The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner

The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner, takes place in the 1900s. The book follows different members of the Compson family, and their downfall from rich to poor. The first section is told by Benjamin, a mentally challenged man. He is born mute, and doesn't have a sense of time. He talks about his bond between he and his sister, Caddy. She is the only one who gives him love and affection. The next section is written by Quentin, the only one who goes to Harvard. He is ashamed of his family, and most of all his sister. As Caddy grows up, she becomes promiscuous, and later becomes pregnant. Quentin is mentally affected by this, and he feels the downfall of his family the most. The last narration is told by Jason. His section tells of how he takes care of Caddy’s daughter, who is now 17. She is a rebellious teen, and he has to deal with her the same way he has to deal with Benjamin, the family’s 6 servants, and his own mother. The last part is a third person view following around the oldest servant of the family, Dilsey. 

At first, the book didn't appeal to me because it was nothing like I had read before. It was extremely complicated for me to read and I had a hard time understanding it. Benjamin triggered memories along his section, and it was like a puzzle, trying to weave through the writing. But as I read along, and read it for the second time, everything made sense. I started to appreciate Faulkner’s writing, and each detail mentioned before came later in the story. To this day, I don't know what the story's message is to the reader. It made me feel slightly bad for this declining family, and it seemed as if only trouble would occur to them.

Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 9

Downtown Central Library