quentins death in the sound and the fury英语专业大学论文.docx
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quentins death in the sound and the fury英语专业大学论文.docx
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quentinsdeathinthesoundandthefury英语专业大学论文
ATentativeAnalysisonIntrinsicFactorofQuentin’sDeathinTheSoundandtheFury
Ⅰ.Introduction
Actually,theauthorknowsalittleaboutWilliamFaulknerbeforeenteringcollege.TheauthorgetsmoreinterestedinhisfictionsafterhavinglearnedtheAmericanLiterature.ThefirstbooksheborrowedfromthelibraryisFaulkner’sTheSoundandtheFury.AndbecauseitisthefirstbookofFaulkner’sthatshereadsandwithitsspecialwritingstyle,thebookgivesagoodimpressiononherthoughitisdifficulttounderstandattheverybeginning.ShereadstheChinesetranslationfirstlyandthenreadsthisfictionintheoriginal.Also,shesurfsontheinternetabouttheinformationaboutWilliamFaulknerandhiswritingstyle.Allofthisisgreathelpfultoherwriting.Sotheauthorchoosesthistopicwhichsheisinterestedin.
Quentin’sdeathinTheSoundandtheFuryisdiscussedbymanypeople.Theyanalyzehisdeathontheaspectofsocialfactor,thatistosay,externalfactor.However,inthisthesis,theauthoranalyzeshisdeathontheaspectofintrinsicfactor,thatistosay,internalfactor,todigoutloss,confusion,aswellaspowerlessnessofhisinnerworld.
WilliamFaulkner(1897--1962),oneofthemostsignificantwritersinthetwentiethcenturyinAmericanliteraryscene,evenliteraryscenearoundtheworld,wasborninNewAlbany,Mississippi.HehadspecialfeelingsfortheAmericanSouth,andhewasawardedtheNobelPrizeinLiteraturein1949.WilliamFaulknerespeciallywasinterestedinmulti-generationalfamilychronicles.TheSoundandtheFury,hisacclaimedmasterpiece,waspublishedin1929.
Faulkner’sfictionsconveyastrongsenseoffragmentationinsocialcommunityandwithintheindividualhimselfduetothelossofloveandlackofemotionalresponse.HisnovelsarecloselyrelatedtotheSouthdecay.HefeelsthatthedestructionoftheOldSouthleadstothecorruptionanddisorderintheSouth,especiallyafterthecivilwar.Moreover,thewarhasbroughtaboutgreatchangesineconomyandpoliticsoftheSouth.MostofhisnovelsconcernwithpeoplewholiveinasmallregioninAmericanSouth,towhichFaulknergivesafictionaltitleofYoknapatawphaCountywhichstandsfortheOldSouth.FaulknerisnotedforhisfamousYoknapatawphaseriesofnovels.TheSoundandtheFuryisthemostrepresentativeoneofthisseries,whichisrankedbyFaulknerashisfavorite.Inthisnovel,theauthormanipulatestheartisticdevices—streamofconsciousnessandmultiplepointsofviewsoproficientlythatmakesthisnovelrateasoneofthethreerepresentativemasterpiecesfor“streamofconsciousness”novels,togetherwithMarcelProust’sTimeRegainedandJamesJoyce’sUlysses.(Wang,2011:
206)
Faulknerobstinatelyrevealsthehumantragedyinhisworks.Hisworksdepicthumansufferingwithitsgloomyandheavypessimismthatshockthereaders’mind.TheendofthisnovelTheSoundandtheFuryissimplyasubjectandapredicate,withoutanymodificationofcomponents:
theyendured,whichcanbeseenisthedescriptionofCompsonfamily’stragedyoflife.
Ⅱ.TheSoundandtheFuryandMacbeth
TheSoundandtheFury,bythesoliloquyofthefourcharacters,demonstratesthedestructionandcollapseofCompsonfamilyandpresentsthedecayofvaluesandnormsofAmericanSouth.Inthisnovel,Faulkner,bythesubtleemploymentofstreamofconsciousnessandmultiplepointsofview,rendersfourofhischaracterstorespectivelytellthestoryofhowtheyexperiencesomanysocialchangesandthedownfallofCompsonfamily.Mr.Compson,themasterofthehouse,isatitularlayerwhoardentlylovestalkingaboutlifewithhisphilosophy,livingouthisdaysmuddle–headedly.Mrs.Compsonisaself-pityoldlady,moaningandgroaningaboutimaginaryillnesses.Mr.andMrs.Compsonhaveonedaughterandthreesons—theeldestsonQuentinwhofinallycommitssuicideispessimistic,neuroticandincompetent,withdeep-rootedconceptsoftradition.ThesecondsonJasonwhobecomesanirrationalavengerandtyrannismisselfishandruthless.Theyoungestman-childBenjyisafoolwhoonlyprolongsremainingyearsinindescribablepainandwails.ThedaughterCaddybreakstheimprisonmentof“SouthernLady”,beingabandonedbythewholefamilybecauseoflosinghervirginity,andultimatelyreducestoNazigeneral’smistress.
FromtheLIWenjun’sCommentaryonTheSoundandtheFury,weknowthatthespecialbondbetweenFaulkner’sthisnovelandShakespeare’sMacbethisnoted(Li,2003:
68).FaulknerisgreatlyinspiredbyWilliamShakespeare’sfamousplayMacbeth,outofwhichhegetshisinitiativetofinishTheSoundandtheFury.However,doesShakespeare’sMacbethjustenlightenFaulknertocreatethetitleofthisnovel?
