The Sound and the Fury: Themes, Motifs, and the Significance of Love (Whatever Kind There Is)

Well, not really, but I will go through some of the things that stood out for me. It should also be noteworthy to mention that even if my opinions of the book were … less than satisfactory, I can still appreciate what he was going for. Or so I think. Oh well – this is the last post (I swear) that I will be writing about this book, so this horrid affair will soon be over. LET’S END IT (contains spoilers, proceed at your own risk)

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The Internal and Interpersonal Conflicts

Theme: We can go to extreme measures to protect those that we love because having something to cherish in turns makes ourselves have greater strength, even if it means tearing down those around us.

Basically for the whole book, Faulkner uses his characters and specific motifs to develop this theme – but where it really comes out is the incestuous emotions of Quentin. His crazed obsessions with Caddy is perverse, but at the same time, is reflective of how much he loves her, and how willing he is to keep her “pure”. His therefore “pure” intent is actually what causes one of the major rifts in the family. Him being sent off to Harvard was not just a move to improve the family standing, but also an attempt to remove him from the toxic Southern environment. Except, we learn that the North is even more toxic.

On the other hand, we have Benjy’s love for Caddy – one that isn’t incestuous, but more of a son-mother variety. Caddy is often described as cradling Benjy, and she is often one of the few that can calm his fits. Ironically, it is these fits that become a binding staple of the story. The recurring motif is what brings things back into focus, particularly in later sections when parts of the plot being to unravel. Back to the theme, one can also interpret Benjy’s moans as a way of him protecting Caddy – not dissimilar from Quentin’s incestuous claims. Faulkner also makes references to how Benjy is quiet whenever Caddy smells like “leaves”. In the end, I still never got what he was going for.

Contrary to all of this, is Jason’s supposed lack of love – his apathetic views of the world, and how much he despairs about the incompetency of those around him. That said, I think that this is actually his way of revealing love, and in a way, by rejecting the things he cherish, he is protecting himself. We actually never get to see Jason’s inner thoughts, unlike how we are privy to Benjy and Quentin, and perhaps Faulkner was aiming at something significant here. In fact, Jason realizes the second half of the theme, in which he tears down those around him, to ultimately protect them (in a strange roundabout fashion). But maybe that is the complexity of life, all wrapped up in a torturous 321 pages.

The Sound and the Fury Chapter 1

Note: This is the second post in my series of ten posts on The Sound and the Fury in accordance with a school project.

April Seventh, 1928

Initial Feelings

That was so good… though initially painful. My edition’s first chapter was 75 pages, and it is narrated by the “manchild” Benjy, who has some difficulty with keeping all of his stories straight. In total, I had counted over ten fragmented memories, all of which weave in and out of each other, displaying Faulkner’s incredible technical skill and mastery of the English language. The beginning of the chapter starts out a bit confusing, though if the reader prevails and pushed through, the story unfolds and becomes increasingly more satisfying. To me, it seemed in many ways like a detective story, where the reader has to unravel a confusing and somewhat jumbled tale. Interestingly, even though Benjy is introduced and continued emphasized as “mentally-challenged”, his thoughts exhibit lucidness, provided he doesn’t switch to another story. Faulkner’s use of implied situation added a great deal to his character and the individuality of the story – a prime example is where Benjy is repeatedly told “to stop moaning”:

“Then they all stopped and it was dark, and when I stopped to start again I could hear Mother, and feet walking fast away, and I could smell it. Then the room came, but my eyes went shut. I didn’t stop. I could smell it. T. P. unpinned the bed clothes.

‘Hush.’ he said. ‘Shhhhhhhhh.’

But I could smell it. T. P. pulled me up and he put on my clothes fast.

‘Hush Benjy.’ he said. ‘We going down to our house. You want to go down to our house, where Frony is. Hush. Shhhhh.'”

– Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury, page 34

This use of “flipped perspective” reveals a great deal not just about Benjy’s state, but also the surrounding characters, especially through their individualized tones and how they address him. For example, his sister Caddy’s interaction with him is very caring, not dissimilar from a mother and a child. Their relationship, while showing the physical limitations of Benjy, also characterizes Caddy as a maternal figure. Her quick understanding of his emotions illustrates her compassion and their subsequent bond.

