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Comparing Faulkner's The Sound And The Fury

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The Faulknerian Exposé In societies throughout time, the perception of virginity among women has remained somewhat unchanged. In many cultures women who engage in premarital sex are ridiculed and in some situations severely punished. Religions reflect society’s view on virginity and even include this view in their moral code. Whether virginity is a physical state is not arguable. However, the meaning assigned to virginity by society has been the subject of debate. The question “What meaning ,if any, is assigned to virginity and why has society assigned this meaning to sexual experience?” is one society has grappled with for generations. Religions and societies throughout time have tried to relate virginity to innocence or even identify the first sexual experience as the threshold …show more content…

Faulkner contradicts this commonly accepted theory on virginity and asserts his own theory that virginity and more generally number of sexual encounters is given great meaning by society as a way of suppressing female sexuality and therefore independence. Specifically, Faulkner identifies the ways that men in society control women using double standards relating to sexual experience. In The Sound and the Fury Faulkner argues that virginity is purely a social construct created by men to suppress female sexuality and . Using Benjy, Caddy, and Quentin as metaphors for the childhood, adolescence, and adulthood with Jason and Caroline acting as society. Faulkner highlights flaws and double standards in this system. In doing so Faulkner questions the common conception of virginity that glorifies virgin women, ridicules promiscuous women, emasculates virgin men, and

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