Jason

Jason is one of the most cruel characters in the Compson family. He is filled with anger towards his broken, inept family, and as such he is easily disliked. This anger and contempt becomes increasingly clearer in the Jason chapter. One passage that illustrates Jason's character is his conversation with mother about Miss Quentin. He is sick of Miss Quentin acting with impunity, and he wants mother to let him handle it. He says "why don't you either lock her up all day too, or turn her over to me and quit worrying over her?" (120). Another passage that portrays Jason's relation to the Compson's is when he refuses to give Miss Quentin the letter from her mother. (140) This scene represents Jason's anger with Miss Quentin, and also his anger with Caddy, her mother. He resents her for leaving the family and leaving her daughter behind. His new position in the family is that he has become the man in charge. He has control over mother and feels like he should be the head of  the family. Jason's narrative is mostly based around his contempt towards what is left of the Comptons, but the content of his narrative is less biased. He reveals, if unwittingly, the good in Misss Quentin, something he does not realize himself.

Quentin

Quentin thinks in a very fragmented way, he rambles and one idea leads him to a seemingly unrelated idea. This method of thought makes him confusing to read, and it also makes it difficult to discern his level of intelligence. His unhealthy obsession with time and with caddy prove how fractured his mind has become. Both Quentin and Benjy are obsessed with Caddy, but while Benny's obsession is more about love and comfort, Quentin is obsessed with Caddy's sexuality and his obsession is tinged with lust.


In Quentins reminiscing on page 82, he has no obligations to the family, because they never accepted him. He is obligated only to Caddy, and even then he feels betrayed by her. Despite this, his family is his biggest concern, and he wants them, especially Caddy, to be safe. Quentins thoughts reside in college, for it was in college where his life was most troubling, and het was in college when Caddy got pregnant.

Benjy

Benjy

What role does Benjy play in the Compson family? What does his unique perspective show us about the Compsons?
Benjy's role is that of a scapegoat. Bad occurrences are imputed to him, and even when they are not he is still snapped at and regarded with genuine distaste. His perspective of this shows us that the Compson's are a broken family, because what kind of person could blame a disabled man for anything?

What might Benjy's need for consistency, and his extremely strong nostalgia for the past say about the concept of family? About the South as a place?

Benjy's need for consistency shows that his concept of family is that of a consistent, loving unit. Perhapsin the past when the whole family were children, Benjy could feel at home among the kids. However, now that they are growing up, he is nostalgic towards the times when he was accepted. This attitude also tells us that the south was not very accepting of the mentally disabled. They view a 33 year old man who acts like a toddler as a disgrace, at least when Benjy was younger he was somewhat accepted.

Does Benjy fulfill a symbolic role in the novel?

Benjy symbolizes the failures of the Compson family. His flawed mind represents what the Compson's have become; a broken, torn group of people that cannot survive on its  own.

Initial Reaction

My Initial reaction to The Sound and the Fury is that it is a very good book. Yes, it is
very confusing, but the jump in time become more clear as the story progresses.  I also like the idea of a story being told by a person who is mentally disabled. It provides a much different viewpoint than a mentally  sound narrator, and it also allows the reader to feel empathy for the mentally disabled.