Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. The opening
section of
The Sound and the Fury is considered
one of the most challenging narratives in modern American literature.
What makes this section so challenging?
2. Shortly after
The
Sound and the Fury was published, the noted critic Clifton
Fadiman dismissed the novel, claiming that its themes were too “trivial”
to deserve the elaborate craftsmanship Faulkner lavished on them. Many
other critics have countered that the novel's themes extend beyond
the story of the Compson family specifically, and grapple with issues
central to human life in general. In what way might the themes of
the novel extend beyond the story of the Compsons' decline?
3. Faulkner has
said that the character of Caddy was his “heart's darling”—her character
inspired him to write the novel. Why is Caddy driven to pitfalls
like promiscuity? What do you make of Mr. Compson's explanation
that virginity is an ideal invented by men, which is utterly irrelevant
to women?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. One of the most wrenching
sections of the novel is Quentin's confrontation with Caddy following
the loss of her virginity. What drives Quentin to propose mutual
suicide and to conceive of the idea of incest as a solution to their
problems? Even in the absence of sex between them, is there something incestuous
about Quentin and Caddy's relationship?
2. Compare and contrast the
three major narrators of the novel: Benjy, Quentin, and Jason. How
are their sections alike? How do they differ? What are the consequences
of Faulkner's decision not to introduce an easily readable chapter
until the second half of the novel?
3. Think about Benjy's character.
What purpose, if any, does he serve beyond the novel's opening section?
Is he a believable character?
4. Perhaps the single most important
theme in The Sound and the Fury is the presence
of time in human life. How is that relationship explored throughout
the four sections of the novel?
5. Why do you think the fourth
section of The Sound and the Fury, the section
focusing on Dilsey, is so technically different than the other three?
For example, why would Faulkner write this section in the third
person while the others are all written in the first person?