Thetitleofthisnovel,TheSoundandtheFury,istakenfromthefollowingsoliloquyinMacbeth:
Tomorrow,andtomorrow,andtomorrow,
Creepsinthispettyspacefromdaytoday,
Tothelastsyllableoftherecordedtime;
Andallouryesterdayhavelightedfools
Thewaytothedustydeath.Out,out,briefcandle!
Life’sbutawalkingshadow:
apoorplayer,
Thatstrutsandfretshishouruponstage
Andthenisheardnomore:
itisatale
Toldbyanidiot,fullofsoundandfury,
Signifyingnothing.(Shakespeare1997:
79)
Macbethmakeshisspeechafterhearingthedeathofhiswife,andquiteincidentallyorintentionally,someofhisgeneralfeelingsaboutloss,decayanddeatharepresentedinTheSoundandtheFury(Wang,2011:
206).Astheeldestson,QuentinistheonlyonehopeofthefamilytopursueadifferentlifeatHarvardUniversity.However,hecommitssuicideandsymbolicallykillsthefamilyalongwithhimself.Soitisneverhardforustoperceptthattheauthorofthisnovelwantstoplayuptheatmosphereofdecay,lossandconfusionintheprocessofelaboratinghisstory,whichhegetsinspiredbyShakespeare’sMacbeth.Therefore,thisdecisivebackgroundandthemeprojectedinthisnovelhighlightthethemeofthenovel—decayandconfusion,outofwhichcanbeseenastheprophetsoftheCompson’sdownfall,andthefadingawayofAmericanSoutherners.ClearlythispieceofsoliloquyfromMacbethnotonlyfurnishesthetitleofthenovel,butalsosetsthetoneofFaulkner’sTheSoundandtheFury.
Quentin’slanguageandlifeechoMacbeth’swords.AndQuentin’syesterdayhaveinasenselightenedhiswaytodustydeath(An,2010:
4).Atanymoment,wefeelstronglythebreathofdeathfollowingQuentinwhilewearereadingTheSoundandtheFury.QuentinisWilliamFaulkner’smostthoughtfulcharacter,andhispresenceexpandsthesightinTheSoundandtheFury.WhenitcomestoQuentin,theeldestsonofCompsonfamilyinTheSoundandtheFury,peopleoftenattributehisdeathtotheCompson’sdownfallandCaddy’slossofpurityandinnocence.Nodoubtthisassertionispartiallytrue,butitislikelytobemisleadingtoclaimthatthisisthemajorreasonthatleadstoQuentin’sdeath.However,whatistheintrinsicfactorthatleadstohisdeath?
ThispaperwilldiscusstheintrinsicfactorofQuentin’stragedy--hisfraildispositionfromthefollowingtwoaspects.
Ⅲ.IntrinsicfactorofQuentin’sdeath--fraildisposition
Quentin,arepresentativeofanoldSouthernaristocraticfamily,haspainonthedemiseofCompsonfamily.HeisanidealHarvardstudentwholovesconceptsofCompsonhonorprecariouslyandattemptstorescuethedeclinefamily,yetQuentin’sfraildispositionmakeshimnolongerbearthestressoftraditionsandthecruelreality.Eventually,hehurlshimself,relinquishing,drowninginthecoldriverinMassachusetts,June1910.Quentin’sfraildispositionismainlyreflectedinhisbeliefsinunbetrayabletraditionandinseparabletime.
3.1Unbetrayabletradition
Duetohistoricalandgeographicalreasons,AmericanSouthaffectedbytheEuropeanthoughtsofsocialconservativesoftheMiddleAges,ismoreseriousandconventional.AcompletesetofrulesofPuritanethicsconstrainstherelationshipamongpeopleandthenormsofpeople’sbehavior.TheprotagonistQuentininTheSoundandtheFurylivesinsuchsocialculture.
3.1.1Incapableofdevelopingancestralglory
Quentin’ssectionismainlyabouthispainfulandchaoticsoliloquyoftheinnerworldofthedayconfessionwhenhedecidestocommitsuicide.Fantasy,dreamsandescapebuildQuentin’sspiritualworld,whichconstitutestrictlythemaincausesofhissuicideandtragedyoflife.Inbrief,whatleadtohistragedyarehisdeep-rootedtraditionvaluesandrigidthought.Faulknersays,
Quentin,wholovednothissister’sbodybutsomeconceptofCompsonhonorprecariouslyand(heknewwell)onlytemporarilysupportedbytheminutefragilemembraneofhermaidenheadasaminiaturereplicaofallthewholevastglobeearthmaybepoisedonthenoseofatrainedseal.(Faulkner,1990:
331)
Asarepresentativeofthelastgenerationofthedeclineofmanorclass,QuentinisproudofhisfamilyhistoryandhasastrongconsciousnessoftheSouth.Thoughhealwayslivesintheaureoleofhisancestralglory,thecruelrealitymakeshisweakshouldersunabletobearthestressoftradition.Innerconflicthasbeentorturinghim.Hegetsentangledindepression,pessimism,despairandasenseofdefeat.Hecannotdonothingbutchoosedeath.(Jing,2011:
143)
Quentinhasnowaytogetridoftheshadowoftheoldtraditionsandheisincapableofbeingnowandallhiswisdomcanmerelycopewiththepast.Lackingmother’slove,Caddy’sloseofhervirginity,Jason’sdepravity,Benjy’swhinecanonlyberegardedasafuseofQuentin’ssuicide(Tang,2006:
93).Actually,thetragedyisthathisideologyisacompletelyunanimated,inheritedanddegener
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