The Sound and the Fury

Main Ideas

• The destruction and decline of traditional Southern American values as exemplified by the Compson family
• The difference in the perception of time and its influence on experiencing personal tragedy
• The loss and search for identity through interaction with the world and family relationships
• The issue of racism and changing social norms in the American South
• The influence of historical and social context on people's destinies
• The destructive impact of the past on the present and future of the novel's characters