April Seventh, 1928 (Benjy's Chapter)

      The first chapter of The Sound and the Fury was a difficult chapter for me to understand with a first read through due to the shifts between the present and the past, and especially the jumping around of stories in the past. I think Faulkner starts his novel in this disorientating way because he wants the reader to get a sense and be familiar with the setting of the environment, situation, and background of the Compton family. But instead of telling about what happened during years of the Compton children’s lives, Faulkner expresses the situation by using the memories Benjy recalls through his associations with the present and by what he observes through his senses, especially smell. This technique creates a more emotional and personal atmosphere than compared to a chronological account that tells about these significant events, which tend to detached the reader from the emotions of the family. It emphasizes that feelings and contents matter more than the accuracy of when things took place and other frivolous details. Faulkner also uses Benjy’s story first as a way for the reader to dive into the complex story that is to be unraveled. Since his account is told with little emotion and biased opinions from himself, the reader is able to have an honest and factual information about the Compton family and their attitudes and beliefs from an emotional perspective due to technique Faulkner uses.

      Benjy’s account is told on April seventh, just a couple days before Easter, on his 33rd birthday. Through his account, it is revealed that he is a burden to the Compton family. As a result, he suffers greatly from the treatment of his family (minus his sister, Caddie) , the servant boys, and other people. In addition to that, Benjy also suffers from the loss of his name and dignity, and his of his sister. However, through it all, he still remains innocent. These facts and incidents create a strong parallel to Jesus, who was an innocent and pure man that also suffered. The correlation between the date of the narration and the age of Benjy to the date of Jesus’ crucifixion and his age signify that Benjy is the Christ-like figure in the book. 

Benjy’s presence in the story illustrates the old Southern Aristocracy family view on social matters and the decline of his family in this modern age. The scene in which the family changed Benjy’s original name, Maury, to its current one when they found out that he was mentally handicapped to prevent the name of the mother’s brother to be soiled illustrates the family’s shame about Benjy. They care too much about their outward appearance and keeping a high family status, that they will outcast a family member because of their disability. Benjy also shows the decline of the family as they grow to be poor. By the time he is 33, the family had to sell a great portion of their estate to become a golf course for a company. Many other negative events have occurred throughout the years, such as the death of family members and the absence of Caddie, and this makes Benjy nostalgic for the past where Caddie was present and not many changes occurred.  The development over the years shows a lack of unity in the family. As well reflecting the South as a whole as they try to hold up the old prestigious image of an Aristocratic family, but fall to hardship in the modern age.