Benjy: a good narrator?
After reading the first chapter of Faulkner's novel I was a little taken aback. I was not prepared to start reading a story from the point of view of the manchild Benjy. I was unhappy as I tried to muddle through his confusing thoughts one after another. His inability to distinguish between the past and the present made it especially difficult. Faulkner made it a little easier by italicizing a portion of the writing prior to changing time periods, but towards the end of the chapter he did not even do this. Fortunately I started to catch on and towards the end of the chapter I actually started to enjoy what I was reading, although it was still somewhat confusing.
My questions regarding this first chapter revolve around Faulkner's decision to use Benjy as the first narrator. Do you think that Faulkner made a good decision by allowing his readers to begin the story in the mind of the mentally retarded Benjy? Do you think that Benjy was chosen as the first narrator because he would tell the story from an objective point of view, or do you feel that he is not a reliable narrator and biased in some way?
7 comments:
By using Benjy as a narrator, we are intentionally left out of the interpersonal and societal intricacies and dynamics. Thus our first impression isn't permeated by social biases. It also sews doubt into the reader's mind so that (s)he will question later assumptions.
The only thing that bothers me is wondering whether I know as much as the author intended me to know or whether I'm missing some details that will be key to understanding what happens later in the book.
I was really confused when I first started reading Benjy's account. However I found using an online-resource listing the characters is pretty helpful.
As far as how objective his narration goes, I think it may have been vague but almost certainly reliable. Benjy doesn't have any reason for telling things except as how they happen. He is unable to understand much, which is frustrating because he can't explain any background to us, and his story flashes around so much. For the most part you can understand what each memory is getting at, although it's kind of tedious. Also, a type for determining when things are happening: someone told me the present is whenever Luster is around, if it helps.
I feel that using Benjy as the narrator in the first chapter was a good idea. Benjy told things as he seen them; therefore, the reader gets a better perspective of the real characters themselves.
I think Faulkner chose to use Benjy as the first narrator because it gives the reader an idea of how teh family interacts with one another without the bias of the person telling the story. Showing Benjy's emotions toward different characters portrayed the personalities of each of the characters and allowed the reader to begin to see their family dynamics.
It seems to be the right decision to have Benjy narrate the first section because it give the reader an unbiased, yet first person account, of the events in the story. His simple mind shows the other characters as their true selves. He would be the least biased character in the story because it is difficult for him to process the complexities occuring around him. Faulkner also might have chosen him because his stream of consciousness led to the memories from the past.
I think that Benjy was a good choice as the first narrator. I believe his narration provides a good introduction as well as a nice way to foreshadow the events that occur in the rest of the story. I also believe he is a unbiased person to relay these events.
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