JSTOR Article Response

The article that I read from JSTOR is entitled “The Language of Chaos: Quentin Compson in the Sound and the Fury.” My reason behind choosing this article is that, of the sections of the novel that we have read thus far, I have found Quentin’s to be the most interesting, with potentially the greatest amount of meaning, both visible and hidden. The article reflects on the idea that all of Quentin’s actions through the course of the section are in some manner tied to his “obsessions with the past and with virginity as the equivalent of family honor” (546). The article discusses the scene with the young Italian immigrant girl whom he refers to as a “sister.” This, according to the article, is an attempt by Quentin to redeem himself as a brother by acting as the guide and protector for the immigrant girl, in all the ways that he failed as a brother to Caddy. However, just as he feels that he has failed Caddy, he fails the Italian girl in actuality when he is accused of molesting her and is resultantly arrested. Another element that is discussed by the article is the omnipresence of water in Quentin’s sections, and its possible ties in Quentin’s mind to sexuality, because many of his sexual memories are tied to water. This can also be tied to Benjy’s association with the purifying powers of water, and the power of water to purify Quentin by killing time.

Coping Mechanisms

After reading the third section, I would again like to pose a question to the group that struck me as I was reading, that is, the actions and ultimate fates of the Compson children all seem to stem from their collective inability to survive normally under the conditions in their degenerate family. Caddy reacts by lashing out through promiscuity, Quentin takes his own life out of terminal depression, and Benjy is barred from a true understanding of what is happening simply by his mental condition. In this way, all three of these children are, in effect, separated from the Compson family. Jason, however, is unique in the fact that he remains physically a part of the household, but does he too have a method of disconnecting himself. I feel that his all-absorbing greed and self-interest function as much the same kind of separator as Caddy's and Quentin's. Though Caroline continually refers to Jason as her favorite child, and presumably the only "good" child in her opinion, does he really have his interests in the maintenance of the Compson family position as she would like to think he does?

The Incest Issue

For my blog post this week, I would like to pose a question that I am fairly certain is on everyone's minds, that is, why does the issue of incest feature so prominently in this section? We are led to believe through the words of Quentin that he has committed incest when he states outright "Father, I have committed incest." We are also led to believe that it was Caddy with whom he has committed it. However, for all of the people who seemed to agree that somebody must have committed incest, there were others in the class discussion who seemed to feel that neither Caddy nor Quentin actually committed such an act. If this is true, however, that neither did, in fact, commit incest, then why is Quentin so insistent that he did? The only answer I could give, and even it is a stretch, is that Quentin, though never actually taking it to the point of consummation, does, in fact, love Caddy in a romantic way. This would also explain his reaction toward Caddy's various lovers, which could be explained as one of burning jealousy.

So, what do you think?

The Undead + Citrus Fruit = ???

I was immediately drawn to a story that I found in The Best American Short Stories 2008 called "Vampires in the Lemon Grove." The title itself was enough to draw me in, but I was further attracted to the story when I saw that, though the story was written by an American author, Karen Russell, the story is set in a lemon grove on the Italian Adriatic coast, which is a place that I have always wanted to visit. I was also attracted to the fact that the protagonist of the story describes himself as wearing a periwinkle shirt, and shades of purple are my favorite colors. The combined forces of periwinkle, Italy and lemons united to form a force from which I could not pull myself away. I selected this story over two other short stories that I read. One was a Jhumpa Lahiri story from Unaccostomed Earth and another was a story called “Missionaries,” which was about two Mormon missionaries of somewhat questionable loyalty to the Mormon code. Neither held my interest like “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” did though. I have not yet finished the story, but I anticipate that, from what I have read so far, there will be quite an interesting conclusion. In short, I am reasonably excited for this paper.