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《喧哗与骚动》中的女性形象分析family indespair,which canalso reflectnew ideaswere hardto overcomeoldideas in that moment.Caddy was a good-natured,vivacious andcheerful girl,but she was borninto awrongtime in a harshfamily environment,and arepressed sense of humannature thatdeprivedher normallife.Nevertheless,she wasstrong enoughto survive.Though her daughter hadbeentaken from her,she was not destroyed.And at last herdaughter fledfrom thecontrolof Jasonwith her own moneyto findCaddy.Although Caddy was a shameless womaninthe eyes of the world,it wasntwhat shereally wanted.She wantedto pursuethe lifesheneeded,but fatewasnt alwaysshe own.Caddy survivedthrough thedeath and despair ofher family,and eventuallybecame therepresentative of an indestructiblewoman and asymbol of humans perseveranceand hope.
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2.2Miss Quentin:The Continuationof RebelliousnessMiss Quentin,like her mother Caddy,was arebellious girl,a continuationofrebelliousness.William Faulknerhad said that The Sound and the Fury is”the tragedy oftwo women:Caddy and her daughterAfter Jason became the headof the family,thebreakdown of the family was reflectedin theeventual departureof Miss Quentin.Quentinwas denouncedby Jasonas acheap littleslut.She waswilling tosell herbody to any manwhosinterested in her.She wassimilar to her motherin herBohemian ways,but she didnt possessmanyvirtues of her mother:kind,amiable,full oflove andcompassion.Caddy gaveBanjy themostselfless careand love,while Quentindespised Benjywho couldonly humall daylongfrom thebottom of her mind.Although Dilseyalways protectedher like her motherCaddyfrom thegratuitous abuseof Uncle Jason,Miss Quentinlacked thebasic respecttoDilsey.However,when readersthink about it deeply,Quentins behaviorcould beunderstandable.Quentins childhoodwas assad anddepressing asher mothers.She grew up in afamily thatlacked joyand warmthand wasfull ofnoise andchaos.She didnteven enjoythe love ofbrotherhood whichher motheronce had.She wasblamed everydayby hergrandmother,Mrs.Compton andUncleJason,and she didnt getthe attentionand guidanceshedeserved.Even whenJason talkedto his mother Mrs.Compson,he had admitted that,“You havesomeone todiscipline,she doesnt,so readers cant expectQuentin,who grewupin such a harshenvironment,to becomea childof order.She wasextremely depressed.Without caringand warm,Quentin ranlike hermother to mens cakesand alein anattemptto findan alternativelove.And herrebellious behaviouris verydifferent from the image ofa southernlady.So she becamethefallen woman“that thesociety and her familydespised.Miss Quentinis alsopartly awareof thereasons for her downfall.Once she angrilyaccused Jason,“If Fmbad,its becauseI cantbe good.You madeit.”Quentin was a victimof the family and societyin whichshe lived.When shesaid to Jason,“you madeit Jshewas partlyscreaming for a lotof youngwomen likeher,whose“lewdness”was arebelliousresponse to the oppressiveenvironment aroundthem.At the end of the novel,the hopefulelements oflife areclearly embodiedin MissQuentin.While Miss Quentin sometimesshowed respectfor Dilsey,she alsogave LusterDilseysgrandson25cents whichhe desperated.And it was Quentin who kepta littlepeaceand orderin thislethargic family.But sheeventually left home withoutthe abuseandbrutality of Jason.The dateof Miss Quentins escapewere verysymbolic.It was theday beforeEaster.Miss Quentinran offwith awandering artistwith Jasonsill-gottengains.What peoplesaw atEaster was not theresurrected Jesus,but thebrave Miss Quentin,who hadescaped fromthe graveand walkedcleanly andthoroughly.It was a newlife,anda symbol of hope.Although thecircumstances inwhich Miss Quentin livedechoed thetragic coloursofCaddy,and thatMiss Quentin was a victim ofsociety andfamily just likehermother,shewas notdefeated.Instead,she succeededin beatingJason anddefeating himin the onlyway Jasoncould understand—taking themoney thatJason hadtaken fromher.MissQuentins audaciousact of rebellion addedhope to the tragedy of twofallen women“andit alsomade herastherepresentative of the indestructiblewomen.
2.3Mrs.CompsonThe fall of Caddy was adisaster forMrs.Compson.Mrs.Compson was the onewhobrought theCompson Familyinto theabyss.She wassupposed to be aloving mother,butshe nevershowed her love for her children.And shecomplained abouther husband,herchildren orher familyevery dayfor therest ofher life.
