A Portrait of Dilsey in Faulkner's Sound and Fury

The final section of The Sound and the Fury provides some semblance of closure through its portrayal of Dilsey as a model of integrity. Her actions are directly contrasted with the morally bankrupt Compson family. As readers, we have witnessed the deterioration of the Compson family, and our distaste for their actions is mirrored in Dilsey’s perspective. We have seen Benjy’s mental retardation, Caddy’s (arguable) recklessness, Quentin’s obsession with time, Jason’s irrational and bitter hatred, and Mother’s self-pity. Finally, we see Dilsey, the ideal human being filled with humble kindness and motherly compassion. She represents everything that the Compson family is not, and by contrast, what it should be. Dilsey goes beyond the call of duty to look after Benjy, even taking him to her church. She protects Quentin from Jason’s violence and acts as the last significant glue to hold the family together. Most tragically of all, she was forced to witness the corrosion of a family she truly cared for.