Part 2: Quentin's Chapter

As I stumbled passed the last words in Quentin's chapter, not much clarity came to mind. From the beginning of Quentin's chapter I was expecting it to be much easier to interpret than that of Benjy's, but boy was I wrong! Quentin's rambling sentences and confusing punctuation lead me down a spiraling tunnel of wonder. Though Quentin's chapter did in fact present a much better interpretation of the events going around him, than Benjy's, his use of poetic detail was confusing. This is seen in Quentin's chapter on page 74 when Faulkner writes; "when you leave a leaf in water a long time after awhile the tissue will be gone and the delicate fibers waving slow as the motion of sleep. They don't touch one another, no matter how knotted up they once were, no matter how close they lay once to the bones." Though Quentin's story depicts the scene elaborately, it is hard to understand the entirety of the language. 

Now lets answer some specific questions;

 

Does Quentin maintain a clear sense of the "I"?

Personally, considering how Quentin's chapter is mostly focused on the emphasis of detail and essentially incorporating various clues I would say no he doesn't. It is hard to tell exactly who the speaker is in various passages and who each paragraph is referring to. 

What does Quentin's narration suggest about his mental state?

Quentin's narration suggests that the oldest Compton is not in the best metal state considering his consuming thoughts throughout his story. For example, his love for Caddy seems to put stress on him as the story progresses. 

Essentially, the questionable jumbled sentences and poetic writing tripped me up the most in my reading. 

Part 1: Benjy's chapter

After finishing the first chapter of Faulkner's work, I sit here in my living room pondering upon what I just read. So far I have discovered quite a few observations and interpretations based on his writing style alone. For example, I noticed how Faulkner consecutively integrates italicized paragraphs into the body of the text. Shortly after reading a few more pages I came to realize that these italicized sentences were simply memories of the past. This pattern of random italicizing seemed so puzzling, but quickly became a simple misunderstanding of my prior knowledge toward this grammatical punctuation.

These simple 'misunderstandings' within Faulkner's text bring me to the bigger picture/question which many critics might propose; why does Faulkner choose to begin the story with such a disoriented chapter? Personally, I believe that Faulkner wanted to do this to show us (the reader) that although we may be disoriented based on his writing style, it shouldn't effect our knowledge toward interpreting the character of Benjy. As Faulkner puts less emphasis on the individual that tells the story, he focuses our attention on Benjy's perception of order and memory in the present day. The character of Benjy is essential because we (the reader) are faced with questions of chronology throughout the first chapter. 

Here are some other personal observations about the story so far:

Benji's role in the Compson Family:

• constantly viewed as the person who gets blamed for troubles within the family
• Start to get the feeling that Benji can sense what things might happen in the future

Benji's consistency:

• Benji needs to keep his family consistent, because he can't rely on himself. Shown specifically on page 6.
•  "I forgot." Caddy said. "I thought he had them on."We went back. "You must think." Mother said. Hold still now Versh said. He put my overshoes on. "Someday I'll be gone, and you'll have to think for him." Now stomp Versh said. "Come here and kiss Mother, Benjamin."

Benji's Symbolism:

• Benji's inability to be independent puts pressure on the family and acts as a burden weighing on them though Benji never chose to live this life. The way the family treats Benji negatively shows that Benji represents how the family is living their lives wrong.

William Faulkner

 

Hello all, here is my first blog!
I hope to help enlighten you on my journey toward interpreting the great and knowledgeable William Faulkner. Here's what I've discovered so far:
William Faulkner was born in New Albany Mississippi on September 25, 1897. In 1915 Faulkner dropped out of High School after the eleventh grade, though this didn't stop him from accomplishing various achievements. One of his major accomplishments was his development of the legendary Yoknapatawpha County. In his later years he remarked, "I never did like school and stopped going to school as soon as I got big enough to play hooky and not get caught at it." Faulkner went on to become an American writer and praised Nobel Prize laureate. Not only did he receive the Nobel Prize, but later in 1955 he also claimed the title of a Pulitzer Prize winner, as well gaining a National Book Award for A Fable.  

http://www.openculture.com/2012/09/william_faulkner_tells_his_post_office_boss_to_stick_it_1924.html