The Sound and the Fury, combined with 4 distinct sections with descriptions of four special days, is a story about a devastated southern family called the Compsons, the illustrious  and reputable family in the past. The Compsons was settled in Jefferson, Mississippi since their ancestors won a large land here. Over decades, it lost its possessions and lands as well as its prestige in this small southern town. What’s more, some family members died and the others are full of troubles.

The novel is composed of four stories. The first story was narrated in the voice of 33- year -  old Benjamin Compson. April 7, 1928, is his birthday. From this part, Benjamin’s mind swung between past and current. Although he was a man with mental retardation, Benji was sensitive and he was the witness who of the changes of this family. The second section of the novel is told in the voice of Quentin Compson, Benjy's older brother. Quentin was a student of Harvard University, with the tuition by the sale of the last family land. But Quentin can not get rid of torment brought by the scandal and failed marriage of his sister, Caddy. Those events finally led to his suicide on the June 2,1910. Jason, Quentin's cynical younger brother is the narrator of the third section. He recalled what happened on April 6, 1928. After his brother and father died, Jason became the person in charge of family possessions. He was a selfish man that sold family’s property and abused his mother’s money and alimony Caddy sent for her daughter, Miss Quentin. However, Jason couldn’t endure his niece, Miss Quentin, who eloped with an actor finally. The last section primarily focuses on Dilsey, one of the Compsons’ black servants. Dilsey is a housemaid served for the Compsons for a long time, and she witnessed the decline of the Compsons. At the end of story, Jason found Quentin had stolen all his money hidden in the house.

In 1945, Faulkner wrote the “Compson Appendix”, which added to the afterward of The Sound and the Fury. It introduces a 30-page history of the Compsons from 1699 to 1945. Faulkner thought the Appendix is inseparable part of this story. With the Appendix, it can be easier for the readers to read this novel.

1.2 Literature Review

William Faulkner and his The Sound and the Fury are both important in literature history because of their unique characteristics. After winning the Nobel Prize, Faulkner is believed as the one of the most outstanding modernistic literature writers after Joyce. The Sound and the Fury, the most influential and valuable Faulkner’s works, is the important object of studies by scholars at home and abroad. The common researches of The Sound and the Fury mainly focus on the theme, writing techniques and features.

William Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha (1985), written by Elizabeth Keer, the professor at the University of Wisconsin, is a milestone about Faulkner’s research. It studies the use of symbolism and themes in Faulkner's works. Other contributions this monograph made lies in the summary of Yoknapatawpha genealogy in Faulkner’s works and the influence from American southern historical traditions and social culture on Faulkner 's novels. The critic explored the theme of his works.