Jason Chapter

The character of Jason is a very perplexing issue one faces when they have come this far through The Sound and the Fury. At this point in the book, whatever optimism the reader may have had about the outlook of the Compson family’s situation improving is demolished. Jason is in the position in the Compson family in which he could possibly be the glue that holds them together, or the final nail in the coffin of misery. In the case, he certainly serves as the latter. By all outward perceptions, Jason is bitter, hateful, conniving, unmotivated, and pessimistic.

To me it seems to that the root of Jason’s problem, among other things is his family’s proud history. He seems to think that because in the past his family was one of authority and honor that he deserves to be held in this same light. This would explain his sorrow about his dead end job, because he certainly had not done anything in his own life to deserve any better of a job. He also certainly seems to carry on the classic American southern ideals of hatred, towards pretty much anybody besides able bodied white people, and even in that field he has problems getting along with people.

He also seems to use this same mentality of privilege and entitlement to justify his thievery. In his mind, its seems that he thinks that Caddy somehow stole his good job at the bank by getting divorced (even though she was the one who got him the job in the first place), and so because of this, since he is certainly entitled to some good income, he justifies stealing from Caddy’s daughter. He seems to shockingly see nothing wrong with taking Miss Quentin’s money, as if he is entitled to it in the first place, so what he is doing is justice. Either that, or he is just a psychopath, and feels no remorse for such actions, which would also explain a lot about some of his other life choices. However, it does not seem that this is the case, because he has not quite gone to the extreme of doing something completely psychopathic like, for example, harming Benjy.

Perhaps even beyond his own specific ancestry, his entitlement comes from his Caucasian ancestry at a whole. Evidence of his behavior towards blacks and other minorities like Jews would certainly back up a statement that Jason believes these people are less than he is. This would also be evidenced by the way he treats and thinks of women. He abuses his own mother’s love for his own greed, he detests his own sister and her daughter for something (losing his job) which was not only not Caddy’s fault, but also Caddy was the only reason he got the job in the first place. He also seems to hate women so much that the only intimate contact he is willing to have with one is with a prostitute in Memphis. All in all, it seems that entitlement has made Jason who he is, a person of hate, greed, and utter disregard for the well-being of anyone but himself.