Benjy the Dog?

When our class began reading The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner each of was asked to formulate a question pertaining to something in the first eight pages that puzzled us. To say the least gradually Robert and I were puzzled by a couple of things but due to our table positioning we gradual heard each of our questions asked before it was our turn to ask a question. This left us with that one question at the bottom of our notes. Neither of us knew the answer to. At the same time, neither one of us really wanted to be the person to ask it out loud to the class. Since it was the only question we had left, we bit the bullet and asked, “Is Benjy a boy or a dog?” Though Harry, and a few others, quickly found many examples from the first 8 pages proving that Benjy was indeed a human, I would like to point out that at least one other person, besides Robert and me, saw the similarities between the way Benjy was described and the way the other characters acted toward him. In fact Jacqui Griffiths found enough similarities to write half of an article about it. At one point he even states his shared confusion with Robert and me, “Despite the fact that his age is mentioned on the first page of Benjy’s narrative, my first read was dominated by thoughts about whether he was a dog or an Infant.” The article I am referring to and will proceed to analyze further is Almost Human: Indeterminate Children and Dogs in ‘Flush’ and ‘The Sound and the Fury’

In the second half of his article, Griffiths explains the many similarities between Benjy and a dog. Griffiths has three general categories for doing so; Benjy’s castration, the behavior of Benjy (especially with regard to Caddy) and the way the family and other characters act in response to him. Benjy’s castration relates Benjy to a canine as well as acts to make him more of an animal. Even the event that resulted in the need for his castration is similar to that of a dog. Pacing up and down along the fence before one day attacking is something that draws images of a dog or a zoo animal. Thus, the event and result are tied together in forming the first pillar of Griffith’s hypothesis. Benjy’s behavior as a whole also hints at that of an animal. When he constantly pulls at Caddy’s dress it reminds one of a dog playing tug-o-war with your pant leg. This behavior could be associated with that of an infant, but Faulkner portrays it as far more animalistic than playful adolescent. Finally, the entire family treats Benjy like he is an animal. He is constantly attended to and always viewed as someone’s responsibility. The way Caddy, possibly the most understanding person towards Benjy, talks to him is in the same tone and 3rd person that one would talk to a puppy. I found this article to be both interesting and very useful to my understanding of the story. It effectively organized and affirmed a recurring theme of Benjy’s character in my mind.
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