{"id":{"repo_id":"south-carolina","oai_identifier":"oai:scholarcommons.sc.edu:etd-1442"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/south-carolina/oai:scholarcommons.sc.edu:etd-1442","repository":{"repo_id":"south-carolina","name":"University of South Carolina","base_url":"https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"The Futility of Conformity: The Danger of Gender Constructs In the <em>Sound and theFury</em>","abstract":"This thesis focuses on William Faulkner's novel <em>The Sound and the Fury</em> and the role sexuality plays in Quentin Compson's construction of identity. I propose that Quentin is incapable of reconciling his potential homosexuality with the expectations his family, friends and elite Southern society place on him, thereby causing him to commit suicide. Examining Caddy Compson's overt sexuality and Quentin Compson's quiet virginity, I incorporate Walter Benn Michaels' criticism from <em>Our America: Nativism, Modernism, and Pluralism</em> to explore how sexuality is inextricable from identity and draw from Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's <em>Epistemology of the Closet</em> to incorporate Queer Theory to support my argument. Moreover, I discuss the form of the novel, focusing on Benjy and Quentin's sections and the similarities in each. Faulkner writes so intensely in the mode of stream-of-consciousness in these first two sections that the need to address the use of language, the common themes between Benjy and Quentin's sections and the issues raised by Faulkner's choice to link these two brothers in such a way necessitate examination. Although these characters are indeed fictional, they exemplify Faulkner's innovation for form and subject matter through his subtle articulations of controversial issues that lie beneath the surface of the more commonly explored, explicit ones. More importantly, these characters illustrate the danger of social constructs regarding sexuality, the false logic behind class divisions and the absurdity of maintaining appearances that are simply illusions.","abstract_html":"This thesis focuses on William Faulkner&#x27;s novel &lt;em&gt;The Sound and the Fury&lt;/em&gt; and the role sexuality plays in Quentin Compson&#x27;s construction of identity. I propose that Quentin is incapable of reconciling his potential homosexuality with the expectations his family, friends and elite Southern society place on him, thereby causing him to commit suicide. Examining Caddy Compson&#x27;s overt sexuality and Quentin Compson&#x27;s quiet virginity, I incorporate Walter Benn Michaels&#x27; criticism from &lt;em&gt;Our America: Nativism, Modernism, and Pluralism&lt;/em&gt; to explore how sexuality is inextricable from identity and draw from Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick&#x27;s &lt;em&gt;Epistemology of the Closet&lt;/em&gt; to incorporate Queer Theory to support my argument. Moreover, I discuss the form of the novel, focusing on Benjy and Quentin&#x27;s sections and the similarities in each. Faulkner writes so intensely in the mode of stream-of-consciousness in these first two sections that the need to address the use of language, the common themes between Benjy and Quentin&#x27;s sections and the issues raised by Faulkner&#x27;s choice to link these two brothers in such a way necessitate examination. Although these characters are indeed fictional, they exemplify Faulkner&#x27;s innovation for form and subject matter through his subtle articulations of controversial issues that lie beneath the surface of the more commonly explored, explicit ones. More importantly, these characters illustrate the danger of social constructs regarding sexuality, the false logic behind class divisions and the absurdity of maintaining appearances that are simply illusions.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gaha, Ula Gabrielle"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in English","degree_level":"Campus Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"English Language and Literatures","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Brian Glavey"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:37:14Z","subjects":["Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature","GLBT Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":["© 2010, Ula Gabrielle Gaha"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/441","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Brian Glavey"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gaha, Ula Gabrielle"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English Language and Literatures"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Campus Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in English"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature","GLBT Studies"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© 2010, Ula Gabrielle Gaha"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/441"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis focuses on William Faulkner's novel <em>The Sound and the Fury</em> and the role sexuality plays in Quentin Compson's construction of identity. I propose that Quentin is incapable of reconciling his potential homosexuality with the expectations his family, friends and elite Southern society place on him, thereby causing him to commit suicide. Examining Caddy Compson's overt sexuality and Quentin Compson's quiet virginity, I incorporate Walter Benn Michaels' criticism from <em>Our America: Nativism, Modernism, and Pluralism</em> to explore how sexuality is inextricable from identity and draw from Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's <em>Epistemology of the Closet</em> to incorporate Queer Theory to support my argument. Moreover, I discuss the form of the novel, focusing on Benjy and Quentin's sections and the similarities in each. Faulkner writes so intensely in the mode of stream-of-consciousness in these first two sections that the need to address the use of language, the common themes between Benjy and Quentin's sections and the issues raised by Faulkner's choice to link these two brothers in such a way necessitate examination. Although these characters are indeed fictional, they exemplify Faulkner's innovation for form and subject matter through his subtle articulations of controversial issues that lie beneath the surface of the more commonly explored, explicit ones. More importantly, these characters illustrate the danger of social constructs regarding sexuality, the false logic behind class divisions and the absurdity of maintaining appearances that are simply illusions."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Futility of Conformity: The Danger of Gender Constructs In the <em>Sound and theFury</em>"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Brian Glavey"],"dc:creator":["Gaha, Ula Gabrielle"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis focuses on William Faulkner's novel <em>The Sound and the Fury</em> and the role sexuality plays in Quentin Compson's construction of identity. I propose that Quentin is incapable of reconciling his potential homosexuality with the expectations his family, friends and elite Southern society place on him, thereby causing him to commit suicide. Examining Caddy Compson's overt sexuality and Quentin Compson's quiet virginity, I incorporate Walter Benn Michaels' criticism from <em>Our America: Nativism, Modernism, and Pluralism</em> to explore how sexuality is inextricable from identity and draw from Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's <em>Epistemology of the Closet</em> to incorporate Queer Theory to support my argument. Moreover, I discuss the form of the novel, focusing on Benjy and Quentin's sections and the similarities in each. Faulkner writes so intensely in the mode of stream-of-consciousness in these first two sections that the need to address the use of language, the common themes between Benjy and Quentin's sections and the issues raised by Faulkner's choice to link these two brothers in such a way necessitate examination. Although these characters are indeed fictional, they exemplify Faulkner's innovation for form and subject matter through his subtle articulations of controversial issues that lie beneath the surface of the more commonly explored, explicit ones. More importantly, these characters illustrate the danger of social constructs regarding sexuality, the false logic behind class divisions and the absurdity of maintaining appearances that are simply illusions."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/441"],"dc:rights":["© 2010, Ula Gabrielle Gaha"],"dc:subject":["Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature","GLBT Studies"],"dc:title":["The Futility of Conformity: The Danger of Gender Constructs In the <em>Sound and theFury</em>"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English Language and Literatures"],"thesis:degree_level":["Campus Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in English"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:37:14Z"}