The Calm Before The Storm: April 7, 1928

This week, we dove into Faulkner's novel head first with the Benjy chapter. For some context, Benjy is the youngest of the Compson children and was born mentally retarded. Benjy tells the story of the Compson family through shifts in time. This makes the reader follow multiple timelines all at once. When I read this chapter, the time changes were at first hard to grasp, but by using Benjy's caretakers as a way to tell which time period I was in, it became manageable.




This is the beginning of Faulkner's work and it leads to the question: Why? Benjy is such a complex character that it doesn't make sense to have him set the stage for the reader. Faulkner starts his novel with Benjy because of Benjy's character. Benjy is innocent, he doesn't have a bias or an ulterior motive. Benjy tells it like it is, and while that doesn't always make the most sense, it is the most honest. Faulkner starts off with Benjy to give the reader the honest truth before showing them biased opinions on the events of the Compson family. I appreciate this placement because I don't have to think about which side of the story is true because I can always refer back to this chapter where everything is true.

The chapter is called April 7, 1928 which is the Saturday before Easter Day. Benjy is also turning 33, the age that Jesus died. Faulkner chooses this numbers to show Benjy's role as a prophet. We already know that Faulkner got his idea for the name from Shakespeare's Hamlet, so he is well aware of the prophetic qualities of the fool. Benjy's disability is Faulkner's way of portraying this fool. He ties this all together with the allusion to Christ. This is interesting to me and makes me wonder if in the future we will see some sacrifice Benjy makes, in order to tie the comparison to Christ together.

Benjy is the shame of the Compson household. This shows the ideas of the Compsons and proves that they only care about their appearance to the outside world. Benjy's role in the family is the honest one. He knows people's truths before they do and makes them feel guilty for it, especially Caddie. Benjy symbolizes innocence and purity in the Compson family. He is often treated as the most shameful, but his actions put him more pure than anyone in his family.

In conclusion, Faulkner's introduction to his book is a smart way to set up the plot and create the characters. Writing through the eyes of someone so limited in thought is a genius way to make sure only the bare facts are stated. Benjy's role in the story served it's purpose well, but I am more excited to see Benjy in a different perspective in future chapters.