Custom «The sound and the fury» Essay Paper

The Sound and the Fury is one of the novels that cannot be written successfully if the manner and method of writing to be used is a traditional one. Apparently, if there is one most and notable novel that have been written, it will be The Sound and the Fury. Written during the 20th century under the penmanship of William Faulkner, the novel became a sensational themes and subjects among many studies because of the controversial writing that has been applied. Set in the small county of Yoknapatawpha and divided into 4 different sections, the author of the novel has tackled various emotions and issues on mental retardation, suicide and obsession. It must be noted, however, that in the different sections of the novel, people will have to expect something different and that at every each section the readers are left wondering and thinking as to what is going to happen next. The first section of the novel clearly describes and depicts a life of the man that is suffering from mental retardation. Life has been described in the life of that man named Benjy Compson. The second section, on the other hand, describes life and the world under the viewpoint of one of the main character named Quentin Compson. In this section, suicide has been tackled with the involvement of another character named Caddy. The third and the fourth sections likewise presented some viewpoints that came directly from Jason and Dilsey. Different viewpoints are important in the novel because of the fact that it relates and points certain relationships of the events that took place in the lives of the Compson. Hence, every character that is being portrayed is important. However, it must be noted that even if there are so many characters and viewpoints that have been written and exposed, Caddy is not that being given much credits and attention. Hence, this paper is for the purpose of elaborating on the character of Caddy and its importance in the whole novel. Body The basic foundation of the story written in the form of novel is the sudden decline of the family of the Compson. It is noted that the Compson Family is one of the notable families in their place. The head of the family is a war hero and therefore, all the people that came to know them are regarding the company with high respects and regards. But then again, it cannot be denied that like most of the families in the society, they have been trapped and defeated with the problems and vices in the society such as selfishness, racism, psychological incapacities and even avarice. These are but some of the factors that have affected greatly the family which resulted to more problems and the unwarranted fall of the Compson family. Every member of the family has been affected but amidst all the events that have transpired in their family and in their society, one character stand tall and that is Caddy. Caddy as characterized in the novel speaks of genuine care. She was the only person in the family that had shown genuine care for all the members especially for Benjy. It is a known fact that Benjy is suffering from mental retardation. During the time the novel has been written, people with psychological incapacities are not easily accepted by the society. They are being treated as people with very contagious diseases and that should be avoided. Not that the society is avoiding Benjy, their own family members are regarding him with shame. It is as if to say that Benjy should have not been born and should have been left living. But then again, caddy has shown great love for Benjy. She took care of the needs of Benjy. But then even if Caddy has shown her care for Benjy and the other members of the family, she too has been experiencing many problems accordingly. The divorce to the husband and other issues that are affecting her life and the family as a whole have been some sort of psychological problems as well that have affected her whole being. In all the sections of the novel, the shadow of Caddy is being shown in great degree. It can be seen that the brothers of Caddy in the persons of Benjy, Quentin and Jason have been obsessed by Caddy not because they have some sort of special feelings for Caddy but rather because of the fact that they have experienced in their own ways how compassionate, caring and loving Caddy can be in the presence of their family members. The memories of their encounters and the lives they shared with Caddy have been given a greater view by the author. The role of women was clearly defined by use of the character of Caddy in the novel which symbolizes not just the essence of spirituality in the society but rather the role of women and motherhood. Being one of the main characters, Caddy, the word “mother” can be associated with her. In the story, the character is willing to do what she thinks is right to do in terms of taking care of her siblings especially in their state of psychological incapacities. She wanted be of service to her husband and to submit to his husband’s will while still maintaining her own identity. But as the story progresses, “mother” has given in to “revolt” which symbolizes the awakening of the once submissive wife, sister and friend to be against her husband and contrary to the culture of their town. But through this, the character of Caddy symbolizes a woman with a kind and affectionate heart, like that of a mother who only cares and thinks of the welfare of his son. Benjy, Quentin and Jason could have been her own sons. That is why she defended them and treated them with utmost kindness. This scenario then again reiterates the role of women in society as the peacemaker of the house, and the one who could soften a man’s heart. But to Faulkner, he felt that only women are the only ones who stay inside the house and work for the family. That it is their life and everything else is actually meant to be done by men. Apparently, such thinking has been symbolizing the feeling that men have felt decreasing importance because women are already starting to no longer be dependent upon them. Gender roles were shifting since women those days also started to do things that were once held by men. Men were deemed as protectors and providers, but when women took on new roles; this gives confusion on men’s side. But then again, all those things have changed when they grew older. This was the time wherein Caddy has started to be awakened to the call of the flesh wherein she became very promiscuous. She became pregnant and does not know who the father was. But the most confusing story that shook the events of the novel is when Quentin took responsibility over the pregnancy and make their father believed that they have committed incest. Because of the make-believed incest between the two of them, their father was very disgusted and sent Quentin away. But then again, Caddy has proven herself to be strong and witty when she opted to marry another man named Herbert Head. However, such decision proved to be fatal when Herbert Head divorced her upon knowledge of the pregnancy. Moreover, the saddest part though is the suicide of Quentin because of Caddy. It was once stated that Caddy took care of them, loved her brother and did everything for them. But because of the wrong behavior of Caddy, everything was shattered and everything went wrong. The people she loved protecting committed suicide and experienced how it is to be shattered because of her as well. Even if Caddy was disowned by her family, they took care of Miss Quentin, her daughter to which the memory, attitudes and everything about Caddy reflect.

Conclusion

With all the foregoing, it cannot be denied that Caddy is being characterized as a woman of great love and kindness for the people she loves. But then again, her too much love and kindness have resulted to a more complicated problem wherein she failed to protect the people she loved and caused them misery at her own hands.