I was a little disappointed in how
the novel ended. The first three chapters had such a great build up, that I
felt a little let down on how the last chapter ended, as if it left me hanging.
It was told in a different way, a third person narrative. This was helpful,
because it was clear to understand exactly what was going on, and like Benjy's
chapter there wasn't a bias o certain characters or the Compson family as a
whole. After reading the novel, there was definitely a big significance on the
sequencing of the chapters. Faulkner clearly did this purposefully. To me, it
was almost written as a mystery, where the first two chapters the reader is
given clues about the relationships in the Compson family, and the story.
However it is not till the third and fourth chapter when it all comes together,
and becomes clear and fluid. It starts with someone who is mentally retarded,
then its followed by someone who is suicidal and sporadic flashbacks, followed
by someone who is bitter and hated yet easy to understand, lastly an unbiased
third person narrative to tie it all in. It is as if all the pieces of the
puzzle come in perfectly timed to form the whole picture of the Compson family.
One reason that this novel had a disappointing
ending was because there wasn't a huge revel at the end of the book. The book
ended in the downfall of the Compson family, in some weird way, I was hoping
for the return of Caddy and some big reveal. Although Caddy herself is a
strange character, I feel for her, and I like her. Whereas other characters
such as Jason and Quentin disgust me at times, I want Caddy to succeed.
However, it is never told what happens to Caddy or Miss Quentin. I think The Sound and the Fury was about the
relationships and inner struggle within a family. Faulkner shows the structure
of a southern family, the bond and the issues within the family. He covered
everything from romance, marriage, and incest to hate, suicide, and a cursed
family. Mrs. Compson always talked about how she was cursed, because her
children were not ideal. To me this was sickening, but this contributed a big
part to the family structure. Faulkner did a great job showing the interconnections
within a southern family.
Looking back on the quote,
"Life is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing" there are many
ways to interpret this in accordance to the book. I feel like the first three
chapters were told by 'idiots' who all had their own ideas and issues with the
family. However at the end of the day when all is said and done, nothing was
shown, no issues were resolved, and no member of the Compson family had
changed. This is how I feel this book relates to the quote. The same relative
story was told four times, with different details each time, because everyone
has their own opinion. This does a great job in truly revealing personalities.
To me this is done to signify how everyone has their secrets, opinions, and
attitudes to tell, because everyone views things their own ways.
I definitely agree with you on the fact that the end of the novel was sort of a let down. I was also expecting Caddy to make some fabulous appearance at the end of the novel and do something inspiring and powerful… but no. I do think, however, that we need to take in account what Faulkner was trying to do here: hint at the readers that there is possibly still hope for the Compson family. Anyways, nicely done!
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