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.