What is the nature of time in this novel, the impact of past upon present and future? What is Faulkner saying about our individual pasts and our family inheritances?

Write a polished 3+ page essay on the novel The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner in response to one of the following prompts.

Whichever topic you choose, be sure to argue for a thesis that goes beyond the obvious and analyzes the significance of one of the novel’s themes. A strong thesis should be clear, specific, interesting, and not wishy-washy–and it should be positioned clearly at the end of the introduction (as well as implicit throughout the essay, since it is the POINT of the essay). Your argument should be pursued in well-constructed, substantial paragraphs, which should be linked by transitions (especially at the start of each new paragraph. Within these paragraphs, you should provide evidence in the form of quotations to support the major claims that advance your thesis. And you should include a conclusion that does more than just sum up and restate–for example, by considering the implications of your argument or answering the question, So what?

1. Time–What is the nature of time in this novel, the impact of past upon present and future? What is Faulkner saying about our individual pasts and our family inheritances?

2. Families, Siblings, etc.–What does Faulkner seem to be saying about the nature of these complex relationships, this particular family?

3. Narrative Structure–This novel is related in an unusual way, through several different streams-of-consciousness, and then a third-person narrator and an appendix that reaches further back and further forward. Why? How does this narrative strategy contribute to overall meaning? Similarly–and this connects back to prompt #1–how does the novel’s non-chronological sequence contribute to its meaning?

4. Interior and Exterior–This book’s narrative strategy encourages readers to see the difference between its characters’ internal and external lives, especially Quentin, Jason, and Benjy (their sister, Caddy, is not given the same interiority, which is itself interesting). What is thereby revealed? And what does Faulkner seem to be saying about our inner and outer selves?

5. Specific Characters–Select an individual character and examine how s/he contributes to the novel’s overall meaning. Anybody is fair game, but it might be interesting to consider the significance of characters not given full “narrator” status, like the women of the Compson family (Caroline, Caddy, Quentin) or one of the Gibsons (Dilsey and her family). Be careful not to just retell that individual’s story, though; focus on what it contributes to overall meaning.

IMPORTANT: High level high school writer. Please make it sound advanced, without going overboard.

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