The Sound and the Fury: Meditation Reflections

Faulkner created an interesting aspect to his novel in the way all of his characters reflect upon the past. The way his characters reflect on the past reveals much of their motivations for their actions in the novel. Without these varied reflections on the past, the reader would struggle even more to piece together the movement of the story. All of the character's struggles result from events or problems in the past, and the present day struggles are revealed through reflections on the past.

Benjy is caught in a "Groundhog Day" and Bill Murray type scenario in which he only knows the present, but events from the past bleed into everyday activities. He actually does not possess the mental capacity to reflect upon the past, yet his memories can still pentrate his present day life. His struggle with missing his only mother figure, Caddy, is constantly present through various memory triggers. Things like scents, sights, and sounds will remind Benjy that Caddy was once in his life. Faulkner introduced Caddy's importance in the novel through Benjy's struggles. Interestingly, Benjy's reflections, although mixed and jumbled, are very insightful to Caddy's roll in the family and it's downfall.

Quentin might have the most depressing reflections upon the past of any character. He lives only in the past, with a mind caught up in thought of how things could be different in the present. His need to uphold Southern traditions and his family's good name keeps him reflecting on what he could have done to prevent his family's downfall. He constantly day dreams about his past asipirations to commit incest with Caddy in order to save her from riddicule of promiscuity. Sadly, Quentin's reflections on the past eventually lead him to kill himself. He is so obsessed with how he could have changed the present in the past, and he eventually comes to the belief that the only way he can maintain his imagined honor is to kill himself.

Jason's mentallity is unlike any other's in that he rarely focuses on the past at all. He is simply obsessed with taking money from family members and figuring out ways to gain things for himself. The ironic thing is that Jason does not have the ability to see how great his family's patriarchs were in the past because he is so focused on the present and gaining selfish material things. If only he could see his family's great past, he might realize that he is the last viable member of a crumbling dynasty. Without knowing it Jason's passion for money leads to the family's lowest point and end.

The three children's varying interactions with their pasts helped Faulkner paint a very compelling novel for the reader. His illustration of their reflections on their respective pasts reveals much of the needed information about the past so the reader can vibe with and understand the intricate tale itself better.