Analysis of Emerging Themes and Issues

A multitude of themes and issues were developed over the course of Benjy’s story, and it was fascinating to see continuities and changes that occurred across the ten+ stories. One of the most prevalent was how race and social expectations will determine a person’s actions, though at their core, they can remain unchanged. In all of the stories, the Compson family have many black servants, and a lot of them end up watching over/”helping” Benjy. In particular, Dilsey (another maternal figure to the younger Compson) is their black servant, and what she is allowed to do and say is extremely limited. She can scold and exert slight influence on the children, but there is always a “stabilizing” presence in their parents, in which she excludes little to no significance. She never criticizes the actions of the family, even berating other servants when they mention anything negative. However, despite this social limitations as a black woman, she continues to raise the Compsons like a true mother, displaying her innate maternal nature. Racial inequality and interaction is a big issue in this section, despite the fact that Benjy may not fully comprehend the nature of the exchanges, he realizes something is wrong. Other themes (though I will not go into extensive detail) include the boundaries of love, the strength of family, and the judging nature of society of things they are not aware of. Gender bias is revealed even in Caddy’s actions, in which simple actions (appropriate for her brothers) are completely off-limits to her. Faulkner covers a lot in this section, and develops them extensively, and as I continue to read the novel, it will be fascinating to view this progression of ideas.

Verdict and Future Predictions

I would have to give this first section an A- or around a 4.5 stars, mainly due to the confusion that barraged me in the beginning. As for the future, since I already know that the narrators for the other sections will be different, I can definitely see Faulkner making use of multiple perspectives to develop the various facets of the characters, which I am very excited for. Thank you Benjy, and I hope it gets easier to understand from here!

Review: The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thorton Wilder

Why can’t we all appreciate this amazing work? Its so good, its message is despairing and yet many of the characters are so full of hope. Thorton Wilder’s Our Town was one of my favorite works of last year, but I have to say – this one trumps it. The Bridge of San Luis Rey has even replaced The Bluest Eye as my favorite work of 2015 so far.

So What is it About?

“On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below.”

This monumental and loaded sentence ingites this tale, and the whole narrative ends up revolving around it. On the moment of the bridge’s collapse, Brother Juniper (he is a monk) serves witness, and becomes empowered by his religious zeal to discover why those five were the ones killed in this “act of God”. Yes, this book does have religion in it, but its not in the usual way. On his journey of discovery, Brother Juniper finds that not only is there no logical reason, religious or moral, for why these five were killed, other than by chance, and that perhaps we are more powerless than we would like to believe.

The Futility of Life

When we go about our daily lives, we pay little attention to whether or not we really have the power to make decisions for ourselves. The structure of the novel is split so that we follow the lives of the 5 victims, and through their tales, we discover how they found their futility. In the first, we realize the futility of religion and relationships, and in the second, of loyalty and the love of life. In the final, we learn of the futility of our actions to impact our dreams and asprirations. Each of the characters is on a journey, and while some have realized more of their desires than others, all of their lives are filled with regrets and a sense of aimless drifting. They feel as if they are independent when they make their decisions, but in the grander scheme of things, everything they do fits into place with the whole picture. This brings up questions of why we do certain things, and really whether what we do affects the final outcome – in this case, their death. We begin to realize that if there is a righteous deity out there, then there would have been better people to dispose of – people morally, socially, and technically inferior to the unfortunate five. But then again, perhaps we cannot see the bigger picture.

Dreamscape of the Unknown

While Thorton Wilder brings up some really difficult questions that no one really likes to answer, he sure makes you want to read about them. His writing and prose in The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a lot better than what it was in Our Town and with some more complicated issues, his execution is definitely what elevates this from an inquiry into the human condition to a timeless tale of love. He never tells us whether we should accept the futility of our lives, nor does he tell us to reject it. He simply brings up the question, and that in of itself is intriguing.

Final Verdict: Love in the Frame

Its got everything – great developed characters, interesting well-incorporated setting, incredible dreamlike writing, and a unique intertwining story. So what is stopping this from becoming the perfect novel? Just a few things – not all parts of the book were equal, and the pacing was slightly awkward in the beginning and the end. But does that really matter? Its message brings up more questions than it answers, and none of those questions have easy resolutions. Its full of despair, but at the same time brimming with the infinite potential of the human species. From the fantastic beginning to the contemplative ending, we see a transition from the physical world into the metaphysical. Wilder deconstructs our reality, and reuses the materials to create something much more filling, and much more inspiring.

