Designs of Families in Two Faulkner Novels (Part Two of Two)

In contrast with the aunt who is four years her junior, Judith Sutpen does not shirk from the harsh realities of her life by entering into a timeless realm. Even as the pillars of her father's dynasty are crumbling -- brought down by the basic misconceptions and self-destructive "innocence" of his design (263) -- she accepts her suffering and that of her family with a marked sense of resilience and inner strength. Having never harbored romantic allusions like Rosa, Judith responds ot the end of the war and to the fall of the House of Sutpen in the same unflappable manner with which her father approaches adversity. She simply refuses to relinquish her needs and desires, "accepting no substitutes" (121). However, Judith does not share the fierce idealism and ambition that led Sutpen to execute a design that ultimately destroys himself and his family. It seems she is less innocent that her father in this respect. Indeed, she realizes what "little impression" one can make in the world and, thus, does not harbor any designs of her own, other than the will to endure and to "not throw away or destroy" that which has already been strung together, like "a rug on a loom" (127).

Accordingly, by Rosa's account, Judith acts to stabilize the remains of the House of Sutpen. With "her face absolutely calm" (150), she buries Charles Bon -- for whose love she has waited four years -- while refraining from seeking revenge against her brother, Henry. Thus, Judith in no way disturbs the memory of the incestuous love triangle which, in Quentin's mind, at least, engulfed her, Henry, and Bon. Nor does she choose to further sever the line of Sutpen by turning away Bon's young son. While her subsequent decision to disclose the son's mized blood, thereby limiting his chances for success in life, may seem racist by today's standards, it is also an act that stabilizes what is left of her father's dynasty. Indeed, Judith's decision is in keeping with one of the core pillars -- the opposition to miscegenation -- on which the Old South and, in particular, the House of Sutpen, was founded.

Two generations later, Quentin is similarly concerned with salvaging the legacy of the Old South, as it is manifested in his own declining clan, the Compsons. To this end, Quentin worships his sister, Caddy, seeing her as a continual source of strength, like Judith, who has the power to save her family from complete destruction. He beseeches Caddy to run away with him and their idiot brother, Benjy, so that they can form a triumverate, tinged with unconsummated incest, which will resemble the Judith-Henry-Bon love triangle. However, Quentin's sister does not acquiesce to his proposal for preserving family stability, as Judith presumably would have done. Instead, Caddy betrays her brother by giving herself over to Dalton Ames, whom Quentin contemptuously views as a "blackguard" (75). He identifies several of Ames' faults, including the latter's penchant for lying and his gambling addiction, However, Ames' main transgression, from Quentin perspective, lies in the fact that he is not a member of the Compson family. In this respect, Quentin's sentiments resemble those of the professor in Willa Cather's novel, who fears the invasion of his "House" by another outside, Louie Marsellus. Indeed, the reservations the professor has about his daughter marrying outside the realm of Gentile middle-America are manifested, in a far more extreme fashion, though Quentin's jealousness of Caddy. By rejecting Quentin, and subsequently descending into promiscuity, Caddy casts herself in the tradition of modernist females who, like Rosamond, subvert the patriarchal designs imposed on them by the men in their families.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic