In William Faulkner’s novel “The Sound and the Fury,” Faulkner employs specific forms of symbolism, imagery, and allegory to depict the corrupt aristocratic values held by the Compson family in order to portray the shifting social values seen in all of American aristocratic society in the South during the early twentieth century. While symbolism functions primarily to depict the traditional social values of the South, imagery is used to vividly illustrate the promiscuous behavior of women that was starting to become more prevalent, and allegory is seen in the concept of the passage and evolution of time and how the Compsons refused to conform to the changing world around them. Through analyzing each of these literary devices, one can gain
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Faulkner uses the scandalous and uncomfortable “dirty underwear” recurring imagery in order to force the reader to visualize how sinful the Compsons perceived promiscuous behavior in young women despite how loose the rest of society had become regarding sexual behavior beliefs. Through accentuating the height of Caddy’s behavior and juxtaposing it alongside Benjy’s tears, it becomes quite apparent just how harsh and strict that the Compson’s expectations were at the time for Caddy. As Benjy put it, “Caddy was all wet and muddy behind, and I started to cry and she came and squatted in the water” (Faulkner 12). Faulkner’s recurring “dirty drawers” imagery is also effecting in revealing how there was a double standard in the social expectations regarding the sexual behavior of men and women during this time period as well. The aforementioned double standard is illustrated when Quentin recounts, “In the South you are ashamed of being a virgin. Boys. Men. They lie about it. Because it means less to women, Father said. He said it was men who invented virginity, not women” (Faulkner …show more content…
The early 1900s in America underwent a progressive movement that reshaped the social sphere of society. However, the Compsons are still stuck in the past and old ways of life, and refuse to conform to the changing world around them. Faulkner creates the aforementioned allegory of time through the various perspectives that narrate the novel. In the first section, Benjy represents the innocent bystander in the slowly degrading Compson family, which illustrates the constant, non-changing Southern plantation lifestyle of old. In the second section, the numerous struggles in which Quentin endures are synonymous to the struggles of honoring the way in which society is moving forward. In the third section, Jason frequently dwells upon the past and fails to live in the present world that is changing. Each of these character’s perspectives, while indisputably different, each contain their own respective adherence to the traditional ways of life in the South and fail to acknowledge or accept the evolving social expectations held by society. Faulkner further heightens this allegory of the passage of time through the motif of clocks that is woven throughout the story. The clock motif is quite symbolic in conveying the idea that time is a persistent force that is constantly moving forward. While the Compsons are mentally living in the past, time does not turn back
Faulkner uses the scandalous and uncomfortable “dirty underwear” recurring imagery in order to force the reader to visualize how sinful the Compsons perceived promiscuous behavior in young women despite how loose the rest of society had become regarding sexual behavior beliefs. Through accentuating the height of Caddy’s behavior and juxtaposing it alongside Benjy’s tears, it becomes quite apparent just how harsh and strict that the Compson’s expectations were at the time for Caddy. As Benjy put it, “Caddy was all wet and muddy behind, and I started to cry and she came and squatted in the water” (Faulkner 12). Faulkner’s recurring “dirty drawers” imagery is also effecting in revealing how there was a double standard in the social expectations regarding the sexual behavior of men and women during this time period as well. The aforementioned double standard is illustrated when Quentin recounts, “In the South you are ashamed of being a virgin. Boys. Men. They lie about it. Because it means less to women, Father said. He said it was men who invented virginity, not women” (Faulkner …show more content…
The early 1900s in America underwent a progressive movement that reshaped the social sphere of society. However, the Compsons are still stuck in the past and old ways of life, and refuse to conform to the changing world around them. Faulkner creates the aforementioned allegory of time through the various perspectives that narrate the novel. In the first section, Benjy represents the innocent bystander in the slowly degrading Compson family, which illustrates the constant, non-changing Southern plantation lifestyle of old. In the second section, the numerous struggles in which Quentin endures are synonymous to the struggles of honoring the way in which society is moving forward. In the third section, Jason frequently dwells upon the past and fails to live in the present world that is changing. Each of these character’s perspectives, while indisputably different, each contain their own respective adherence to the traditional ways of life in the South and fail to acknowledge or accept the evolving social expectations held by society. Faulkner further heightens this allegory of the passage of time through the motif of clocks that is woven throughout the story. The clock motif is quite symbolic in conveying the idea that time is a persistent force that is constantly moving forward. While the Compsons are mentally living in the past, time does not turn back