Overall: A (92.4/100) OR 4.62/5 Stars

Character/Setting (30%): 4.6

• Brother Juniper: 0.3/0.5
• Rest of the Cast: 1.75/2.0 (BONUS +0.3 for how well they meshed)
• Setting: 2.05/2.5 (BONUS FOR ITS TRANSCENDING QUALITIES OF +0.2)

Writing (35%): 4.7

• Style: 1.9/2.0
• Flow: 1.85/2.0
• Consistency: 0.95/1.0

Plot (25%): 4.5

• Introduction: 0.4/0.5
• The Marquesa de Montemayor: 1.45/1.5
• Esteban: 0.85/1.0
• Uncle Pio: 0.85/1.0
• Perhaps an Intention: 0.95/1.0

Enjoyment (10%): 4.7

• General Enjoyment: 1.8/2.0
• Personal Preference: 1.95/2.0
• Recommendation: 0.95/1.0

Review: The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Short stories still haven’t grabbed me in the way that I had previously hoped. I have tried short stories from a lot of my favorite writers such as Nabokov, but I still have yet to find one that I have genuinely cherished. Perhaps there is an issue with how the character development and world building is accomplished – I have never found a short story that excels in both. Writing in short stories are usually decent, but if I am not attached to the story or the actions of the characters, then it already holds less meaning for me.

With that said, The Yellow Wallpaper was probably one of the better short stories I have read. Gilman’s writing was good, though it lacked a particularly distinct style, and some parts of it were a bit confusing. Overall, I would still recommend one check it out, though probably not of the utmost urgency.

The Narrator and the Yellow Wallpaper

I will be brief since I don’t want to spoil it, but basically our narrator is writing to us in the form of a diary or journal without headings or dates included. She is the wife of a doctor, and feels that she is ill, though her husband sees otherwise. At the beginning of the story, they are on a 3-month vacation, and when they arrive at their rented estate, they are surprised at what they got for the price that they paid. In the end, they end up residing in the attic.

So that is the basic set-up, which is somewhat standard for shorter fiction, but then Gilman introduces this “yellow wallpaper”, and this is where things start getting interesting. The wallpaper isn’t strictly yellow, but rather a multitude of different hues and shades. The main thing is that it drives the narrator crazy. She can’t stand it, and soon emotions regarding it begin to clash. I will not say any more, but if that hooks up, then I would go check it out.

Themes

The Yellow Wallpaper does address some themes, but most are up for individual interpretation. One recurring theme regarded how marriage trapped women and essentially cut off their voice of free speech. Throughout the story, the narrator tries to speak up, but each time she is either ignored or not taken seriously. Ironically, it is her husband that does this the most, and the eponymous yellow wallpaper becomes a playground for the narrator to be herself (and really, the only place she is allowed). By the end, the yellow wallpaper that served as a “cage” becomes her “liberation”.

Final Verdict

Yeah, so since this one is going to be short, I will be brief. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I had read it because I had heard about how good it was, but let me just say don’t go into it expecting something completely new and different. Because you might not get that, depending on what you have read before. Personally, I will probably never read it again, but then again, it certainly is short, and interesting in some concepts that it explores.

Overall: C+ (71.8/100) OR 3.59/5 Stars

Character/Setting (30%): 3.2

• Narrator: 1.45/2.0
• Rest of the Cast: 0.2/0.5
• Setting: 1.55/2.5
• BONUS POINTS FOR THE NAMESAKE YELLOW WALLPAPER +0.3

Writing (35%): 3.8

• Style: 1.35/2.0
• Flow: 1.6/2.0
• Consistency: 0.85/1.0

Plot (25%): 3.8

• Exposition: 0.7/1.0
• Rising Action: 0.75/1.0
• Climax: 0.8/1.0
• Falling Action: 0.75/1.0
• Resolution: 0.8/1.0

Enjoyment (10%): 3.5

• General Enjoyment: 1.5/2.0
• Personal Preference: 1.3/2.0
• Recommendation: 0.7/1.0

Review: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

AMAZING. An excellent piece of literature with great character work, realistic situations, and evocative themes that paint a poignant painting about the futility and the importance of adapting, especially when it comes to our dreams. At least, that is what I would say if I was trying to bore you. Instead, why don’t I tell you about wishes?

You Get Three “Free” Wishes

So you know that tale right? You get three wishes, blah blah blah. Well, a common variation of the story is that the first 2 wishes are squandered, while the third one fixes everything (assuming it is a happy story). Well, A Raisin In the Sun is like that except none of the wishes are all completely free – in fact, each of the individual characters has a distinct wish/dream, and in the end, to achieve one dream, it is necessary to reject all the others. It really is sort of bittersweet, and by the time a dream does come true, everyone has already suffered a great deal. Now, I will not go into specifics because of spoilers and such, but I will just insert the Hughes poem that is the beginning of this play:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

Like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore –

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over –

Like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags

Like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

– Langston Hughes

You know, just some food (haha, get it?) for thought.

