The sound and the fury by William Faulkner

¶ … Caroline Compson and Dilsey as mother figures, considering the strengths and weaknesses of each of these women. Who, finally, exerts most of the influence over the Compson family, and why?

Comparing and Contrasting Caroline Compson and Dilsey Gibson as Mother Figures within William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury

In comparing and contrasting Caroline Compson and Dilsey Gibson as mother figures to the four Compson children, Benjy; Caddy; Quentin, and Jason IV, within William Faulkner's novel The Sound and the Fury (1929), the relative strengths and weaknesses of each as a mother figure (or not) are apparent. Caroline, the children's actual mother, is selfish, self-indulgent, hypochondriac, and self-pitying. On the other hand, Dilsey, the loyal, long-suffering black family servant, is stoical, uncomplaining, selfless, and sympathetic to the children, and consistently responsive to their needs. Clearly, then, it is Dilsey who ultimately exerts far more influence over the Compson family, than does the children's own mother, Caroline, emotionally or otherwise. In this essay, I will compare and contrast Caroline Compson and Dilsey Gibson as mother figures within the novel, in terms of their relative positive and negative influence on the Compson family, and the Compson children in particular.

Both Caroline Compson and her husband, Jason Compson III, are neglectfully detached from their children. It is Caroline's chronic self-absorption, however (at her children's expense) that, as Faulkner implies, is more hurtful and damaging to them. Caroline seems interested in two things only. The first is her own self, and her numerous personal needs, rather these are imaginary or real. The second is her family's declining social importance within Jefferson. Caroline is in fact so obsessed with the latter that when it becomes clear that the child originally named Maury, after Caroline's brother Maury Bascomb is severely mentally retarded, Caroline changes his name to Benjamin ("Benjy"), so as not to reflect badly on the older Maury, or her family name. Clearly, from that example alone, we recognize that Caroline's first affections and loyalties are not to her children.

Moreover, Caroline repeatedly threatens "I'll be gone soon" (Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury, p. 60). But in reality, even if she was, in fact, to be "gone soon," it would scarcely matter to her children, since Caroline is so separate from them and entirely absent from their activities, needs, and lives. Instead, it is Dilsey who functions as their mother since Caroline's self-absorption forces the children to seek mothering from her. Dilsey, although she has children (and grandchildren) of her own to raise, uncomplainingly fulfills that role.

Caroline calls Benjy a "punishment" (p.103), but it is Dilsey who (although not always, herself, with the very best of cheer) tends to Benjy's needs. Meanwhile, Caroline's occasional self-criticisms ring hollow. When Caroline remarks, on p. 60 (The Sound and the Fury) that: "it's all my fault" (Faulkner 60), Caroline is just seeking attention and sympathy as usual. Toward the end of the novel, Caroline even remarks, with stark irony and insensitivity, to Dilsey: " 'You're not the one who has to bear it... It's not your responsibility... You don't have to bear the brunt of it day in and day out..." (p. 272).

While Caroline is unable (and/or unwilling), to cope with, or even cease denying to herself, the realities of present life for the Compsons, a family in decline in the post-bellum South,

Dilsey, offers stability and reliability. Since both Caroline and Jason III are emotionally bereft, Dilsey substitutes as a parent for both of them. However, since Dilsey is not really a Compson family member, it is Dilsey who remains objective enough to state, near the end of The Sound and the Fury: " 'I've seed de first en de last... I seed de beginnin, en now I sees de endin' " (p. 297), in reference to the family's rise, decline, and fall.

While Caroline spends her life complaining from her bed, then, Dilsey, having borne the gravity of real life, shows physical signs of "wear and tear." As Faulkner describes her, the way her clothes fit, and her overall physical condition: "The gown fell gauntly fro m her shoulders, across her fallen breasts, then tightened about her paunch and fell again" (265).