Frustnarration (These Titles are Getting Punderful)

There’s no doubt about it— The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner, is a confusing book. Plot twists, unreliable narrators, and grammatical mistakes abound, and the story is not placed in chronological order. It’s almost as if Faulkner was trying to make his novel famous by making it almost impossible to read and fully understand— if no one could read or comprehend it, no one could criticize it, either. Of course that’s not true; however, most readers would agree that it probably just seemed like a good idea at the time. In my opinion, this bizarre and often perplexing style of narration forces the reader to view the events through the eyes of the characters in the story, taking a form of realism to a whole new level.
Benjy’s character is obviously the most pitiable. In the novel, we can see his innermost thoughts and, simple though they may be, can see the both the underlying pain and the love he receives from his sister Caddy. Benjy’s disability also prevents him from thinking certain things; for instance, we only learn of his actions via other’s reactions, he does not punctuate any part of his memory, and inexplicable occurrences (such as the drinking of “sarsaparilla”) can only be derived using context clues and common sense. For instance, we only know when Benjy speaks because others react, like when Luster says: “Shut up that moaning. I cant make them come if they aint coming, can I. If you don’t hush up, mammy aint going to have no birthday cake for you” (4). In fact, the action during the “Benjy portion” of the novel centers around the dialogue surrounding him rather than his own actions. Through a muddled and bewildered viewpoint, the audience understands the toll that the Compson family’s actions have on Benjy. Because of his disability, we are the only ones who can.
Through Quentin’s mind, the reader is finally offered a fully-developed brain’s insights into events. Unfortunately, this brain also happens to be extremely depressed, severely tormented, and rather maniacal. From his obsession with clocks to his fervent (and rather disgusting) fascination with his sister, it is quite apparent that Quentin is not at all a well-balanced young man. Through such a disturbed mind, it becomes shockingly clear that the downfall of this once-prestigious family is having disastrous effects on its members. Quentin’s most shocking trait is obviously his lustful infatuation with his sister; this desire sharply contrasts with the previous section’s demonstration of Benjy’s utter love and dependence.
Using these two characters, Faulkner demonstrates a plethora of emotions. Although the narration style may be frustrating in the extreme, at the end of the day, it serves to cast Caddy as the main impetus for the Compson family’s downfall. As Quentin talks about Death he highlights the damage his sister has caused: “And the good Saint Francis that said Little Sister Death, that never had a sister”(76). Highlighting another type of damage is the fact that Benjy now pines every day at the gate, waiting for his sister to return. She won’t. (544)

The Things They Hid...

In “The Things They Carried”, Tim O’Brien shares his platoon’s experiences during the Vietnam War. Narrating in third person, he describes what the men of his platoon— especially Jimmy Cross, the protagonist—are thinking and offers explanations for their sometimes inexplicable actions. As the men encounter hardships, fear, and death, they become hardened; they carry human thumbs and trying to disguise their pain behind a façade of bravado and curses. As a grunt, or ground infantry soldier, O’Brien experienced the Vietnam War firsthand; in this short story, he attempts to convey what it really felt like to be a young, frightened soldier far away from home.

Perhaps one of O’Brien’s most useful tools in emphasizing the plight of these men is his frequent use of the phrase “they carried” to signify both the literal and figurative burdens that they must bear. For example, they all hold standard equipment such as “P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches… and two or three canteens of water”(¶ 2). Each man, however, carries something unique that says something about himself: Ted Lavender carries illegal drugs, Rat Kiley carries comic books, Dave Jensen carries various hygienic items such as toothpaste and dental floss, and Jimmy Cross carries letters and photos from a girl named Martha. These simple items represent more than just casual idiosyncrasies; they offer each man a chance to briefly escape the awful reality that he lives in. Jimmy Cross spends much more time thinking about New Jersey than he does thinking about where he actually is. After the death of Ted Lavender, he realizes that as the lieutenant, he cannot afford to ignore the reality of this war. The lives of his men depend on him being there both physically and mentally; as a result of this revelation, he burns Martha’s picture and letters.
The other loads that the men carry are intangible, and O’Brien weaves these emotional weights in with the material ones. Jimmy Cross carries “a compass, maps, code books, binoculars… a strobe light and the responsibility for the lives of his men” (7). Kiowa carries “an illustrated New Testament… his grandmother’s distrust of the white man, [and] his grandfather’s old hunting hatchet” (2). Among other things, they carry “ghosts” (17), “the land” and “the sky” (39), “shameful memories” and “the soldier’s greatest fear, the fear of blushing” (77). The death of Ted Lavender is just one more immaterial load on their backs, demonstrated by Jimmy Cross when he repents his lack of attention: “as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war” (42).

The platoon’s members act almost inhuman in their attempts to hide their weaknesses. Their disregard for human life appears in many incidents, most apparently in Mitchell Sanders’ removal of the dead boy’s thumb and its “moral” and their reactions following the death of Ted Lavender. After he is shot and killed, they “sat smoking the dead man’s dope until the chopper came” (11), and refer to him as being “zapped while zipping”(46). O’Brien aptly places the real sentiment behind such bravado when he says that they commit and say such atrocities “as if to encyst and destroy the reality of death itself” (68). They know that they are only human, and they carry “the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all” (77). They realize that at any moment, they could be the next Ted Lavender, lying on the ground dead with broken teeth and a missing cheekbone.

The experiences of Jimmy Cross and his platoon underline the youth and innocence of the soldiers of the Vietnam War. “The Things They Carried” digs beneath the superficial surface of bravery and cruelty and reveals a generation that was too young and inexperienced to come to terms with the killing of others or the sudden, violent deaths of their friends. Although young, each man carries a weapon and the knowledge of the awful potential within it: “They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried” (12). (724)







Questions:

1) Do you blame Jimmy Cross for Ted Lavender's death? Does Tim O'Brien?

2)What is the significance of the dead VC boy and the "moral"?

3)What is the purpose of the overly-descriptive language(Exact numbers, etc.)?

4)Do you sympathize with the men for trying to dehumanize the experience?