Wishes and Mirrors – Creative Character Development

Wishes and dreams reflect the inner desire, and that inner desire is ultimately molded by the individual experiences that sum to create a complex character. Lorraine Hansberry does this masterfully in A Raisin in the Sun, to the point where the dreams begin to literally define the characters. Some dreams are grander than others, some nearly impossible. But it is when these dreams clash that emotions begin to well up everywhere. In fact, throughout this play, I felt the conflict tugging at my own morals and beliefs, and that is when I realized that while one might not connect directly with one of the characters, it is the whole feeling of failing dreams that mirrors our own state. If we are not as trusting, then Walter’s dream seems foolish. If we are too trusting, then we think the opposite. By the end of it all, A Raisin in the Sun says more about the reader than the individual characters.

 Dialogue – Can Walter just be quiet?

A Raisin in the Sun‘s general dialogue was a bit formal, although there were little touches here and there that made the whole thing more believable with respect to the setting. While the individuality isn’t as present as I would have liked, her overall prose is fantastic and really well suited to the story. On the other hand, it can be a bit dry and long at times (particularly with multiple page monologues) and I can see how it would bother some people (though it didn’t really bother me). Also, Walter just stop, I really don’t want to hear about what you want to do.

Okay, so if I am somewhat interested, what is it really about in one sentence?

Racial injustice is present everywhere, and in A Raisin in the Sun Hansberry explores a diaphanous barrier between denying dreams and accepting wishes in a wonderful story following the Younger family and their struggles regarding the two.

Final Verdict

Just go read it and decide for yourself. Except then I just wasted a couple hundred words. Okay, if you are still not interested in it, then I would at least give it a few pages. You should be able to get a copy quite easily, so there is no excuse!

Overall: A- (87.8/100) OR 4.39/5 Stars

Character/Setting (30%): 4.5

• Setting: 2.3/2.5
• The Youngers: 2.2/2.5 (Bonus Points for just how well-developed each character was +0.3)
  • Mama: 0.4/0.5
  • Benethea: 0.4/0.5
  • Walter: 0.1/0.5 (Just kidding – I just really hated him as a character, but he is really more like a 0.35)
  • Ruth: 0.4/0.5
  • Travis: 0.35/0.5

Writing (35%): 4.4

• Style: 1.75/2.0
• Flow of Dialogue: 1.75/2.0
• Consistency: 0.9/1.0

Plot/Story (25%): 4.2

• Exposition: 0.85/1.0
• Rising Action: 0.85/1.0
• Climax: 0.9/1.0
• Falling Action: 0.85/1.0
• Resolution: 0.75/1.0

Enjoyment (10%): 4.5

• General Enjoyment: 1.8/2.0
• Personal Preference: 1.8/2.0
• Recommendation: 0.9/1.0

Blog Update

This is just gonna be a short “announcement” type thing – some new projects I am looking to start, and some minor changes!

The first “change” is that I will start including two featured authors of the month – a “still-alive” author, and what some would consider a “classic” author. This is so I do not have to choose between some really good writers. So that means – this month’s two featured authors are Laurie Halse Anderson and Ernest Hemingway!

The second “change” is that I will not be doing anymore “weekly” wrap-ups/recommendations (I only did 1 any way). This is due to the fact I already have biweekly wrap-ups, so I feel weekly ones just are redundant.

The third change is in the theme of the month. Initially, the theme was just “pioneering” stuff, but now I will change it to the “war within us”. To elaborate, it basically encompasses “finding yourself”, war stories, the aftereffects of extended conflict, etc. This theme, in my opinion, is better than my previous one in the fact that it does not confine my reading as much.

Some new projects I hope to start are going to be geared towards stuff not already on my blog. First, I will try to make more posts on anime and music. The former I have posted some before, but now I intend to incorporate it into my blog a little more. To do this, I am launching a “Studio Ghibli” project. In this project, I will watch more Studio Ghibi (aka Hayao Miyazaki) films. I will most likely post once every 3 weeks, and I intend to make the movies I watch geared towards the month’s theme. The next project I will start is a music one – I hope to perhaps make biweekly updates on violin, and share some of my favorite (violin) pieces with you! Finally, my last project deals with art. Specifically, art through the ages. I will be making another post about this later, so I will not go into a lot of depth. Basically, I am looking to have a new piece of artwork every 2-3 days, and we can “analyze” it by dissecting it. The art will start in the Gothic/Medieval and move into Modern.

Alright! Those were just some announcements about some changes, and some new projects, which I am very excited about!