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3.1The Coldand PatheticWomenCompson familywas dyingbecause Mrs.Compson didntcare aboutor lovethechildren.For thecollapse ofCompson family,Mrs.Compson seemedto haveafundamental responsibility.Mrs.Compson wassupposed to be aloving mother,but inreal lifeshe was ahypocritical,selfish,cold motherwhose concernand loveforher children and her husbandwasendless lamentand complaint.She didnthave anyfeelings fbrher children,and thelovethat cameout ofit isjust asham.She hasno emotionfor Banjyand evenbe shamedofhim.She washostile toQuentin andCaddy.She thoughtQuentin killed himself that aimedto makefun ofher andhurt herfeelings.She toldher husband that Banjywas“apunishment fbrthe sinsI hadcommitted,andthathe hadcome tocollect thedebt becauseIhad marrieda manwho thoughthewasbetter thanme”.Children wouldfeel a great dealofoppression anddispleasure,the atmosphereof the familywaspoisoned byMrs.Compson.Before hecommitted suicide,Quentin feltpainfully that the dungeonwas hismother.However,her second son,Jason,was asmean andselfish asshe was.He hadneverthought anythingabout his mother beforeshe died.Mrs.Compton was a failureboth as awife and as a mother.Mrs.Compton waspeacockish.She valuedher place inherheart andthought she wasthe noble lady ofnoble family,so that she couldonly becomea symbolof status.Becauseshe thought of herselfas“the noblelady”,She constantlydisplayed her“virtue”as a“noblelady”,which hurtherself and her children.What she cared aboutwas notthe lifebutthe fameand status.Mrs.Comptons recognition of malepower andPuritan thoughtled herto followthethousands ofyears oftutoring.It was such a recognition thatmade hercompletelydisrespected of womens personalities.And itwassucharecognitionthat hadnever givenherpersonality,her ownhappiness,or thewarmth of a womanand thelove ofamother.She wasjustlike a zombiein theold southernsociety.
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3.2The Victimof PatriarchalThoughtMrs.Compson was a victimof theextreme patriarchalideology andPuritan ideologyof the south.Ironically,she was also thedefender of the decadentsouthern traditionofwomens affairs.She had always beena self-centered,hypocritical,aloof,selfish womanfromthe south.She alwaysfelt that she wasburdened by the familyand children,completely withoutthelove and tolerancethatamother andwife shouldhad.She wouldntevenallow Banjyto usehis ownfamilys nameforherfear andembarrassment.She hadneverhad anyemotional orintellectual connectionwith herdaughter,Caddy,and was onlyproud of the factthatshe was completelyand rigidlybound bytraditional conventions.In ascene recalled by Banjy,Caddy leaneddown andtried tohug Benjyto hismothersbedside.And sheasked hermother thatif youllhold him,hell stop.Not onlydidMrs.Compson refuse,but toldCaddy that,“He istoo bigfor youto carry.You muststoptrying.Youll injureyour back.All ofour womenhave pridedthemselves on theircarriage.Do youwant tolook like a washerwoman.^The image of Mrs.Compson wasmuch representativein reflectingthe humanoppressionof womenby thePuritan tradition.Mrs.Compson neverhad alife ofher own,and neverhad herdestiny inher hands.She neverthoughtofher ownworth,nor imaginedbyherself.Mrs.Compson was a victimof thatera.Meanwhile shewas tryingto hurtothers.Tradition andsociety hadturned herinto avictim and a poisonerof the familyenvironment ofCompson family.
2.4DilseyDifferent fromCaddy and MissQuentinsrebelliousness andMrs.Compsonsselfishness,Dilsey was a positive image in The Sound and the Fury.In theCompsonFamily,shewas the onlylight in the darknessthat ledthe readersto a kind ofcomfort.
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4.1A LoyalBlack MaidUnlike the habitualnegative portrayal of womenWilliam Faulknerhad created,hewrote arare positiveimage ofa womanin The Sound and the Fury.Its themaid of theCompson family,Dilsey.In ChapterFour,Dilsey dutifullyserved theCompson Familyfor decadesasablackmaid of this unfortunatefamily.In thischapter,the part of Dilseycomplemented thelimitedperspective of the first three chapters.On April8th,1928,Dilsey gotup earlyin themorningas usualto pickup firewoodand preparefor thebreakfast.When Jasonfound outthat the7,000dollars whichhe had accumulated andwithheld overyears hadbeen stolenbyMissQuentin,heangrilyasked thepolice tohelp him.And thepoliceman whohatedJason ignoredhim.So Jasonhad totrack ithimself butreturned withoutsuccess.In theend,Dilsey went to churchwith theidiot Benjyand wasdeeply movedby thesermon.The activityof Dilseyran throughthe whole story especiallythe ChapterFour.Faulkner arrangedDilsey togive anall-knowing overviewof thestories toldby Caddy*sbrothers.In contrastto theselfishness anddesperation of thefamily,the black maid Dilseygavea deepimpression to the readers.At thesame time,the qualityof thecharacter ofDilseyreflected theills ofCompson Familyin away.So the imageofDilsey was anintegral partof the novel.
