The Sound and the Fury Characters

Let’s start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start. Unless, of course, you’re a reader of The Sound and the Fury. In that case, starting in Benjy’s world can...

Quentin Compson, the eldest of the Compson children, is the Harvard boy. He’s the bright hope of the family. The Compsons wager everything on him, even selling the pastureland that’s su...

Lots of families have a bad apple somewhere in its family tree. Cinderella had some nasty stepsisters. King Lear had two evil daughters, Goneril and Regan. The Compsons have Jason.We wish we could...

Ever obsess about the one guy (or girl) that you just can’t have? Notice how that obsession takes up approximately 23.99999995 hours of your day? In an interesting way, Faulkner uses Caddy...

If the Compson family is a leaky ship foundering at sea, then Dilsey is its anchor. OK, we’ve got to be honest: we’re not really sure how the whole nautical metaphor pans out. Anchors d...

"I know I’m just a troublesome old woman. But I know that people cannot flout God’s laws with impunity" (3.168). There you have it. Straight from the horse’s mouth. We’re no...

Mr. Compson is a decaying Southern gentleman. We say that with the greatest respect, of course. We actually like the guy a lot. After all, at least he has a sense of humor. And he can pick out a ro...

You have to love Shreve. We sure do. For one thing, he’s totally not from the South. He’s not even from the northern U.S. He’s Canadian. And in Faulkner’s world, that puts h...

Quentin (Jr.) is a rebellious teen who chases after the circus. With "gaping" red lips and angry, hostile gestures, Quentin seems to spurn just about everyone she meets.When you consider her life h...