Allusion in The Sound and the Fury acts as a dense and interpretable device within the structure of the novel. The allusive references are almost entirely biblical, especially the structural ones of the New Testament. The four gospels of the New Testament were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. However, one must be careful in navigating the four chapters of the TSTF with the New Testament as a table. Wherefore it happens that the allegory in this story, with great distinction, deceives the allegory. By definition, an allusion is “a passing reference, without express identity, to a literary or historical person, place or event, or to another literary work or passage” (Abrams 9).
Most allusions are used to highlight or amplify or enhance a subject, but some are used to ironically reverse the contrast between the subject and the allusion. An allegory is “a narrative, whether prose or verse, in which the actors and actions, and sometimes even the setting, are created by the author so that the literal sense, whether primary, or meaning is at the same time coherent and step-wise. to connect the second order of meaning. The interpretive quality of the allegory allows that every aspect of the story is connected to another level of interpretation, in this case, the biblical one. On the other hand, the allusion can be based on a certain meaning, but it is never equivalent to it. he can use the allusion to portray the irony of that allusion in the context of the novel and compare Compson’s story to the biblical tragedy.
Both the New Testament and the TSTF deal with stories of great loss. Both pertain to sin and to salvation. The last chapters of both these works, the Gospel according to John and the Dilsey Chapter, respectively, are more concerned with theology and redemption than the three previous chapters. The Gospel according to John and Dilsey’s chapter is written about the last of all the others, either chronologically or emotionally. All this as a biblical allusion, in the sense of allegory, especially when it comes to the structure of both the New Testament and the TSTF. However, when we take a closer look at the text, it will become clear what other purpose the biblical report has in the text. If one were to look at TSTF in the allegory of the New Testament, then the figure of Christ should be Caddie. The entire novel is about her figurative life and death within the Compson family. The three brothers relate the loss of their sister and innocence in their own way.
In their stories they are going to resurrect her, just as Christ rose again after death. In the chapter titled, “April Seventh, 1928,” Benjy recalls the moment Caddy goes into the tree at his grandfather’s funeral. The scene of Caddie’s innocence, and therefore being in the eyes of the Compson brothers, is in the forbidden tree, Jason wants to tell about her, and Benjy is worried about her absence. He thinks of the funeral and the wedding within moments to confirm Caddie’s fatal loss to the trees, to the world of sex, and to men. Benjy recalls the sight of his “low turf,” which evokes a sense of filth and filth to Caddie’s behavior. His reckless behavior that day in the trees and his future reckless behavior with the people in his family is revealed by the ugliness of his body. We could hear it pounding” foreshadows Caddie’s future role throughout her life. She is physically absent from his life, but her memory and the magnitude of the loss constantly “shatters” the tranquility of her life.
If this novel were to be interpreted allegorically, this scene would be equivalent to the death of Christ in the gospel according to Matthew, Mark or Luke. For this reason, it is necessary to report the allusive relationship between the Bible and the TSTF. If not, try to push that the role of Caddy as a paradoxical Christ figure can be interpreted, deconstructing the various levels of meaning throughout the book, so that it is suitable for an allegorical representation of the Bible. Christ was the figure of ultimate purity and innocence. It was not his death, but his will. His loss was greatly mourned, but his resurrection permitted redemption and salvation. In Benjy’s portrayal of the lost Caddy is still an innocent and pure girl. It has not yet affected the world of men. Death was shaped not by his own hands, but by his own will. Her “death” causes a deep loss among those who loved her. The wedding could represent his resurrection, trying to make amends for his promiscuous injuries. Weddings are religious ceremonies that represent the purity of the bride and the sanctity of sex between a man and a woman. In the New Testament, Christ is often involved in weddings of some kind, performing miracles and offering blessings. However, the irony of Caddie’s marriage is that its sanctifying effects have been more destructive than cleansing. Caddie, unlike Christ, is not pure, innocent, or virginal. His actions are motivated purely by physical temptation; Jesus had spent his life suppressing something. Although it’s a big loss for Caddie, she’s still cheering for the southern woman on social media. His marriage, his last attempt at salvation and resurrection, is made up of lies and hatred. He causes made a greater sense of loss than the loss of his virginity and finally came to the realization of Quentin’s death. In this case, the allegorical interpretation of the TSTF is insufficient.
Since the TSTF and the biblical reference are interpreted as allegorical to each other, the reader can recognize the irony of the biblical allusion in trying to decipher it in a new context. The first three chapters of Caddie’s novel are recounted, all of which seem somewhat historically accurate. The experiences of the writer are their own, and they do not attempt to reconcile the loss. Against Dilsey’s head there is an attempt at redemption and salvation. Reverend Shergog inadvertant references to the Compson family in his sermon, “He hears de weepin en de lamentatione de po mammy widout de salvation en de verbo dei” (184). These images evoke Mrs. Compson. As stated before, the theological movement of Dilsey’s chapter is an allusion to the gospel according to John. In this gospel, John constantly exposes Christ as divine and reveals the deeper, spiritual truths of his life. It was believed that the Dilsey chapter would do the same kind of spiritual work of redemption in the Compson family, but that never happened. The end alludes to spiritual salvation, but it never delivers. The biblical allusion in TSTF leads the reader to believe that some redemption is imminent for the Compson family, so when the story ends without such, the reader also feels a great sense of loss and despair.
The biblical allusions are approximated, but not equivalent, and this approximation allows the ironic combination of the drama of the Compson family and the life and death of Christ to be compared. Through the allusion we can see the desperation of the Compson family and the tragedy that Faulkner feels about the loss of Southern women. It is ironic that the caddy in the trees, indeed muddy, could so innocently foreshadow the loss of purity in the eyes of men. However, the real irony lies in the loss of the legendary Southern woman, which is brought to a level of biblical proportions.
Works Cited –
Abramius, M.H. Glossary Literary. Harcourt Brace College Publishers: Fort Worth, 1999.
