Dilsey’s Chapter

I thought that it was interesting how each chapter got progressively clearer and more coherent, starting with Benjy’s trying narration and ending with Dilsey’s straightforward interpretation of the Compson’s downfall.  It is as though we get Faulkner’s own perspective and voice through the ever present Dilsey.  I believe that this writing style was intentional of Faulkner’s part.  Its symbolic meaning could be applied in several different ways.  One possibility is that Faulkner’s writing mirrors the crumbling of the Compson family.  Both the book and the family are unraveling, becoming less complex to reveal the truth that the family has broken apart, unable to move forward with time-they are stuck.  Another reason for the order of the book could have been that Faulkner wanted his readers to understand the emotions and the timelessness of his story before presenting a chronological over of events to readers.  In order to understand the decay of the Compson family, readers had to see certain events from the different members of the family to be able to grasp the complexity of the story.  I believe this at this story signifies “nothing.”  Faulkner is making the point that there are some messages that cannot be fully communicated through the use of mere words.  When Dilsey takes Benjy to church on Easter, the entire congregation becomes “nothing” during the sermon, “beyond the need for words.”  It could also explain Faulkner’s focus on the senses (especially in Benjy’s case) when telling the Compson’s story.  This ‘nothingness’ applies to the entire book, the Compson’s accomplish nothing with their actions, however, by ending Dilsey’s chapter on Easter-the rebirth of Christ-that they have a chance of redemption.      

Jason's Chapter

I was surprised by how different Jason’s chapter was when I contrasted it with Benjy and Quintin’s chapter.  It was straightforward.  Yes, Jason reflected on past events, however he was thinking of how it applied to the present (more specifically, how it affected him personally) rather than living in the past.  I believe that this chapter revealed how spiteful Jason truly is, in past chapters I have developed a strong aversion to him, but reading from his perspective solidifies and intensifies those feelings.  In the very first line of his chapter, “Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say,” (in reference to his sister’s daughter, Quinton), Faulkner turns readers against Jason-he is a character that we are meant to hate.  Listening to Jason’s cruel perspective is difficult; he is unwilling to take any of the responsibility for his actions, pushing the blame off to others.  He is also very greedy, siphoning money off the checks Caddy sends to support Quinton, making about fifty thousand dollars in fifteen years.  He is also guilty of stealing from his mother, taking advantage of her limitless trust and unrelenting favoritism.  All of Mrs. Compson’s other children were far more deserving of their mother’s love and support, and yet Jason is the only one that she doesn’t consider a “curse.”  As a child, Jason was cruel, and as he grew, those traits only intensified.  He is clever, but uses his talents to further take advantage of others.  He is so blinded by the ‘wrongs’ that others have done to him that he is unwilling to attempt to make any changes to his situation. 

Quinton Chapter

Quinton’s narration throughout this entire chapter is very confusing and difficult to follow.  He doesn’t maintain a sense of himself while narrating and yet is very focused on his own problems and is self-involved.  It seems that Faulkner uses this irony to emphasize Quinton’s uncertainty and the many conflicting characteristics that are part of his personality. One of the things that I found was hardest about this chapter was the way that Faulkner used Quinton to narrate, very stream of consciousness.  He is constantly jumping back and forth between the past and the future, unwilling to let go of thing that cannot be changed.  This shows how fragile Quintin’s mental state is.  He can’t deal with his life in the present, so he takes refuge in the past.  As the chapter progresses, Quinton deteriorates mentally and the stream of consciousness style of narrating becomes more and more prominent.  His train of thought becomes harder to follow and more confusing.  He was weighed down with guilt over being unable to ‘protect’ his sister and finally kills himself.