Female Characters In The Sound And The Fury

William Faulkner is one of the greatest American novelists in the 20th century. In many of his works he depicts the decline of the aristocratic families in American South, the deterioration of the old traditional values and those people who are distressed in the reality of the modern world. The Sound and the Fury is his first successful work. There are a lot of researches and studies on the novel. In the novel the woman characters play an important role. Caddy Compson is the core of the whole family. She has a strong influence on her three brothers, her family and the society. Caddy's promiscuity foreshadows the downfall of the traditional Southern values. Miss Quentin's escape indicates that the downfall cannot be avoided. Mrs. Compson is the representative of the old tradition. She is the root of the whole tragedy. Dilsey is the only loving person in the family. She supports the whole family with her endurance, honesty, compassion and generosity. Dilsey represents a hope for the reconstruction of the South.