THE STYLISTIC EFFECT OF PUNCTUATION IN PROSE (IN THE EXAMPLE OF "THE SOUND AND FURY" BY WILLIAM FAULKNER)

In The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner’s manipulation of punctuation plays a crucial role in conveying the psychological states of his characters and reflecting the novel’s themes of time, memory, and emotional disarray. Faulkner’s innovative approach to punctuation—particularly his use of commas, dashes, ellipses, and the absence of periods—serves as a narrative tool that immerses the reader in the fragmented and often disjointed thought processes of his characters. By avoiding traditional punctuation conventions, Faulkner creates a stream-of-consciousness narrative style that mirrors the characters' fractured perceptions of time and reality, particularly through Benjy’s non-linear experience of the world, Quentin’s obsession with the past, and Jason’s linear but emotionally turbulent perspective. The absence or excessive use of punctuation amplifies the emotional intensity of the novel, rendering the characters’ inner turmoil more palpable. Ultimately, Faulkner’s manipulation of punctuation contributes to a unique narrative structure that invites the reader to engage not just with the characters’ actions but with their deeply subjective, fragmented experiences of reality. This approach allows the form of the novel to complement its thematic exploration of the complexities of consciousness, memory, and emotional breakdown.