“Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future” (Daphne Rose Kingma). If one clings to the past, she misses out on the benefits of both the present and the future. In William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, Faulkner depicts the downfall of a dysfunctional family known as the Compsons. The Compsons struggle with accepting change and letting go of the past, leading them to be too caught up in past conflicts to enjoy the present. Faulkner uses the characterization of Benjy, Quentin, and Jason Compson to prove his theme that one must accept change and let go of the past to be happy. Although Benjy is incapable of comprehending the reason for his pain, he suffers due to his inability to …show more content…
Jason views all women as “bitch[es]” (119) who must be controlled so that they don’t act out. He cannot hold a decent relationship with a woman, as shown through his nearly-prostitutional relationship with Lorraine. Jason has allowed an incident from decades ago to determine his attitude towards the entire female gender because he cannot let go of the past. Jason also has not let go of his feelings of malice towards other members of his family. Jason bitterly states that he “never had university advantages because at Harvard they teach you how to go for a swim at night without knowing how to swim and at Sewanee they don’t even teach you what water is” (129). Jason is indignant towards Quentin’s going to Harvard, annoyed that he was not given the same opportunity. Quentin’s suicide only expands Jason’s contempt for his brother, feeling that Quentin has wasted the chance that he deserved but was never given. He also holds his father in disesteem, mocking his alcoholism. He feels his father was a drunkard who never did anything worthwhile and who never assumed the responsible, hardworking father role that he should have. Even after the death of both Quentin and his father, Jason still has not forgiven either of them for their mistakes. Instead of looking beyond the mistakes of others and letting go of the misfortune that was brought upon him, Jason decides to remain acrid towards the world and feel eternally