching the hands on a clock. This seems to be the polar opposite of Benjy, who is oblivious to how time functions. Although Quentin is more mentally present than Benjy, he is unable to escape this never ending notion of time. Quentin unfortunately feels as though the only escape from time and order that he cannot control is through suicide.

Quentin's obsession with Caddy, and specifically Caddy's virginity, is evident in this chapter. On multiple occasions, Quentin expresses to Caddy the idea of telling people that Quentin is the father of her child. This is another way Quentin is attempting to save the family name, and hold the family together as he watches them disintegrate. Quentin is disappointed upon speaking with his father, who  clearly has differing views on Caddy's loss of pureness. Jason, the father, states, in a new age quote, "men invented virginity, not women," and believes virginity is "just words." This nonchalant idea of virginity is completely horrifying to Quentin as he remains true to his Southern ideals and values.

Benjy's Day: April 7, 1928

Having completed my first chapter of Faulkner's "Fury", I have earned a deep breath and a minute of relaxation, and by relaxation, I mean blogging. Faulker is not by any means an effortless author to read. I found myself captivated by each word, each flashback, each cry. Benjamin, nicknamed Benjy, is the character from whom the first chapter is perceived. Benjy, who is mentally handicapped, is thirty three years old or "three years old for thirty years". His inability to be independent is apparent by the plethora of housekeepers, servants, and nannies that Faulker introduces as characters. Benjy is exceptionally sensitive to touch, smell, and noise, which is noted by his continual line "Caddy smelled like trees." This dependence on his senses is in contrast to his incapacity to decipher time. Benjy is attached to Caddy, his sister, who is the only family member who is patient and affectionate with him. Through Benjy we understand a transformation that is occurring in Caddy as she becomes increasingly promiscuous and smells less and less like trees. Benjy is no more than a nuisance, or a constant annoyance, to Caroline, his mother, and Jason, his father. His mother is ultimately useless in the upbringing of Benjy, as she is neurotic and, as the nannies claim, doesn't even raise her own children. Benjy's nannies could be seen as treating Benjy as though he is not completely human, though Disley, Benjy's only somewhat stable figure, is an exception. Overall, Benjy punctuates the flaws of the Compton family, and their gradual degradation as a family unit. This decline is marked by notions of an affair, a suicide of an adolescent, a loss of pureness, and the deaths of many. Benjy's strong need for consistency, and constant nostalgia for the past can be analyzed as a symbol for both the family, as well as the South's, yearning for the past. With times rapidly changing in the West, the South is seen as clinging onto their history, and refusing to reform. This unwillingness to accept any change is clearly not healthy, as evident in the case of the Compton's, whose refusal to embrace change has led to chaos, at least through Benjy's eyes.

voyage through fury

hi fellow bloggers! here goes my first attempt at an educated blog. no i will not disclose personal details about my dramatic and riveting high school life, much to your dismay, but i will hope to enlighten you on something clearly more fascinating, my journey through the treacherous sound of the fury. as i began my research on this mysterious and complex novel, i encountered interesting information about Faulkner, the masterpiece's author. faulkner was ideally romantic in his literature choices, reading poetry and writing prose for his college newspaper. though a man involved with poetry is indeed sentimental, he was lacking a college degree after dropping out of his studies from ole miss. this did not seem to halt his future successes considering he was able to earn two Pulitzer prizes and one noble prize for his writings. an intriguing aspect of faulker's life is his sudden move to europe, where he lived along side other aspiring, young writers. this decision to leave america for the antiquated europe is seemingly parallel to the lost generation, which includes a group of intellectuals (ernest hemingway, f scott fitzgerald) that was disenchanted by american materialism and lived a bohemian life of drinking (a hobby of faulkner's), writing, and growing their hair long. this lifestyle faulkner lived in europe was only a short stint though, considering he spent the majority of time either in mississippi or virginia writing voraciously. like many current, successful writers, such as J.K. Rowling, faulkner was initially rejected by publishing companies. faulkner often referred to the sound of the fury as one of his most agonizing pieces and stated that sound of the fury was a book written in pure despair due to the countless times he was declined. overall, faulkner's journey towards sheer success is compelling, and the grueling book that became the love child of his relationship with failure is one that will be just as difficult to read as it was for him to publish. cheers to you faulker!