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Benjy Compson Sound

Decent Essays

Question Three: The Sound and the Fury
Prompt: Similarities/differences in parallel/recurring events and significance William Faulkner's Sound and the Fury has an idiot, full of sound and fury: Benjamin "Benjy" Compson. Throughout the novel, Benjy continuously moans, each time indicating some form of loss. Benjy illustrates Falkner's theme that idiots who cannot communicate well may be far more perceptive than for which they are credited. Every time Benjy moans, he has realized the loss of something. Most commonly, any time he hears the word "caddie" (almost always on a golf course), he remembers the loss of his sister, Candace "Caddy" Compson. The similarity in sound between "caddie" and "Caddy" is the most obvious reason for Benjy's realization that Caddy is no longer with hi, as she has effectively left the family. Benjy comprehends that Caddy may never return to him, but cannot say so. …show more content…

In her pure, and arguably natural, state, "Caddy smelled like trees" to Benjy. When Caddy reaches puberty, however, Benjy's acute sense of smell leads him to the realization that Caddy no longer smells like trees. She begins to lose her purity, at first by using perfume, which Benjy sniffs out. He moans. Only when Caddy washes herself does Benjy's moaning stop. Benjy can sense Caddy's impurity by smell alone. He moans again after Caddy has had sex. Despite (perhaps) even less scent, Benjy realizes the Caddy with whom he was familiar, the Caddy who smelled like trees, may never return. He moans. This time, Caddy has to try far harder to calm Benjy down. Despite being an "idiot" and a "shame" to the Compson family, Benjy does have an unusual—unique even—sense that allows him to detect subtle changes in people. He simply cannot express his understanding of these

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