Topic > The Sound and the Fury: Critiquing Caroline Compson from a Psychological Perspective

Southern aristocratic mothers generally did not care for their children and, instead, usually had an "African-American woman [who cared for (and essentially raised) Southern white children” (Tucker, 35). Caroline Compson is the neurotic and reckless mother of Quentin, Caddy, Jason and Benjy reason for the fall of the Compson family. William Faulkner's novel "The Sound and the Fury" states Caroline Compson's problems through her children to show that she causes harm to her family because of her manipulative ways Mothers have a. lasting impression on their children, as they are usually the first to connect with them. Neglecting and manipulating children leaves a psychological impact on them and causes problems later in life. Say no to plagiarism Violent video games shouldn't be banned"? Get an Original Essay In Benjy's section, it's easy to pick up on Caroline's disgust for her youngest son. She is inconsiderate of Benjy's condition and doesn't fully understand him. When the family is in the room with the fireplace, Caroline is sitting in a chair and Caddy is trying to give Benjy a pillow to calm down, but he keeps crying. Caroline believes that he "needs to learn to take care of [her]" (64) and tells him to "stop [crying]" (64), but Benjy continues to cry, which leads Caroline to start crying in frustration. Caroline also feels obligated to keep Benjy in Jefferson, Mississippi instead of sending him to Jackson's asylum. She is lying in bed and pretending to be sick when Benjy burns his hand and starts screaming. Caroline acts like she cares when she asks “What happens now? [She] can't even get sick in peace. [She] has to get out of bed to come to him, with two grown black men taking care of him. (59). Caroline has never raised her pinky so much in her life for Benjy, but because she feels like she's being inconvenienced on purpose, she acts like she's the only one who can handle Benjy. Caroline is sure that "Benjamin [is] punishment enough for all the sins [he has] committed [she] thought it was [her] punishment for putting aside [her] pride and marrying a man who considered superior to [her]" (103 ). This thought leads Caroline to reject Benjy, ultimately treating him like a parasite. The relationship between Jason and Caroline is a strange mother-son relationship. While Caroline whines and complains, Jason simply mocks her throughout the novel. Caroline's manipulative mannerisms really come out as she tries to make Jason feel bad for her. When Jason is trying to go to work, Caroline states that he is "just a problem and a burden to you" (181). Since Jason is completely immune to his mother's manipulative ways, he simply mocks her. Although Caroline may know that Jason is not affected by her self-pitying personality, she still attempts to get his attention by pretending to be a victim. Caroline also constantly states that Jason is her favorite because "[he] is not a Compson except in name" (196). She's trying to make him feel loved, but in truth she only cares because he acts more like his family, a Bascomb. Only one person who truly cares about Jason is Damuddy. Caroline doesn't like that "Damuddy spoiled Jason" (63), and even complains that "it took him two years to get over it" (63), too long in her opinion. Caroline may act like she cares about Jason, but she's simply trying to get him to do what she wants by trying to make him feel guilty. Several factors play into why Caroline might have. 2016.