Alex Youssef
Blog Post #1
Faulkner begins The Sound and The Fury with a date: April 7th 1928. The fact that the first thing in the novel we are introduced to is a date certainly has some significance, as Faulkner (especially in this novel) gives special attention to details like this that when put together in the context of the rest of the novel, form the story that is told in this jarring, irregular fashion. We are introduced to Benjy on this date in 1928, his 33rd birthday. This date is so significant because it becomes the constant, a reference point of sorts, for all of the switches in time that will occur throughout his portion of the novel. Benjy’s narration as a mentally limited adult allows Faulkner to achieve the complete deconstruction of time as it is seen to us; that is, in a linear fashion. There are obviously a myriad of ways to interpret Benjy’s shifting timeline (a term in which I reluctantly use) but one of these ways is to view his entire portion of the novel as the day first presented on that first page: April 7th 1928. He is physically present throughout this whole time in 1928 but his consciousness is unburdened by the restraints of time as we know it. His mind becomes, to borrow a phrase from Kurt Vonnegut, “unstuck in time.” He is allowed to shift seamlessly throughout his past and present with the constant for the reader being on that 33rd birthday. Benjy is unique in that his mental limitations allow him to function in this way (or disallow him to function in a “normal” way, depending on your perspective). For him, the present and past exist contemporaneously. However, he is burdened by this fact as much as the reader is- his control over when he is living, or remembering, or existing is subject to the whim of his external environment. He is violently thrown into memories by simple phrases, or objects or just feelings. When he gets snagged on the nail in the fence for our first shift in time he did not choose to start remembering a time when he went through that same fence with Caddy. It just as easily could have been a nail on the steps or a branch on a tree that he got snagged on. Obviously there is a vague similarity in the things that act as triggers, things that have emotional value to Benjy. However, Faulkner uses these triggers to make the transition between memories seamless. He is at the mercy of the Compson estate to determine these external factors which in turn determine his internal consciousness, which is sort of a theme for all the characters in the novel. It is this cinematic quality to Benjy’s chapter that creates the uniqueness to his portion of the book. Faulkner uses phrases to link memories and the present together in the same way a director might use matching shots in a movie. When Frony says, “What are you seeing?” Benjy replies “I saw them (39)” and that signals the transition from one time period to another. The same phrase, but applicable in two different time periods.
Faulkner creates deliberate confusion through Benjy’s shifting consciousness and takes advantage of the changing time to make the reader question what is happening, when it is happening and who it is happening to. Because of this, Benjy cannot be considered a reliable narrator. His naïve and child-like demeanor make the reader want to assume everything he sees and contrives is truth but it is his confusion about when he is that makes this point moot. His mental capabilities obviously factor into the reliability of his character as well but the question remains: How could someone who routinely gets triggered into a different state of mind by external factors be asked to give a give a reliable recollection of something? His confusion is carefully constructed by Faulkner to give the reader a challenge in constructing the events that occur and it is the for the reader to determine the extent to which Benjy’s reality is truth.
