Reading Questions
April 8, 1928: P. 265-The End
PAGE 4
1. With each section the narrative voice becomes more coherent, and we finish with a fairly straightforward and traditional third-person voice. Why do you think Faulkner has chosen to present things in this way and in this order? What is the effect on the narration?
2. The events in this chapter transpire on Easter Sunday. Is there any significance—a theme of rebirth, for instance—to this?
3. Though by the end of The Sound and the Fury, the past glory of the Compson family—built on bedrock Southern values—has dissipated, Dilsey's resolve remains. What about her personality enables her strength?
4. Why isn't Dilsey ashamed of Benjy?
5. Why won't the sheriff help Jason search for Miss Quentin? Is Jason more concerned about Miss Quentin running away, or the money she took?
6. Although this section isn't told from the first person, the third person narration favors Dilsey's perspective. It is also the closest we come to hearing a female voice in the novel. Why do you think Faulkner chose not to have Dilsey, Caddy, Caroline, or Miss Quentin narrate her own section? What do you think they might have said?
7. Is there any hope for a renewal of the Compson family or is The Sound and the Fury a Southern Shakespearean tragedy?
8. What would you say this novel is "about"? Think again about the Macbeth quotation—"[life] is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing." What does Faulkner's tale, told four times, signify?
Finished with the book? Test your memory and take our quiz!
2. The events in this chapter transpire on Easter Sunday. Is there any significance—a theme of rebirth, for instance—to this?
3. Though by the end of The Sound and the Fury, the past glory of the Compson family—built on bedrock Southern values—has dissipated, Dilsey's resolve remains. What about her personality enables her strength?
4. Why isn't Dilsey ashamed of Benjy?
5. Why won't the sheriff help Jason search for Miss Quentin? Is Jason more concerned about Miss Quentin running away, or the money she took?
6. Although this section isn't told from the first person, the third person narration favors Dilsey's perspective. It is also the closest we come to hearing a female voice in the novel. Why do you think Faulkner chose not to have Dilsey, Caddy, Caroline, or Miss Quentin narrate her own section? What do you think they might have said?
7. Is there any hope for a renewal of the Compson family or is The Sound and the Fury a Southern Shakespearean tragedy?
8. What would you say this novel is "about"? Think again about the Macbeth quotation—"[life] is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing." What does Faulkner's tale, told four times, signify?
Finished with the book? Test your memory and take our quiz!
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