Cyclicality in the Conclusion

The Sound and the Fury resolves itself at the end as being cyclical. It comes around cyclically both in the way the narrative is presented, and also in the actual plot of the story. In terms of the way the narrative is presented, the re-hash of Benjy’s visiting of the cemetery in which the older Quentin is buried brings the various narrative perspectives around full circle. We see his visit to the cemetery in the carriage at the beginning of the story from his own warped perspective, then at the end from Faulkner’s omniscient one. The loss of the first Quentin by his own hand is similar to the loss of the young Quentin, who too made a conscious decision to depart the Compson family, if not by the same means. Young Quentin’s departure brings the story around in another way. Much as Caddy, Quentin’s mother, was banished for her egregious promiscuity, so too was Quentin, if not in such an official manner, by the harsh, unloving atmosphere that the Compson household provides under the grip of Jason. Therefore the novel resolves itself cyclically in three connected rotations. The re-hash of Benjy’s visit to Quentin’s grave brings us to the failures of both old Quentin and young Quentin, which brings us to the departures of both Quentin and Caddy. (224)