Stream of Consciousness in Absalom

Stream of Consciousness in Absalom Story By William Faulkner

The purpose of the present paper is to discuss the stream of consciousness technique used by William Faulkner in his book "Absalom, Absalom!." The stream of consciousness technique is a method implied by writers in order to present the thoughts and feelings of the characters as they occur.

This "narrative technique is used in nondramatic fiction intended to render the flow of myriad of impressions-visual, auditory, tactile, associative and subliminal- that impinge on an individual consciousness. To represent the mind at work, a writer may incorporate snatches of thought and grammatical constructions that do not seem coherent because they are based on the free association of ideas and images." ( Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, par 1)

As far as other aspects of the technique are concerned, it could be underlined that "in literature, it records the multifarious thoughts and feelings of a character without regard to logical argument or narrative sequence. The writer attempts by the stream of consciousness to reflect all the forces, external and internal, influencing the psychology of a character at a single moment."

( Columbia Encyclopedia, par 2)

"Absalom, Absalom!" is the story of Thomas Sutpen who after having been poor in Virginia comes to Mississippi with the goal of becoming rich and powerful. The story is told in flashbacks by two characters, Quentin and Shreve. The events are not narrated in a chronological order. It often happens for the details provided by the narrators to differ in a manner that might confuse the readers. Nevertheless the technique is useful in revealing the truth about Thomas Sutpen and his development. The narrative contributions of the two boys are based upon the ones of other characters, such as Rosa Coldfield, Quentin's father and grandfather. The main advantage of the technique is that it provides the writers with perspectives belonging to different characters. While this may seem confusing at a certain point for the reader, in the end it helps build the complex character which is at the center of the narration.

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As the story develops, the readers become more and more curious regarding the true face of Thomas Sutpent. As the plot unfolds, the surprise details keep the readers intrigued. The gradual unveiling of the character creates different attitudes in the readers. First we are tempted to admire the efforts he makes in order to overcome his own condition, then we doubt about him when we find out that Thomas had a previous marriage and a son that he abandoned because the mother was half black. His cruelty to the young woman who gives birth to a girl makes him appear as a selfish monster. The detail according to which there is yet another child, born to him by a slave woman makes us realize that in his quest to become rich and create a dynasty, Thomas lost his humanity and respect for the others. The tragic denouement, having this estate burn, his children die and an only heir, half black and idiot appears as a punishment sent by god.

The strong conflict is caused by Thomas himself. While some might argue that it is fate which goes against him, it becomes more logical to assume that he was completely blinded by his desire to become rich and leave a legacy of that type to a heir son. Faulkner uses his character in order to recreate the mentality which existed in the south right before the Civil war. Thomas gets a heir from his first wife, but the fact that she is half black makes him reject her and abandon both her and the baby. Sutpen is a symbol of the south, in which the color of man's skin was determinant of his value. Therefore, being half black, his son is unworthy of his attention and his fortune.

Henry, his other son almost convinces himself that his half brother Charles Bon is appropriate to marry their sister Judith until he finds out that he is half black- which leads to his killing. All these details come to the readers from different voices in the novel making the reading experience thrilling and constructing the characters in a complex manner. Through the voice of the characters who tell the story the readers travel back and forth on the temporal axis. Rosa Coldfield becomes the link between the past and the present, belonging to both dimensions. The intervention of the author is made under the form of comments coming from an omniscient third person author. We understand that the writer has a complete knowledge of both the story and the character and that

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these will be revealed through a puzzle like technique, allowing us to understand the actions which led to the denouement, but also the motivations supporting them.