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4.2The Hopeof SouthernWomenIn Faulknersportrayal ofDilsey,William Faulknerhad arare giftof praiseto thinkaboutDilsey wasbrave,bold,generous,gentle andhonest.Despite herlowly positioninCompson family,shewasjust alowly blackmaid.But shehad agood characterthat themembersof thedecayed Compson family didnthave.Her characterwas almosttheopposite of that ofMrs.Compson,who in William Faulknerswords was a synonymofhypocrisy,selfishness andindifference whileDilsey is a symbolof sincerity,affection andwarmth.She wasnot afraid of power,faced withthe hatred ofhermaster and thediscrimination of theworld.And sheUnswervinglyexpressed herloveandhate.Especially facingto theselfish andgreedy master,Jason,though shewasonlyaservant to thefamily,shedid not hesitateto standon theopposite sideof thebad characterofJason.Not onlydid sheobject toJasons wickedness,but she also dared to denouncehisselfishness andruthlessness.While MissQuentin wasbeing abusedby Jason,Dilsey stoodupasarighteous representativeand bravelyfought againstJason.And Jason,faced withtheintegrity andcourage ofDilsey,also could not helpbut hadto beafraid ofit.As one of William Faulkners rarepositive images of women,Dilsey washonest,kindbrave andselfless.Compared withthe majorfigures ofCompson family,asaselfish andcoldfemale as Mrs.Compson,or asweak andcowardly maleasMr.Compson,or asselfishand greedyas Jason,or asdegraded femaleas Caddy,or asa depressivecharacter asQuentin,or mentaldisorders such as Banjy,Dilsey ledthe readerswith littlehope ofhumannature.Dilseys imagerepresents warmthand hope,makes peoplesee thedawn ofhumannature in the shadowof thedecaying family.III.Faulkners ComplicatedAttitude Towards WomenThere arethree typesof female characters inThe Sound and the Fury,the onewhowas tormentedwas Mrs.Compson.She was the typeof traditionalsouthern concept.Caddy and herdaughter,MissQuentin,who wererebellious anddefiant.The lastone wasthefamilys blackservant,Dilsey,who wasa symbolof the future southern women.Caddywas oneof themost popularcharacters in William Faulkner9s novels.In fact,Caddy wasamirror whichcan clearlyreflect thewishes andhatred ofCompson brothersin thepresenceof people.Through thenarration anddepiction ofher three brothers,Caddy wasstillcompletely differentin their inner world.
3.1Benjys Eagernessto WinWomens CareTheopening sectionof the book wasreflected throughthe youngestson of theCompson family,Benjy Compson,an idiot,had nocapacity oftalking andcommonpeoples thought.The wayhe usedto expresshis feelingwas bellowingor whimpering.Atthe beginningof thenovel,Benjy wasalready33years old,but hejust hada brainof3-year-old child.Time to him was always presence,no pastand future.To normal person Benjydeserved sympathyand care from others.On thecontrary,his mother,Mrs.Compson thoughthim asa juudgmenton her.She wasa totallyselfishperson and always thoughtof livingasaSouthern lady”.The traditionsand doctrinesthatsociety imposed on Mrs.Compson hadmade herthe victimofthatmen-dominated society.She toldCaddy to“have donesomething to him andlet him alone,so Ican havesomepeace”.In Benjysmemory,his mothernever gavematernal lovetohim.He madecontrastbetween Caddy and his mother.When Mrs.Compson firstappeared in his memory,Benjywas thought tobea“judgment on her,who feltvery shamefulfor thisidiot andchangeshis nameMaury herbrothers nameto Benjaminto showher break-up withBenjy.As forotherfamily members,Jason feltashamed toadmit Benjyas hisbrother andlooked downuponhim,insulted him,and threatenedto sendhim to live ina madhouse;Quentin called,him pigor animalnever expectedto showhis careand lovefor Benjy,asanidiot,wasin greatneed fortenderness and carefromothers becausehe couldalso feelsadness andsorrowasanormalperson.In Banjysworld,Caddy was theonlywarmth.
