The Cycle that Never Ends

“Caddy and the infinite loop: The dynamics of alcoholism in the Sound and the Fury”
Gary Storhooff, The Faulkner Journal, Spring 1997, Vol. 12, Iss. 2.


The Cycle that Never Ends

After reading Storhoff’s article on the Compson family, I now have a newfound understanding on how family dynamics influence one’s actions and motives. While reading “The Sound and the Fury,” I had trouble connecting how events impact and influence one another. Storhoff addresses this issue through explaining how Mr. Compson’s addiction to alcohol influences every family member. He calls this cycle the “infinite loop,” which is centered around this addiction. The infinite loop is a metaphor that describes how each child’s behavior is a product of his or her father’s addiction. John Earl Bassett describes the Compson family as “physically and mentally sick” (410). This sickness appears to be the mechanisms that the children develop to escape: they engage in mischeiveous behavior, fight, join together, and eventually break apart. This family system, particularly for the children, is based around the escape of Mr. Compson’s alcoholism. Storhoff’s argument makes sense. We see Caddy as a victim: she takes on the role as a mother at an early age, has a disconnected relationship with Jason and Mother, and eventually rebels by engaging in sexual acts, getting pregnant, running away, and abandoning her only daughter.

However, Caddy is not seen as a “bad” person. Rather, Caddy attempts to escape her exhausting life of living in disconnected family and having the responsibility to care for Benjy. Thus, she “copes” by distracting herself with boys and eventually running away from her family life all together. Storhoff notes that “individual behavior has its origin in the patterned and systematic interactions of all family members” (3). This idea demonstrates that Caddy’s behavior is a result of the “loop” that circles back to her father’s alcoholism and resulting dysfunctional family.


Lastly, Storhoff introduced a new idea about Mr. Compson and how he affected his family. Storhoff argues that Mr. Compson’s control over the family is apparent through his inability to allow those around him to have emotions. Storhoff continues by explaining the rule of silence in the Compson Household. I realized that this idea is visible through Caddy’s character. Before she begins her intense rebellion, it seems as if she lived her life without feeling anything--- except guilt for Benjy--- and never responded to her family and forced role as a mother. Storhoff explains that “hushing becomes his [Mr. Compson’s] major weapon of control of the other family members (4): “father was there, in his shirt sleeves. The way he looked said Hush” (Faulkner 61). This hush mechanism, a result of the infinite loop, seems to be a way for all relationship problems and family hardships to be dismissed. It is interesting to note that no family member can stand up to the alcoholic Mr. Compson. His apparent control over the household is effective because no one speaks up and thus the characters suffer internally.


Overall, Storhoff addresses how Mr. Compson’s problem is the core of the Compson family dynamic. Every outburst of Caddy, yell from Jason, and paranoid moment from Mother all link back to the alcoholism. Likewise, because no family members are able to effectively communicate and stand up to Mr. Compson, the family remains disconnected and bruised.

(543 words)