Blog Post 4

Quote :

"every man is the arbiter of his own virtues whether or not you consider it courageous is of more importance than the act itself than any act otherwise you could not be in earnest and i you don't believe i am serious and he i think you are too serious to give me and cause for alarm you wouldn't have felt driven to the expedient of telling me you had committed incest otherwise and i i wasn't lying i wasn't lying and he you wanted to sublimate a piece of natural human folly into a horror and then exorcise it with truth"

pg 176

This passage marks the end of Quentin's mental breakdown. The use of literally no syntax or punctuation shows the randomness and swell of his thoughts. Its most definitely a self catharsis, as one cannot tell whether it is a memory of talking to his father, or he is talking to Shreve in the present. He repeats pronouns like I and you one after another, making it more difficult to figure out who he is addressing. He is losing more and more ability to make sense, and has almost descended to the bottom

Blog Post 3

Quote 

"yes

I held the point of the knife at her throat

it wont take but a second Ill try not to hurt

all right

will you close your eyes

no like this youll have to push it harder

touch your hand to it

but she didnt move her eyes were wide open looking past my head at the sky

Caddy, do you remember how Dilsey fussed at you because your drawers were muddy

dont cry

Im not crying Caddy"

page 152

In this passage, the narrator (Quentin's) use of little syntax and a stream-of-consciousness delivery show how incredibly painful this memory is for him. This particular memory of him wishing to die with Caddy is confusing, as she agrees to Quentin's desire for a "pure" double-suicide, but seems to know he will not go through with it, and lets the experience be more of a catharsis for Quentin, even if those actions are not on purpose on Caddy's part. This experience also shows Quentin's constant reference to Caddy's sexual experiences and his horror at the fact that his sister has sexuality. Though it is selfish in a way, Quentin is one of the few redeeming qualities of the Compson family, showing honest care for Caddy through his insanity, and honest care for Benjamin through his guilt of selling his field in vain.

Blog Post 2

Quote-

"Caddy and I ran. We ran up the kitchen steps, onto the porch, and Caddy knelt down in the dark and held me. I could hear her and feel her chest. 'I won't.' she said. 'I won't anymore, ever. Benjy. Benjy.' Then she was crying, and I cried, and we held each other. 'Hush.' she said. 'Hush. I won't anymore.' So I hushed and Caddy got up and we went into the kitchen and turned the light on and Caddy took the kitchen soap and washed her mouth at the sink, hard. Caddy smelled like trees."

Page 48

This, in my opinion, is one of the more powerful passages in what I have read thus far in the book. Preceding this event, Caddy had a sexual experience with a boy named Charlie, who was very harsh toward Benjamin, that ended in something similar to rape. While on the outside it shows the frailties of both characters, it paints Caddy as one of the only 2 characters that genuinely cares for Benjamin and provides a maternal model for him, as opposed to his Mother, who is more of a rigid Matriarch. The idea that Benjy describes emotion in the smell of a person is also a very important reoccurring element that shows Benjy having an ability to read people that one wouldnt expect from someone in his situation. It gives him a power and an understanding that many of the other characters lack

Blog Post 1

Quote-

"I know it. " Mother said. "It's a judgment on me. I sometimes wonder."'

Page 5

This quote relates the feelings of the vast majority of the family to Benjamin, the first narrator in the work. Benjamin's mental retardation is a source of incredible shame for his Mother and his brother Jason, and alienates him from his Father, his brother Quentin, and nearly everyone else he interacts with, besides his sister Candace and the family's black caretaker Dilsey. This quote in particular shows how his Mother feels that his mental retardation is God's will, and her own fault, and treats him like an inept child, as opposed to Benjamin being a human being. It also outlines how the family acts in a selfish manner, dooming them to destruction. While Benjamin is the least coherent out of all the narrators, he is the most conscious of all actions and seems to be the least biased.