The Sound and the Fury

Events of the past 30 years are recalled from the perspective of Benjy Compson, born Maury Compson, youngest brother of siblings Quentin, Jason, and Caddy. Benjy’s mental disability—never explicitly defined—shapes the way in which his narrative unfolds: his recounting of events jumps around in time, from the present day in April of 1928 to childhood recollections to major life events from the past that he does not always fully understand. Thus, the narrative unfolds in a nonlinear, free associative manner, often labeled stream-of-consciousness (see Literary Devices). The same narrative method is used in the following section, via Quentin Compson’s perspective, though in a slightly more coherent way.

Benjy walks along the fence with Luster, one of the many Black servants employed by the Compson family, watching the golfers hit on the other side. Whenever he hears the players call to their caddies, he becomes agitated. Luster points out that Benjy is 33 years old today (April 7, 1928) and should know better than to make such a fuss: “’If you dont hush up, mammy aint going to have no birthday for you,’” he warns Benjy (4). Meanwhile, Luster is busy hunting for errant golf balls and a quarter he claims he dropped in the grass.