In The Sound and the Fury and Jonah’s Gourd Vine, there are two different visions of the American South in the early 20th century. Historically, the Reconstruction and the Civil War transformed many Southern families psychologically, socially, and economically. William Faulkner contends during this social upheaval, the Compson, along with other once-great similar Southern families, became consumed with self-absorption as they lost touch with the reality of the world around them. Likewise, Zora Neale Hurston dramatizes the social and cultural changes influencing the Southern communities. Hurston and Faulkner successfully depict the region of the South as in a constant flux of movement and reconfiguration. The authors investigated ways to think and act outside such norms and critique them through their personal lives and their writings, which are reflected in their visions of the South. …show more content…
The father, Mr. Compson has a very vague notion of family honour, which he still passes onto Quentin, but this notion is tainted by the alcoholism and the failure of his ability to control the events that fall on his family. The wife, Mrs. Compson is clearly self-absorbed, hypochondriac, who wallows in self-pity and distances herself from her children. Quentin’s obsession with old Southern morality disables him to move past his family’s failures. Caddy crushes any notion of Southern feminine purity, instead dabbles in promiscuity. Her brother Jason wastes his wits on greed and strives for success. Finally, Benjy does not commit real sin, but to the Compson, his decline is physically manifested in his