Syntax

• Grammatically incorrect/lacking
• Multiple View Points/ Stream of consciousness

The first section of grammatically incorrect writing takes place on page 148, emphasize the Faulkner style of comparing and juxtaposing multiple ideas within a method, the method being a single point of view in this instance. The completely unpunctuated section seems to be extremely simple minded thanks to the aforementioned lack, however the content expressed by Quentin as he becomes more and more deranged shows a higher level of thought than would be associated. This comparison is used in order for Faulkner to draw attention to the ideas themselves without having the reader become confused by another type of style of stream of consciousness which Faulkner utilizes up to that point.

The stream of consciousness style of syntax is used to show the difference of thought between the original members of the Compson house while maintaining the time frame, and is a more literary method of showing all the thoughts which occur during the passage. The stream of consciousness is useful in that the reader is able to understand all the events which go on inside the Compson house, while maintaining an idea of what is the overarching theme throughout all the minds in the house. The stream of consciousness does have draw backs, the primary one being that you are unable to differentiate the different voices at some points, which was one of the key factors of confusion while reading the Sound and the Fury. This syntax is useful in conveying the style of the piece, as they are very similar, while the purpose of the novel can be shown through the parallelism in the thoughts of each individual.

Diction

• Informal Diction
• High Diction
• Brusque Diction
• Coarse Diction
• Southern Vernacular

The switching of diction throughout The Sound and the Fury emphasizes the already transient tone of the novel which switches from view point as the stream of consciousness method of writing is used. The tone switches equally with the view point, as each member of the house hold has a different attitude to the world, and consequently a different tone. The most difficult tone to understand was Benjamin’s, as he is a mentally handicapped person, and therefore has no exterior dialogue to judge by. Furthermore, the rhetor seems to avoid having Benjamin do anything which would show a definite stance on an issue. From this I concluded that the tone of the Benjamin section is indifference, because Benjamin is unable to develop his own opinion.

The tone of the Quentin passage is abstract, as seen from the continual questioning of time and what time should be judged and how it should be used. However, Quentin also begins to show a more frantic tone as his view progresses, with the climax being his eventual suicide. Jason seems to simply hate people, and the tone is malice during his viewpoint, as Jason does not hold anybody in any view except contempt and scorn. The final passage of the novel has a narrator who does not so much take a stance as show the events as they unfold in an omnipotent manner.

Personal Review of The sound and the Fail, I mean Fury.

This book was by far one of the hardest books for me to read, and it reminded me a lot of 100 years of solitude, in the confusing nature of the people mentioned as well as the switching viewpoints, multiple generations, and overall uninteresting nature. The prose within The Sound and the Fury was overly simplified in some parts, such as the ten page section which contained no punctuation, and overly complicated in others such as the stream of consciousness, style of switching viewpoints which the first section is written in. The fact that Benjamin did not speak yet still had sophisticated thoughts also confused me, as throughout the whole book I was unsure whether he was actually mentally impaired due to the supposed ability he had to tell things about people, such as when he realized Caddy was no longer a virgin by smell.

The most unique part of the book I felt was the switching viewpoints, although it certainly did not make me enjoy the book anymore than I had hoped I would, and it certainly did not aid in the readability of the novel. The part of the book which I did enjoy was the interaction between at the clockmakers shop in chapter four, which seemed to explain more of what Faulkner was trying to get across than any other part of the book, and also did not contain any of the painful to read multiple viewpoints.

After reading The Sound and the Fury, I was rather disappointed all in all, as I was expecting a very entertaining or at least capturing story, as it was a very critically acclaimed book, when in actuality I felt as though I must have missed a large part of the book as it just did not seem to be that great. I also feel that there were no real moral lessons or any overarching archetypes in the novel, which makes me wary and again leads me to believe that I was missing a key part to the structure of the story.

Text Connections

Throughout The Sound and The Fury, there are several text-to-text connections which can be shown to interlink some of the characters and actions with those from the bible. The term “the fat of the land” is said multiple times throughout the novel, which also appears in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, as well as originates from the bible in the Sermon on the Mount, spoken by Jesus. There is also a connection between Jesus and Benjamin, as both are thirty three years old, the latter during the novel and the former when he is crucified. The multiple chapters beginning at the start of April along with the multiple deaths draw a connection between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday to the novel. The prevailing theme of innocence lost also permeates the novel as Caddy loses her virginity and the suicide of Quentin senior demonstrates the loss of innocence similar to the loss of innocence of the people on earth before Jesus is sacrifices himself in order to purify and atone for their loss.

Rhetorical Strategies

• Simile
• Parallelism
• Metonymy
• Rhetorical Question
• Allusion• Juxtaposition
• Personification
• Oxymoron
• Formal Diction contrasted with informal

Faulkner develops his style through The Sound and the Fury by using many contrasting rhetorical strategies. The primary contrast occurs under Quentin’s point of view in chapter four, in which Faulkner uses Quentin to convey very formal diction, which is then contrasted to the other children Quentin grew up with in memories of the past living as a family. Another juxtaposed mind is that of Benjamin. At the start of the novel, Benjamin is shown to be mentally impaired, however as the others around him talk, his thoughts are shown to be sophisticated despite his apparent mental illness.
Faulkner further develops this stylistic trait of comparison of extremes when in chapter four he draws the connection between Quentin and a “Harvard boy”. While both row, the contrasting upbringings are clear from the simile which relates Quentin to Christ, in that he went through hardships, while the ‘Harvard boy” was a privileged child. This comparison further supports the oxymoronic comparisons of the book which emphasize a difference.