On The Binary Oppositions In The Sound And The Fury

The Sound and the Fury is one of William Faulkner's masterpieces. The novel narrates a decaying family, the Compsons'tragedy, or rather, the tragedy of the old South. Through the monologues of each son in the first three sections and the narration of Dilsey in the final section, the novel centers on Caddy's life, from her innocent childhood to her corruption. In The Sound and the Fury, binary oppositions can be found everywhere. This thesis will analyze the novel with the core theory in the structuralism: the theory of binary opposition, and reach a conclusion that though the fall of south is unavoidable, the author still holds his hope for the future.The Introduction is mainly about Faulkner's life and career and the literature review on The Sound and the Fury, and meantime points out that by far the study of its binary opposition still lacks a systematic analysis.The main body of the thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter I focuses on the theory of binary opposition and its application in literary criticism. Binary opposition is an important part of literary theory of structuralism as well as a crucial critical method, adopted by many structuralists and critics.Chapter II focuses on the binary oppositions in Faulkner's view on the South and the human nature. It is divided into two sections. The first section deals with the binary oppositions including the new South and the old South, rebirth and death, society and individual, present and past. The second section analyzes the binary oppositions in the human nature: good and evil, angelic and satanic, brave and coward.Chapter III analyzes the reasons for Faulkner's binary oppositions. The Sound and the Fury, a sad song of the old South, indicates Faulkner's expectation and hope to the future. The main reasons for his binary opposition view focuses on two features: one is Faulkner's family background and the other is the historical context. Thus, Faulkner's thoughts are full of contradictions which inevitably would be presented in binary oppositions in his works.The Conclusion, based on the textual analysis of binary oppositions in The Sound and the Fury, states that in spite of the fall of the South, Faulkner's attitude towards the future is positive and affirmative.