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?
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.
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.
Logan, this is some divine insight. I like what you said that "he is nostalgic towards the times when he was accepted". I didn't really think about how Benjy probably longs for his childhood because his behavior was more acceptable as a child. I assumed that Benjy was primarily nostalgic of his childhood days because of all the time he spent playing and growing up with his siblings but this adds a whole new level!
ReplyDeletegood, keep being specific
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