3.2Quentins ComplexFeeling Towards WomenIn the second chapter,Quentin wasstudying inHarvard,because his sister Caddy hadlost her virginity andhe couldntsee thehope forhis fallenfamily,he decidedto killhimself.In thispart Quentin was excitedand nervous,so hislanguage wasfast.Quentinwasastudent inHarvard,so hehadastrong senseof reasonandabasic attitudeto life.However,his mentaltrance anddisorientation alsocaused thispartof the inner monologue ofconfusionand confusion,excitement anddecadence.This partof authorsreading wasverydifficult,so the author hasread itfor severaltimes likemany otherpeople so thatshecouldunderstand Quentinsdespair andpain in the brokenand leapinglanguage of Quentin.Quentins obsessionwith virginity and hisabsurd lovefor Caddyreflected theextremevulnerability andsensitivity ofhis heart.He triedto findhis manhoodin Caddy,and whenCaddy lost her virginity,he feltagreatdeal offear andhedidnthave the9strength toextricate himselffrom thatridiculous feeling.When hecouldnolonger suffertheloss of Caddy,his lifelost meaningand value.And thereal worlddid nothold himback.His heartwas lostand lost.This ineffableemotion hadatlastledhimto theway ofnoreturn.Quentin9s desperationdidnt stemfrom Caddysdownfall,but his death wasunwittinglyaccelerated byhis family.He thoughtthat hismother wasthe hell,and hisfather had givenhimawatch,that hisfatherhadpassed ontohima senseof pessimismanddisappointment.No onein hisfamily couldgive himthe confidencetolive.Caddysdownfall wasa blastingfuse thatset off the pent-up moodofQuentin,which madehim endhis life.
3.3Jasons HatredTowardsWomenThethird chapterwas narratedbytheCompsons only“healthy-minded person,oneof Caddysyoung brother-Jason.Because hewas neitherlike Benjywho was an idiotwithoutsenseoftime norQuentinwho wasaweak-minded personfull ofimagination andbeingafraidoffacing reality.In thischapter,the languagewas easilyunderstandable,and Caddysagony wasmostmovingly evokedbecause Jason wasacold-blooded,cruel andselfish personand nothingexceptmoney playedan importantrole in hislife.His hatred toward Caddycould betracedback to their childhood.Caddy showedherloveandcareto Benjyand QuentinexceptedJason,which beganto breedhis hatredand resentmentto them.He toldMr.Compson thatCaddy and Quentinthrew wateron eachother.He wasnot willingtobeledbyCaddywhile theyplayed togetherandheshowed hisjealousness aboutCaddys careand lovetoBenjy andQuentin.In orderto revengethem heinsulted Benjyand destroyedthe papertoyswhich Caddy and Benjymade together.AfterJasonand hisbrothers andsister allgrewup,itwasJason whoreported Caddysloss of virginityto Mrs.Compson.Caddy wasousted fromfamily because ofherimmoralbehavior.After Caddy lefthome,Jason transferredhis hatredto Caddysdaughter.Caddysdaughter Quentinwas leftwith Jasonscare.She senther moneytoJasonas Quentinslivingexpenses.But Jasontook thosemoney byhimself.Jasonwas also verycruel andharsh towardhismother,who thoughtthat“Jason istheonly oneof themthat isnta reproachtome”.Mrs.Compson saidthat,I knowIm justatrouble anda burdento you”.He answeredvery coldlythat,“I oughtto know it;youvebeen tellingme thatfbr30years.Even Benoughttoknowitnow.Do youwant meto sayanythingtoheraboutit”To Mrs.Compson,Jason heldsuch coldattitude andnever caredabout otherthingsexcept money.Only Jaysonhad masteredthe secretof modernpersons existence.Hebelieved in“The gospelis haterather thanlove,is greedrather thanalms,isdeathratherthan life”,and finallyhebecamea slaveto money.Without money,hes likea ghost.Jasons hatredofCaddylargely reflectedWilliam Faulknersambivalence towardswomen.VI.Faulkners FeminismReflects inWomens ImagesFrom the aboveanalysis,readerscanlearn that William Faulknersattitude towardthesefemalecharacterswas complicated.He deeplyunderstood bothCaddy andMissQuentins rebellion,and alsosympathized withMrs.Compson,who wascontrolled bythemale chauvinism.At thesame time,Faulkner alsogave praiseto femalecharacter likeDilseyand eulogizedher quality.The readercan seethe feministthought reflectedinFaulkners work.It containsboth theawakening of female consciousness and theexpectationof new southern women.
