Toni Morrison's novel Song of Solomon and William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury are two totally different novels that were written during two totally different time periods by two totally different authors. By looking at these canyon-like differences between these two works, one would not think that there could be any shades of similarities between them. This is not totally true, however. There are some similarities between these two works, especially in the way that each author portrays the dysfunctional family. .
In Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison concentrates more on the affairs of Milkman Dead than the rest of the family. She does provide enough information on the rest of his family, though, that the reader is able to witness the stagnancy of the Dead family. Milkman is a rambunctious juvenile delinquent that has no direction in life. He wanders on the streets all day with his friend, Guitar, and only seems to cause trouble. Magdalena and First Corinthians, Milkman's older sisters, are well into their forties and are still living at home. Neither has found a man to take them away from their home, and Morrison implies throughout the story that they never will. This fact alone plants seeds of doubt into the reader's mind concerning the Dead family. Macon Dead, the father, owns his own business and is the only mildly successful person in the family. His methods of raising his children, however, help bring about the defunct status of his family. The mother, Ruth, is a strong person that appears weak on the outside. While she has the will to often defy Macon (for example, when she gives birth to Milkman against his threats and sneaks out to the country to visit her father's grave), she lacks the motherly strength to raise her children properly. .
The Compson family of The Sound and the Fury, while displaced from the harsh environment of the city, still has serious problems within the walls of their country home.