Thursday, March 30, 2017

"All they all know it, too," I says. "everybody in this town knows what you are. But I won't have it anymore, you hear? I don't care what you do, myself," I says. "But I've got a position in this town, and I'm not going to have any member of my family going on like a nigger wench. You hear me?"
     In this scene, Jason is attempting to punish Quentin because she has not been attending school, and might possibly be scarring the Compson family name. Because of the passing of father, Jason, being the next oldest, has taken on the role as "the man of the house." Quentin and father are both dead, leaving the next capable son to deal with the family's issues. Benji is unable to care for the family, Mother is absent, Caddy is off taking care of Benji, and this leaves Jason to deal with the issues around the house. This specific quote sets up the key idea that Jason is now the caretaker of the family, and voices his frustration with this role through his harsh tone and actions.

"I says she ought to be down there in that kitchen right now, instead of up there in her room, robbing paint on her face and eating for six niggers that can't even stand up out of a chair unless they've got a pan full of bread and meat to balance them, to fix breakfast for her."
     This beginning passage is crucial to the attitude Jason has towards his niece. It becomes obvious he is frustrated with her, trying to place her in a category based off his sexist views. He also refers to the servants as "niggers", showing the readers that he is one who places people in their perceived categories. He thinks Quentin should be serving the family as a woman should, instead of putting on makeup to go out and impress the boys. He wants her around the house and following his misogynistic views. It becomes clear with this passage that Jason is a cruel man, attempting to establish his dominance over the family by keeping everyone on a tight leash. He has accepted his responsibility as the man of the house in the opposite way it was before father died.

The rest of the chapter continues to support the idea that Jason is a cruel, patronizing man, that is extremely miserable with his lifestyle. Jason is trying to uphold the reputation of the man of the house, but fails to do this as he takes an extremely nasty approach. Let's just say, Jason is not my favorite character. I do not like him at all.

3 comments:

  1. In response to the "All they all know it, too," I says. "everybody in this town knows what you are. But I won't have it anymore, you hear?" passage, I agree that Jason yelling at Miss Quentin for missing school. I think that in doing so, he is trying to affirm his position as the new head of the Compson family. He is the head of the family beacuae Father and Quentin are dead, and Benji is mentally incapable, but Caddy is not taking care of Benji. In her youth, she helped care for Benji, but after she became pregnant, and then left her husband, the Compsons disowned her. In the time when Jason is head of the family, Caddy is not a part of the Compson's lives.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love how nice and long this analysis is! You analyze this chapter bit by bit, with great quotes. I like how you pointed out Jason lets out his frustration through his sexist views. Even though he's "man of the house", he acts like a child.

    ReplyDelete