4.1The Awakeningof FemaleConsciousnessWilliam Faulkner wasalwaysa centralfigure in the criticalfield sincethe earlytimeof hiswriting.A seriesof femalecharacters arerelated tolife andechoed withtradition.These charactersreflected acomplex andmoving humanquality andalso containsomepassionate praisewords aswell astrenchant critiques.William Faulknersdepiction offemaleroles reimaginedthe culturaland socialrealities in the south,and raisedtheawakening offemale consciousnesstoahigh levelinthatsociety.Generally,there aretwoattitudes towardsWilliam Faulknerswork in the fieldof literature.One suggeststhatWilliam Faulknerhimself isconsidered asa chauvinism,so that the femalecharacters inhis works arealso sometimesdestructive andevil.The mostobvious examplewasthefallof Caddy.Another arguesthat William Faulkner issympathetic towomen,sothatthefemale charactersin hiswork areindividualistic andrebellious.In theauthors view,inThe Sound and the Fury,William Faulknerhad shownhisexpectations forsouthernwomen.As awriter whoconcerned withthe fateof humanity,hepraised Caddyandherdaughter Quentinfor theirstruggling againstPatriarchy andPuritan.He alsoshowed hisadmiration totheir awarenessof womenand theirtireless effortstoachieve theirown independence.In fact,women arenot evilin William Faulkners eyes.Instead,he believedthey arefull ofenergy andcreativity.Dilsey,the blackmaid whosetenacity,loyalty,compassion andgenerosity becamethe backboneof thefamily,WilliamFaulkner placedhis expectationsof therise of womens consciousnessonher.WilliamFaulkner wasnot amisogynistic writer.To thecontrary he respected andempathized withwomenand paidattention towomens fate.
4.2The Representativeof Humanity:New SouthernWomenCaddy,Quentin andDilsey allhadatough andsuffering life,but theyweredetermined andsteadfast.And theendurance theyowned wasfar beyondothers.WilliamFaulkner entrustedhis visiontothecare of these ordinarypeople,and whichreflect,William Faulknersconfidence inthe futurethat representedthe“newsouthernwomenwho arethefuture and thehope.Faced with a sinfulsouth society,William Faulknerspent hislife searchingforsalvation.In his works,there wassuchagroup ofpeople.They transcendedracial《喧哗与骚动》是福克纳著名的小说之一,作者采用了时空交换、意识流等多种描写手法,讲述了康普生家族的衰败史,反映了一个时代的终结和美国旧南方的变迁其中的人物描写部分令人印象尤为深刻,特别是几位个性鲜明的女性,在作品中起到了关键作用本文分析了四个主要女性的形象,分别是凯蒂、昆丁小姐、康普生太太和黑人女佣迪尔西,意在对《喧哗与骚动》中的女性形象进行重新审视,并深入研究南方女性悲惨命运的根源,探讨福克纳在作品中展现出来的女性意识关键词女性形象觉醒男权社会独立boundaries andtransmit warmthand affectionto eachother.After therecognitionofsin,they returnedto natureto completethe purificationof mind.And theyalso havethecourage toface thereality andto payoffthefathers debt.The creationof thesecharactersall showsthe noblevirtues andbeliefs ofhuman beings.William Faulknerdescribed womens fates suchas Caddy,Quentin andDilsey inthebook.He focusedon theirpain,sought outtheir souland confrontedtheirinnerworking.Capturing theuniversal socialproblems of the Americansouth ina realway,he revealedtheevils ofracism and the plightofhumanbeings atthat time.At meanwhilehe paintedadifficult buthopeful pathfor humanity.And thatwastheprofound significanceof WilliamFaulknerswork.V.ConclusionThe thesisis writtenafter aclose readingof The Sound and the Furyand ananalysisof alarge numberof relevantdocuments.This thesis not onlyinterprets thefemale imagesand the connotationgiven byWilliam Faulknerfrom anintuitionistic viewbut alsoreflectsWilliam Faulknefsattitudes andviews onwomen fromother malecharacters.In conclusion,there isa seriesof analysisand commentfor themain female images inThe Sound and the Furyin this thesis.And readerscan findWilliam Faulknersrealattitude towardwomen throughthe charactersanalysis of the fourfemale.From theanalysis of the work,readers learnthat Caddyandherdaughter,MissQuentin,were therepresentatives ofrebelliousness.Besides,Mrs.Compson wasnot onlyaselfish womanbut also avictimof patriarchalthought.The mostpositiveimagein thisnovelwasthe blackmaid,Dilsey.From thesefemale images,the readerscan understandthat William Faulkner did notabhor women.On thecontrary,herespectedwomen anddeeplyconcerned aboutwomen9sfates.William Faulknerdescribed thefallofCompson Familyin manyways suchasstream-of-consciousnessandtime-space crossing.Fromthethree brothers9narration,thereaders can clearly perceivethe distinctfeatures