My Best (and longest) Blog Entry Yet

The characters of The Sound and the Fury all have complicated and difficult lives. These characters deal with the complications in their lives in their own special ways, some of which are significantly more effective than others. In general, I believe that the female characters of the novel handle their difficult situations more effectively than the males handle their troubles, making the females the stronger characters.

Of all the male characters in The Sound and the Fury, Quentin handles his troubles in the least effective manner. Clearly, Quentin’s main problem is psychological. He is a mental wreck due to the thought of his sister being a sexually active woman. Quentin cannot bear to see his idealist view of the Compson family honor being diminished because of Caddy’s promiscuity. Quentin’s way of handling this emotional difficulty is suicide. His suicide shows that he is not emotionally strong enough to deal with his troubles, and therefore realizes his only way out is to end his own life. This approach is a weak way to handle a difficulty. Quentin’s actions display that he is a mentally weak person is not able to deal with emotional troubles, as some of the female characters are.

Like, Quentin Benjy is also an emotionally weak character because of his inability to properly handle his sorrowful life. Benjy has good reason to be emotionally unstable due to his mental deficiencies. He is totally reliant on Caddy, desiring her attention and affection constantly, even when she has been banished for a long time. He does not handle situations well when he desires Caddy and simply cries when she is not available. However, the reader cannot blame Benjy for this behavior due to his mental condition. Nonetheless, Benjy is a mentally weak character and totally reliant on a stronger, female character.

Jason is another male character who is emotionally weak. Like mother, Jason is unable to overcome the past and is self-pitying. He attributes all his misfortunes to one instance in which he was supposed to get a well-paying job at the bank from Herbert but lost this opportunity because Caddy and Herbert split. Jason attributes all of the troubles in life, such as having a menial job at a farmer supply store and not having a wife, to this one occurrence when he lost his prospective job. Instead of directly confronting and changing his troubled life, Jason simply goes through the days with a self-pitying attitude that accomplishes nothing. This approach shows Jason is a mentally weak character, not mentally strong enough to improve his own life.

Similar to Quentin, Benjy, and Jason, Mr. Compson is unable to handle his complicated life efficiently. He faces the difficulties of having a mental ill son in Benjy, a self-pitying wife in Mrs. Compson, and a promiscuous daughter in Caddy. These three troubles cause Mr. Compson problems and lead him to drink, but his biggest problem is certainly the suicide of Quentin. Mr. Compson handles the death of his son the only way he know how to—by drinking more. This alcoholism eventually leads to Mr. Compson’s death. The fact that he handles his difficulties by drinking shows Mr. Compson is an emotionally weak character and is unable to handle his life through effective means. He is clearly a weak-willed individual.

Unlike Quentin, Benjy, Jason, and Mr. Compson, many of the female characters in the novel show strong emotional states and are able to handle their difficulties, making them strong characters. Miss Quentin has a difficult time living in the Compson household because she is the personification of Caddy’s promiscuity and therefore all of the problems in the family. Miss Quentin is constantly tormented by Jason and is clearly not happy living with the Compsons. Unlike the male characters, she takes her life into her own hands. By taking Jason’s money and leaving, Miss Quentin alters her previously doomed life with the Compsons. She effectively handles her difficulties by taking direct action to change her path and make a new life for herself. This action makes Miss Quentin an emotionally strong character, much more powerful than the male characters who are too weak to change their paths. The fact that she takes care of her own difficulties makes her a strong-willed individual.

Caddy represents another example of a strong female character in the novel. She is an extremely independent and a self-reliant woman. Although her promiscuity eventually leads to the downfall of the family, it shows that Caddy is free-spirited and not dominated by preconceived notions of how a proper woman should act. Caddy’s sexual freedom displays her mental toughness. Although Faulkner offers no commentary on Caddy’s life out of Compson household, I assume she is successfully able to start a new life and mentally handle the difficulties of her past. Caddy’s independence makes her one of the strongest characters in the novel.

However, the strongest character in the novel in undoubtedly Dilsey. Ironically, Dilsey is a female, African-American servant. These three characteristics would stereotypically make Dilsey a weak-willed person. However, Dilsey is the strongest character in the novel and the only one able to maintain order in the Compson household. Her ability to maintain order is displayed throughout the novel, but is most notable in the last section. When the Compson family is in a total state of mayhem, Dilsey single-handedly keeps the peace while serving the family breakfast. Jason is complaining about his broken window, mother is in her usual self-pitying mood, and Benjy in crying uncontrollably. Nonetheless, Dilsey is able the establish order and calm down the situation while serving a meal to the Compson’s. This instance shows that Dilsey is a strong-willed character, capable of dealing with difficult situations. She is emotionally stable enough to keep herself and the rest of the family under control throughout all of the troubles they are faced. From putting the children to bed during the Demuddy’s funeral to taking Benjy to church on the last day, Dilsey is always doing something to maintain order, making her the strongest character in The Sound and the Fury. (1,014)