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The Sound and the Fury

 

             The Sound and the Fury is an interesting story that, at times, is very difficult to read. The story is broken up into four sections and each section is told from a different perspective. The first three sections are told by one of the Compson children and the last is considered a combined narrative. The Compson children tend to reflect on the past and have many flashbacks while they are writing their individual parts. Sometimes the flashbacks occur with no warning and the reader has no idea whether the writer is talking about the past or the present. This was a major complaint about the book; however, the plot and character development was able to keep the attention and motivation of the reader to finish the story.
             The first section, which occurs on April 7, 1928, is told by Benjy Compson, a 33-year-old idiot. He uses a language that has short sentences with a basic vocabulary. This was one of the most difficult sections to read because Benjy has no concept of time or place. He has instances were something that happens in the present, instantly and sometimes without warning, will trigger a memory about the past. All of a sudden, Benjy is recalling something that has happened in the past and the reader does not have a clue were he is coming from. .
             Benjy has a strong connection with his sister Caddy and most of his memories are focused around her. She is the only Compson who cares for Benjy; this is why he develops a strong attachment to her. Benjy and Caddy are considered the two main characters of the story because each event that happens in the story is somehow related to them. One of Benjy's earliest memories of Caddy occurs when he is only three years old. During this flashback is where one can get a sense of Caddy's character. She is the only Compson child who is brave enough to climb the tree to look into the window at their Grandma's funeral wake.
             The second section takes place on June 2, 1910, and is told from the perspective of Quentin Compson.


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