of the otherfemaleimages.InThe Sound and the Fury.William Faulknersportrayaloffemale figuresshowed thatherecognized thedestruction ofsouthern fatherhoodand puritanismto southernwomen,andforesaw theirdemise intheend.Finally,by focusingon thewomen,William Faulknerexpressed hisconfidence intheirfutureandhe supportedthat theywere thenew womensrepresentatives andhopes inthe south.Therefore,thisthesisisnotmerely are-examination of the imageoffemaleinThe Sound and the Fury,however,more importantly,isatrue portrayalof WilliamFaulknefsgreat humanityand expectationsfor women.William Faulknerswomenconsciousness andhumanistic consciousnessmake theimages ofwomen in his writingbecameexcellent inthe historyof worldliterature.Bibliography
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2011.AcknowledgementsI wouldlike totake thisopportunity toexpress mysincere gratitudetothefollowingpeople whohave helpedme incompleting thisthesis.First andforemost,my deepindebtedness isowed particularlyto myinstructor,YangZiying.Without herpatience,valuable instructionsandherconstant encouragement,thecompletion of this presentthesis wouldhave beenimpossible.Secondly,I wouldlike particularlyto thankall theteachers whotaught me.They allhavegiven mesome helpfuladvice.Finally,I amindebted tomy friendsfor theirindispensable adviceand suggestionsduringmy writingof thesis.AbstractThe Soundand theFuryisoneof William Faulknersfamous novels.Faulkner usedavariety ofdescriptive techniques,suchasspace-time exchangeand streamofconsciousness,which tolda historyofthedownfall Compsonfamily.And itreflected theend ofanera andthe transformationoftheold southin US.The descriptionof characterswereparticularly impressive,especially somehighly individualisticwomen whoplayedimportant rolesin thiswork.This thesishas mainlyanalysed theimages ofthe fourmainfemale-Caddy,MissQuentin,Mrs.Compson andthe blackmaid Dilsey,to re-examinethe womenimages inTheSoundandtheFury,and exploresthe sourceofthetragic fateofwomen inthe south,learns thefeminine consciousnessthatWilliamFaulkner showedinhisworks.Keywords:imagesoffemale awarenesspatriarchal societyindependenceContents
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191.IntroductionBefore readersstudy TheSoundandtheFury,it isnecessary tolearn about the lifeandachievements ofthe writerandthemain contentofthework.I.1The IntroductionofWilliamFaulknerWilliam Faulknerwas bornon September25,
1897.As agiant ofAmericanContemporary Literature,William Faulkners works havea far-reaching influence on thelatergenerations.He hadwritten19novels andmore than120short storiesinhislife.Thevast majorityofthesestories tookplaceinthe fictionalcounty ofYorknapatafa,known astheYoknapatawpha CountySystem”.The lineageofthe story wasabout severalgenerationsof familiesfrom differentsocial stratainthetown ofJefferson in this country,which happenedbefore theWar ofIndependence tothe SecondWorld Warwith morethan600people.The maincharacters appearedalternately inhisworks,which exactlywas ahistoryof SouthAmericans socialchange.Faulkners mostfamous worksinclude TheSoundandtheFury,which describedthedecline ofCompsonfamilyandthemental stateand lifeofthefamily membersof thefamilyin JeffersonTown;and AsI LayDying1930,which toldthatthetrials andtribulationswhich Bundrensuffered with his sonontheway tocarry his wifes coffinbackhome;andhealso writeAbsalom,Absalom\which hasan ruinousendofa sinfulLord oftheManor,Sutpen,and hischildren withthe manor.In manyof Faulknersworks,it isnot hardto seethatWilliamFaulkner includeshiscomplex andcontradictory viewofwomeninthe books.Some feministthoughts inWilliam Faulknersworkscome fromthe peoplein realityinhislife.One scholarwho hasstudied WilliamFaulkner oncesaidthat,inWilliamFaulknersnovels,Faulkners rolesas womanwere deeplyinfluenced byhismother.Faulknersmother gavehim anincomplete love,and WilliamFaulkner puther inexhaustibleresponsibilitiesinto hiswork.So inthenovel,theimageofthe mother wasusually awomanwho isindependent andalso hasauthority.In theeyes ofthe children,the fatherwasaloof andinaccessible.On thecontrary,themothergave thechildren muchconcernabout study.She wasa piousChristian,and lovedliterature andpainting allher life.Shakespeare,Balzac andConrad isher favoritewriters.She taughtherchildrento readtheseoutstanding