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This is a novel about family – but more than that, it’s about a family in a freefall. An alcoholic father, a worthless uncle, a whining mother, and four curious children: the Compsons sound like a stock TV family, right? Well, not exactly. Through the perspectives of multiple characters, Faulkner creates a text that explores the ties between family members and the long-standing tensions that pull apart families. Although the Compson family is ostensibly the center of the novel, it’s also a novel of individuals – characters isolated even from those who know them best.
Although the members of the Compson family are all very different, they share the same moral convictions.
By refusing to allow Caddy’s voice to enter into The Sound and the Fury, Faulkner assures that she’ll remain the central figure of the novel.