The passage I choose to write about for my blog can be found on pages 150-153 of “The Sound and the Fury”
It is the scene where Caddy and Quentin are down my the water talking about Caddy’s sexual activity. They talk about how Caddy lost her virginity and how she is a promiscuous girl. Quentin questions Caddy about the night she lost her virginity. As the scene unfolds we see that they Quentin has a knife and he and Caddy have some sort of a suicide pact. He plans to kill Caddy and then himself. I think he wants to do this because he is jealous of any guy that is able to have Caddy. He wants Caddy to himself and that is it. Quentin feel that since they can be together in life that in death they can. The knife and the suicide pact in this scene somewhat represents Quentin’s desire to have sex with Caddy. They way that Faulkner portrays this scene with the knife makes it sound like the two of them are talking about having sex. The words he uses can go for either situation, suicide or sex. Both Caddy and Quentin know that its is wrong to feel the sexual attraction between each other, yet they talk about it more than they should. I think that this scene is a key aspect to understanding the relationship between Caddy and Quentin as well as the understanding Quentin’s suicide while he is away at school.
Lauren said,
February 16, 2007 @ 2:26 am
I think you picked a good section to analyze. This is a key part in this book into understanding the relationship between Caddy and Quentin as you mentioned. It is a very interesting part. You can definately see the sexuality shown in this passage. You’re right, it is sometimes difficult to really tell whether they are talking about sex or the suicide, because the language could mean either one.
Alex T. said,
February 18, 2007 @ 2:33 am
It’s also interesting to note how Quentin relates suicide to sex. At the end of the scene Caddy toys with him half teasing him / half getting him to realize what he’s doing, Caddy really doesn’t have that much hang-up with either.
It’s very interesting to note that we never get to see Caddy’s point of view. It’d be interesting to know Caddy if saw their relationship as sexually as Quentin does. Although, Quentin’s view is based on his virginity and Caddy doesn’t have that problem.
Alex T. said,
February 19, 2007 @ 12:43 am
(We need to talk about the Dorothy Parker readings, e-mail me!)
emilysatalino said,
February 19, 2007 @ 2:36 am
I agree with Lauren on your passage selection. I think that it too is true that it was difficult to figure out whether the two were talking about sex or suicide, but i think that in a way, that is what Faulkner was going for. I think that he made this passage to be taken in two different ways so that it would stick out as something to keep in mind throughout the rest of the novel.
USENET said,
June 19, 2008 @ 10:46 am
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation
Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, USENET.