The "Sound" and the "Fury"

One of my favorite parts of any book is the point at which I understand the meaning of the title. Sometimes the title comes from part of an important quote in the book, and sometimes the title is an idea that can only be understood after finishing most of the book.

I was especially interested in the meaning of The Sound and the Fury’s title after I learned that Faulkner had once titled The Sound and the Fury, Twilight. I believe that in the closing two pages of The Sound and the Fury we can confirm our assumptions of what this title means. I believe that The Sound and the Fury is not an idea, or a part of a quote, but that the "sound" and the "fury" represent two characters, respectively. I think the "sound" is Benji and the "fury" is Jason. Firstly, the belief that Benji moans, screams, and makes a lot of noise is evident everywhere that Benji is mentioned in the book. And secondly the idea that Jason is angry, cynical, and mean is evident in all the sections, but is especially prominent in the “Jason section” of the novel.” In the broad sense of the book each does represent sound or fury.

On page 320, the novel ends with a specific example of Benji being the "sound" and Jason being the "fury." Jason “backhanded” (320) and told Luster that he will “kill [him]” (320) for taking Benji out past the gate and for driving on the wrong route; "fury." And Benji “bellows” this whole last scene and only stops after he has a flower and after the carriage is on the right route; "sound." My interpretation of the ending and of the title of the novel allowed me to finish the novel with a feeling of closure. (301)