Quentin
William Faulkner in The Sound and the Fury suggests that idealism in the modern world is fatal, with his portrait of Quentin Compson. As Faulkner reveals more of the character of Quentin, in the second narrative, we begin to see, not so much clearer but, more of, the many layers that make up this pensive young man. Quentin, a freshman at Harvard, is in a state of constant reflection throughout his narration. "Quentin cannot escape either his memories of the past or his involvement in the present" p.37 This makes it a bit difficult for the reader to discern what is present, what is past, what is imaginary and what is a memory. Appropriately relative is the subject of time: a theme almost exhausted through Quentin's narrative. But obviously there most be some sort of root to the fruit of his obsessive behavior; and there is, it's revealed in his obsession to protect the family code. Quentin's sister Caddy, seems to be the pivotal in which "The Sound and The Fury" turns. In almost every narrator in the novel, she is an enormous influence to their behavior. To Quentin, she represents a fissure in the family code, a crack in the glass of idealism that Quentin takes shelter in. "Quentin has... constructed for himself a private
Quentin has had it proved to him that he cannot live up to what he takes to be the old heroic code, the code of man of honor. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools"We see here that Mr. Hoffman and Olga Vickery] So in this we learn that Quentin has started to see that honor and chivalry don't really exist and never really have existed. Because no battle is ever won he said. After the incident on the bridge,(Quentin giving Dalton the ultimatum to leave town, attempting to punch Dalton, and passing out in the process) Quentin begins to realize that his attempts to live up to his family's pseudo family code is pointless. Compson realizes it or not though, his words become more destructive than uplifting as we see them echo through Quentin's psyche and narrative; in fact, his narrative begins with his father's hopelessly cynical words:". 56)[ "Three Decades of Faulkner Criticism" ed. A discussion of Faulkner's destructive Idyll in The sound and the Fury" by Sarah Nagel. It's surprising to see that he hasn't killed himself already if this is an everyday occasion.
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Compson Faulkner,
Quentin Chivalry,
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Sound Fury,
Dalton Ames,
Masterpieces Quentin,
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Acceptance Essays
