Faulkner devotes a great deal of the Benjy section of The Sound and the Fury to the relationship between Benjy and Caddy. Their relationship, much like the rest of the novel, is complicated and difficult to understand. Caddy clearly loves Benjy and treats him with great kindness—she might be the only one in his life who does— and in return, Benjy adores Caddy. Since his own mother is perpetually ill and typically neglects her children, Benjy does not really look to her as a source of comfort. Caddy, instead, fills the role of mother in Benjy’s life—a role that she embraces but becomes more difficult for her over time.
Surprisingly, childhood is the age at which Caddy does the best job playing “mother” to Benjy. She is always alert and sensitive to Benjy’s needs. For example, when Caddy and Benjy are in Mother’s room, Benjy starts crying.
"If you'll hold him, he'll stop." Caddy said. "Hush." she said. "You can go right back. Here. Here's your cushion. See."
"Dont, Candace." Mother said.
"Let him look at it and he'll be quiet." Caddy said. "Hold up just a minute while I slip it out. There, Benjy. Look."
I looked at it and hushed (2.7).”
Caddy knows exactly how to quiet and calm Benjy, while her mother would rather just let Benjy cry. Mother often demeans Benjy, calling him a “poor baby” or pitying him in other ways. Caddy wisely realizes that this pity is not actually good for Benjy and does not make him feel better. She reassures Benjy that he is “not a poor baby (3.2)” and comforts and loves him. At a young age, Caddy becomes Benjy’s favorite person.
While most children resent having to even occasionally look after their siblings, Caddy willingly accepts the profound role she plays in Benjy’s life. One night when Caddy’s father is putting her to bed, he asks her “"Are you going to take good care of Maury." "Yes." Caddy said. (1.18)” She is takes responsibility for Benjy (Maury) when she is merely a child herself. Later, Benjy, Caddy, and Mother are all in Mother’s room, and Mother is complaining about having to look after Benjy and about the effect it has on her health. Caddy pushes her mother’s concerns aside and tells her “"You dont need to bother with him." Caddy said. "I like to take care of him. Dont I. Benjy. (2.7)” Caddy is more willing to love Benjy than his own mother is. In return for the love Caddy gives Benjy, he adores and loves her back. For example, when she comes home from school, he is so excited to see her that he waits outside in the cold, until he sees his beloved protector (3.1). There is clearly a special bond between them.
Yet, as Caddy gets older, it becomes more difficult for her to provide for Benjy in the same way she can when they are children. For example, when Caddy is fourteen and she tries perfume for the first time, the perfume upsets Benjy. Caddy quickly realizes that the perfume is the source of Benjy’s agitation and assures him that “of course Caddy wont. Of course Caddy wont (7.1) “ wear the perfume anymore. When Benjy is upset because he sees Caddy and Charlie together, “Caddy took the kitchen soap and washed her mouth at the sink, hard (8.3).“ She again washes off that thing which upsets Benjy and “smelled like trees (8.3).” One night she cannot wash it all off and Benjy is upset, not only because Caddy does not smell like trees, but that she will not wash for Benjy. She has grown up.
Unfortunately, these two cannot be together forever. Caddy cannot continue to play mother to Benjy and live her own life as well. They will not both be children forever. Benjy alone is stuck with the emotional and mental development of a three-year-old, and Caddy has to grow up and take care of herself.
WC 664
Citations from http://www.usask.ca/english/faulkner/
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Donny and Connie--Two Unfortunate Teenagers
The character Connie in Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been” reminds me of the character Donny in Anne Tyler’s “Teenage Wasteland.” Each of their stories is different, yet Donny and Connie are both troubled teenagers who do not get along with their parents, make poor choices, and end up in unfortunate situations.
Both characters have an unstable relationship with their parents, and, in each case, their siblings seem to be indirectly responsible for this poor relationship. Donny stops succeeding when his mother has his sister Amanda. His mother no longer gives him as much attention because she needs to focus on his then baby sister (Tyler, 14). Yet, without his mother’s praise and support, Donny starts doing poorly in school and falls into the wrong crowd of kids. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” we do not know much about Connie’s childhood, but we do find out that her parents favor her sister June. Although Connie is prettier and more popular than June, June seems to be more wholesome and to cause less trouble than Connie (Oates, 3). Even though Connie acts as if she is confident in herself, we get the sense that this confidence is merely a façade, one that her mother’s constant nagging (Oates, 1) can easily break down.