literatureworks writtenby greatwriters,and Faulknerwas influencedbyhermother.She wasthe centralperson inherfamily.In addition,WilliamFaulknerswife Aisidaier,who wasnot hisideal womanthatcompared toa womanwith traditionalcharacteristics ashismother.Aisidaier wasamodern-educated newwoman ofthe20th Century,and wasvery keento acceptnew things.Her lifestylewas extravagant.And sheoften smokedand drunkin public,which madeWilliamFaulkner verydisappoint atthat time.She hadno interestinWilliamFaulknersliterary creation,andthecouple oftenquarreled.Eventually theirrelationship gotworseduring theday-to-day squabbles.Although WilliamFaulknerwasdisappointed inhiswife,healsohadadeep lovewithhiswife.Therefore,Aisidaier hada profoundinfluenceonthechange inhis viewofwomen.In thenovels,WilliamFaulknerhas managedto createvarious characterslike EmilyandCompson,though allof whomwere ordinarypeople,the readerscan findboth thesinsinherent withtheSouthmen.In acertain extent,there alsohad theembodiment ofFaulknersdeep oldSouth thoughtsand hisambivalent attitudetotheold southand hislove-hate relationship.Many ofthe charactersinthenovels arethe epitomeoftherealpeople aroundWilliamFaulkner,which alsoreflects Faulknerslocal complex.II2The Introductionof TheSoundandthe FuryTheSoundandtheFurywas WilliamFaulkners firstmature work.And itwas alsohisfavourite andmost prolificwork.The titlecame fromShakespeares tragedyMacbeth,Life istale toldby anidiot,full ofsound andfury,signifying nothing/9It tolda tragedy ofthe Compsonfamily which was andownfallen landownerinthesouth.The oldCompsonwas downand out,whowasdrinking everyday,maintaining thefamilys lastglory bysellingpropertry.His wifewas selfish,distant andresentful,who livedlikeaimaginaryinvalid.The eldestson,Quentin,clung tothefamilyhonour whichwas soclose tocollapse.Finally hedrowned afterhissisterCaddy losthervirginity.And thesecondson,Jason,inherited hismothers character,whichwasmean,selfish andruthless.What hecaredabout wasmaterial possessionsand wealth.Banjy,the thirdson,wasanidiot.And attheage ofthirty-three hehad onlythe intelligenceofathree-year-old.The bookrevolvesaround the daughter Caddy5s fall,which drewa historyofthedecline ofthe southerndownfallenlandowner byportraying theinner monologuesof severalbrothers andlinkingthe storyline.The bookwas dividedinto fourchapters,the firstthree chapterswere writtenfromthe firstperspective,depicting theinnermonologueofthethree sonsofthefamily,allrevolving aroundCaddys depravity”.Finally,theblackmaid Dilseyused theall-knowing andall-round^perspective to make asubstantial supplementtothefirst threepartsand sumthe wholebook.An interestingpoint isthat,although thetitle isTheSoundandtheFury,theprotagonists weremostly quiet,punctuated byoccasional boutsof hysteriafor loveor forthesake ofdreaming.TheSoundandtheFury useda lotof multi-angle narrativeandstream-of-consciousness techniques.It wasa realclassic novelof streamof consciousnessandeven modernnovels.Reading streamof consciousnessworks isnever aneasy task.And readersneed tokeepup withthe writertomakesure thattheyre notout oftouch.But theproblem isthatthe writeror thewriters charactersare jumpingin theirown minds,which makesthereading evenmore difficult.In thisarticle,theauthorcan notsay thatshe hasread TheSoundandtheFury atall.The charactersinthebook wereoften ina cascadeofmonologues withoutany pause.And sometimes,likeachild,the languagewas anunrestrainedand vigorousstyle thatbrims withtalent,which madereaders likebeing inafog.But thatsthe uniquecharm ofthebook.Because ithas somuch plotand emotion,people canthink aboutover andover againto findthe meaningbetween thelines.III TheMain FemaleCharacters inTheSoundandtheFuryIn theold southernsociety whichcontrolled byPuritan rule,the malepower worldartificiallyelevated asouthern womaninto agoddess,a virgin,a symbolof purity,kindness andlove,or blamethem asa whore,a witch,a seducerandasymboloftreachery,bitterness anddebauchery.This dichotomygreatly limitedand distortedwomans senseofthemselves.In orderto survivein thissociety,they mustmeet thestandards ofperfectionand conformitythatthesouth hasimposedonthem andmust abandontheir self-world andtheoutside world,suppress theirnormal feelingsand desiresas womenand endurehumiliationand subjugationto surviveinthesplint.
2.1CaddyandMiss QuentinCaddyandMissQuentin arethe rebelliousrepresentatives ofthis book.There wasnodoubt that Caddy wasthe centerofthisbook.While therewasnowords inthebookweretold fromher pointof view,all thedevelopments ofthe storyinaway wasrelevant toher.And MissQuentin,as Caddysdaughter,made thestory continueafter Caddysdeparture.She stole7,000dollars whichbelong toher essentially,and escapedfromheruncle Jason,who fledin angeranddespairin searchof MissQuentin withno result.CaddyandMissQuentin arethe veryimportant charactersinthisnovel.
2.
1.1Caddy:The TypicalRebellious WomenCompsonfamily^daughter,Caddy,was oneofthemost strikingwhite womenin thenovel.In tellingthestoryofthisbeautiful andpessimistic girl,Faulknerdidnot usethetraditional narrativebut throughCaddys brothersandamaid towrite.Although thewholebook didnot writeherownchapter,but readerscan seethatCaddywasthesoul ofthenovel.She hadattracted theattention ofall readersinarebellious wayand hadbecome thefocusofthewholestory.In theChapter One,Caddy isthe mainstayofthefamilyandthe patronsaint ofBanjy.Because ofBanjys congenitalillness,Caddyhadcompletely replacedthe stateof hismotherinhismind.But readerscanclearlyfind thatCaddy inChapter Onewasnotonly agentlesister butalsoarebellious daughter.From Benjysfragmented memories,readerslearned thatCaddy finallylosthervirginity,which madeMrs.Compson feelliketheskyhad fallen.In theChapter Two,Caddys youthwas focusedon Quentinswords.Quentinwasastudent ofHarvard University,who adherestothesouths codeof ethics.Following withtheold rigidpatterns andcustoms,hecaredvery muchaboutthechastity ofwomen.ButCaddy wasa bold,forward-looking southerngirl.She mustnot stayin sucha moribundfamilyenvironment butwenttoseek therelease oflife.In theeyesofmany people,Caddyhas becomeashamelesswoman.But nobodycould haveknown hermiserable childhoodwithouther motherslove.Quentins ethicalframework couldnot havetied Caddytopursuit herquest forself-reliance,which ledQuentin finallyjumped intothe river.In theChapter Three,it describedthe adulthoodofJasonand hishatredofCaddy.Jason,thesecondson inthis family,wasamercenary,a profaneand violentmaterialist,anirrational,unrealistic avengerandasadist.The onlyemotion Jasonfelt aboutCaddy washate.Exactly hehated notonly Caddybut everyone.In hiseyes,Caddys rebelliousnesswasakindof falling.And MissQuentin,thedaughterCaddyleftin Compsonshousemade thehatredtoCaddy becomemuch strong.In thefirstthreechapters,from Caddysthreebrothers5account ofCaddy,readershave hada verystrong impressionoftheimageofCaddy.Whether shewasagood mother,a beautifulangel,oracheap slutIn thenovel,Compson familysthree sonswere angryanddesperate.So readershave towonder whatcaused Caddyslossofvirginityandwhatwas the causeofher tragedy.It canbe saidthatthetragedyofCaddywasalso thetragedyof thewhole family,that slaverythroughout theSouth wasthecauseofthetragedyoftheentire south.This traditionparticularly affectedwomen becausethis conceptassociatedwith theimportance ofwomens virginity.American civil war brokedown theslavery inthesouth,but thebreakdown ofideasand peoplesreal acceptanceofthenew systemwould takea longtime.Caddywastheepitome ofrebellious womenafter thecivilwar.She wasthe womanwithadaring naturewhodaredtochallenge thebottom line.It wasa typeofrebellion,but itwasalsoa passiveone.Caddys natureinstinct wasinherently good.So itwasatragedyofrebellion.Butfinally shedidnotfully escapefromthetraditional cageof oldideas.And thepressure offamilyforced theweak girlto leaveaway fromher5。