Benjy plays a very interesting role in this story. He is mentally handicapped and serves as the "idiot" of the family. I think Faulkner opens up with his chapter because Faulkner wants to show an unbiased view of the Compson family. We would get a different view of the family if somebody else started as narrator. Another reason Faulkner opens up with Benjy is that Benjy does not care about time. Faulkner does not care about time either and Benjy is the best character to express this.
It is no surprise that Benjy is on the bottom of the Compson family. His view is pretty factual and we get to see what the Compson family is truly like. Benjy acts out of raw emotion, which can not be said for other characters. Benjy rarely lives in the future, just the present and a great deal of time in the past as well.
Benjy is an extremely nostalgic character. He lives a lot in the past, where he has better memories and a better life. Faulkner can use this to relate to Southern life because the South is an extremely nostalgic society, especially in the time this story takes place.
Interesting point that Benjy could be considered a factual narrator. I didn't realize that the true side of the cruel characters may be hidden if told from a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteVery good point about Benjy acting out of raw emotion. Although im not sure I neccessarily agree that the South is a "nostalgic" society, since they seem to regret their past more than most areas.
ReplyDeletereally needs more here for analysis-just elaborate and work through
ReplyDeleteI like how you talk about Benji's unbiased perception. We really do get to see the Compsons in a very clear light.
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