Donny and Connie both make poor choices in terms of whom they hang out with. Donny hangs out with kids who cut class, smoke, break into lockers, and sneak off campus to drink beer (Tyler, 7). These kids have a bad influence on Donny and cause him to make irresponsible choices. Connie spends her time with a group of conceited girls who think that they can simply ignore anyone who is not good enough for them (Oates, 6). Her friends also make unsafe choices, like choosing to run across the highway just to get to the restaurant where they can find older, “cooler” kids (Oates, 7). It’s just lucky for them that Connie’s girlfriend’s dad doesn’t “bother to ask what they [do] (Oates, 4)” on those evenings when he drops them off at the shopping plaza. Connie also goes off alone with Eddie, a boy who she only barely knows from school--probably not the safest or wisest choice (Oates, 8-9).
The most unfortunate similarity between Donny and Connie is that they both meet similar fates. Donny, after the disappointment of losing Calvin and getting kicked out of his private school, runs away from home and is never found (Tyler, 108-110). It’s too bad that his parents do not attempt to help him until it is too late. There was probably little Connie’s parents could have done to help her in her situation with Arnold. The choice to leave a teenager home alone for a few hours is common and not typically irresponsible. Yet, her parents still could have at least told her not to open the door for strangers when they weren’t home. She might not have listened, as Donny didn’t listen to his parents, but there is the chance that some advice could have been enough to save her. However, she is merely an ignorant girl who does not know how to handle herself and gets into a car with Arnold friend, a creepy, older stranger.
The last thing these characters have in common is that their ultimate fates are a mystery to the reader. Oates and Tyler both lead us to believe that their main characters’ fates are unpleasant; however, neither specifically states what that fate is. We just assume that Donny and Connie are merely two unfortunate teenagers who meet unhappy ends. (WC 606)
Both characters have an unstable relationship with their parents, and, in each case, their siblings seem to be indirectly responsible for this poor relationship. Donny stops succeeding when his mother has his sister Amanda. His mother no longer gives him as much attention because she needs to focus on his then baby sister (Tyler, 14). Yet, without his mother’s praise and support, Donny starts doing poorly in school and falls into the wrong crowd of kids. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” we do not know much about Connie’s childhood, but we do find out that her parents favor her sister June. Although Connie is prettier and more popular than June, June seems to be more wholesome and to cause less trouble than Connie (Oates, 3). Even though Connie acts as if she is confident in herself, we get the sense that this confidence is merely a façade, one that her mother’s constant nagging (Oates, 1) can easily break down.
Donny and Connie both make poor choices in terms of whom they hang out with. Donny hangs out with kids who cut class, smoke, break into lockers, and sneak off campus to drink beer (Tyler, 7). These kids have a bad influence on Donny and cause him to make irresponsible choices. Connie spends her time with a group of conceited girls who think that they can simply ignore anyone who is not good enough for them (Oates, 6). Her friends also make unsafe choices, like choosing to run across the highway just to get to the restaurant where they can find older, “cooler” kids (Oates, 7). It’s just lucky for them that Connie’s girlfriend’s dad doesn’t “bother to ask what they [do] (Oates, 4)” on those evenings when he drops them off at the shopping plaza. Connie also goes off alone with Eddie, a boy who she only barely knows from school--probably not the safest or wisest choice (Oates, 8-9).
The most unfortunate similarity between Donny and Connie is that they both meet similar fates. Donny, after the disappointment of losing Calvin and getting kicked out of his private school, runs away from home and is never found (Tyler, 108-110). It’s too bad that his parents do not attempt to help him until it is too late. There was probably little Connie’s parents could have done to help her in her situation with Arnold. The choice to leave a teenager home alone for a few hours is common and not typically irresponsible. Yet, her parents still could have at least told her not to open the door for strangers when they weren’t home. She might not have listened, as Donny didn’t listen to his parents, but there is the chance that some advice could have been enough to save her. However, she is merely an ignorant girl who does not know how to handle herself and gets into a car with Arnold friend, a creepy, older stranger.
The last thing these characters have in common is that their ultimate fates are a mystery to the reader. Oates and Tyler both lead us to believe that their main characters’ fates are unpleasant; however, neither specifically states what that fate is. We just assume that Donny and Connie are merely two unfortunate teenagers who meet unhappy ends. (WC 606)
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