Post 6: Faulkner

The part about this novel that strikes me the most is the differing connections between the brothers and Caddy. All three are tied to her with no turning back, but she doesn't even appear in a majority of the storyline. While each brother is similarly tied to her, they feel a connection with her for very different reasons.

Benjy is connected to Caddy because she takes care of him while her mother cannot do the job. He associates her with the sounds and feelings of innocence. The happiest times in his life are contained in memories of Caddy where she cared for him, unlike memories of other family members after she has left. He continuously remembers the smell of trees on her throughout his life, even after she has left and the Compson family has disintegrated almost completely. His memory works so that each memory is tied together by viceral things, so that his present and his past are one in the same. This is how, even though Caddy has left to live her own life, she is still a major part of Benjy's. The loss of innocence in the novel is shown especially through Benjy's point of view. His childlike mental state keeps him in the same condition that he was when Caddy left to get married, have her daughter, and then get banned from returning to the Compson family.

Quentin is connected to Caddy, because although he has a more complex thought process than Benjy, he still lives halfway in the past. His fixation is on the moment when Caddy lost her virginity and he was unable to "save" her. Quentin's strong belief in upholding family and personal honor leads him to romanticize what he could have done for Caddy. Even though Mr. Compson does not believe that Quentin slept with Caddy, Quentin still believes that telling his father this is the best possible option for retaining the family honor. Quentin's fixation over time shows how he cannot disconnect himself from that one situation in the past. Like Benjy, his inability to live predominantly in the present keeps him connected to Caddy and the past more than is healthy for him. Quentin commits suicide before the prime of his life because he cannot reconcile in his own mind the actions of Caddy and the decomposition of his own family.

Jason is connected to Caddy for a much more selfish reason. While he manages to live mostly in the present, his actions are made because he believes that he has been wronged by his sister. His anger stems from what he feels was injustice done to him when he lost the job at the bank that he was to get when Caddy originally got married. Because Jason feels that he has been wronged, he believes that it is morally alright for him to be terrible to the people around him, always trying to attain that justice he lost. The injustice he feels that he has suffered causes his actions. Also though, he believes that the redemption of his family will be found through money, which is what he lost when he lost the job at the bank. He shapes his life around bitterness and attempts to attain money which only make him more cruel and unhappy.