Horace Benbow and the Myth of Narcissa

Author(s): John T. Irwin

Source: American Literature, Vol. 64, No. 3 (Sep., 1992), pp. 543-566
Published by: Duke University Press
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JohnT.
Irwin

ofNarcissa
HoraceBenbowandtheMyth

ometimes a writergetsan ideaforthestructure

isn'tenoughto exhaustthe
incarnation
of a character,and one fictional
thatmayoften
init,possibilities
foritsdevelopment
inherent
possibilities
likethatis whathappenedwithFaulkbe mutually
exclusive.Something
thefiguresofQuentinCompson,
underlying
ner and thebasic structure
Horace Benbow,andGavinStevens.Clearly,Faulknerset outtoimagine
Southernfamily,
male descendantofan aristocratic
a twentieth-century
a descendantmoreor less weigheddownby his sense of the past and
in the
forthriving
moreor less unsuitedbyeducationand temperament
ifnottheSouth,thenthe
modernworld,a descendantwhopersonified,
Southernrulingclass at a certainpointin thiscentury,determinedto
with
livein thepast bystayingenclosedinitsownregion,self-absorbed
Faulknerofthefigureof
reminded
its ownimagein a waythatinevitably
Narcissus.
betweenthese threecharactersseem
At firstglancethe similarities
clear enough.Noel Polk, forone, has describedthe structuralresemintelblancebetweenQuentinand Horace: "Both. . . are Prufrockian
lectuals;bothare hopelesslyidealisticandobsessivelynarcissistic;both
are sexuallyinterestedin theirsisters,and overlyconcernedwiththeir
. . . bothare dominatedby bedriddenmothers;. . .
sister'svirginity;
and bothare incapableofdealingwiththereal worldon its own terms.
a forty-three-year-old
jaded Quentin,
Horaceis, ineffect,
andcompletely
surelywhatQuentinwouldhave becomehad he livedanotherquartercentury."'And that,of course,is one of the reasonsFaulknerneeded
of thischaracter'sstructure;forone plauanotherfictional
incarnation
not
was thatthistypeofpersonwould
to
outcome
say
probable,
sible,
AmericanLiterature,
Volume64, Number3, September1992. Copyright
C) 1992byDuke
Press. CCC 0002-9831/92/$1.50.
University

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Literature
544 American
and takehis own
self-absorption
succumbin adolescenceto melancholy
was requiredto imaginethe characlife. So thatanotherembodiment
to imaginehisdestinyas nottheearlydeathofa morbidly
ter'smaturity,
failure.
middle-aged
youthbutthelivingdeathofan ineffectual
romantic
between
One couldmakean equallypersuasivelistoftheresemblances
Horace Benbowand GavinStevens.Bothare lawyers;bothhavea combinationofan AmericanandEuropeaneducation(Horaceat Sewanee and
Oxford,Gavinat Harvardand Heidelberg);bothhavea specialrelationshipwithan onlysister;bothworkfortheY.M.C.A. inFranceduringthe
WardSnopes withthem;
FirstWorldWar,and bothtake Montgomery
Gavin'sretransbothhaveaestheticavocations(Horace'sglass-blowing,
lationoftheOld TestamentintoancientGreek);bothmarrywomenwho
have been marriedbeforeand who have childrenby the previousmarriage; bothserve as surrogatefathers(Horace to LittleBelle, Gavinto
ChickMallison),thoughneithermanfathersa child;andbothare fondof
quotingthesame lineofpoetry,"Less oftis peace" (HoraceinSanctuary,
Gavinin"Knight'sGambit").Clearly,thereasonthatFaulknerneededyet
in GavinStevenswas to explorethe
ofthestructure
anotherincarnation
suicideor middlethatthisfiguremightnotend up a youthful
possibility
to somekindofqualifiedsuccess
winthrough
aged failurebuteventually
inhispersonalandpubliclife.
figurebeI wouldlike to examineHorace Benbowas a transitional
to center
tweenQuentinCompsonand GavinStevensand, specifically,
elementsharedbyall threecharacters
the discussionon a structural
each has withan onlysister.For themostpartI
the specialrelationship
willbe discussingHorace as he appearsinSanctuary(bothin the original textand in the 1931 publishedversion)and makingdigressions,as
as well
analysisofhischaracter,
needed,intoFlags in theDust forfurther
as intootherworksinwhichQuentinCompsonandGavinStevensappear,
andHorace'sseem appropriate.
betweentheircharacters
as comparisons
the 1931 publishedverThe firstthingthatone noticesin comparing
sion ofSanctuarywithFaulkner'soriginaltextis themajorchangethat
Faulknermade in the openingofthenovel.The originalversionbegins
withthe blackmurdererinjail awaitingexecution,whilethe published
from
versionbeginswiththerunawayhusbandHoraceBenbowdrinking
in the pool and
a woodlandspringand seeing firsthis own reflection
thenthatofPopeye'sstrawhatas Popeyeadvancessoundlesslyfromhis
to his editionof
place of concealmentto capturehim.In the afterword
scene
oftheblack
that
the
Polk
theorizes
opening
theoriginaltext,Noel

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 545

withthebook'sending,
injail is meantto producea symmetry
murderer
whichis to say that"thebook concludesas it begins,by focusingon a
awaitinghis execution:the Negroat the beginning,
murdererpatiently
Popeye at the end" (OT, 302). Faulknerwas, ofcourse,obsessed with
an obsessionthatunderlieshisinterestindoublingand twinsymmetry,
been no
ship,inmirrorimagesand shadows.Indeed,therehas probably
writersinceRacinewhotriedas hardas Faulknerto createsymmetrical
ofall kindsinhiswork.
relationships
ofFaulkner's
correctinhis explanation
Polkis, then,almostcertainly
the
scene ofthe
novel
with
of
the
version
the
original
choosingto begin
achievedbythis
is thatthesymmetry
butthedifficulty
blackmurderer,
openingisn'texact; forin boththeoriginaltextand the 1931 published
versionthelastscene inthenovelis notPopeyeinjail awaitinghisexecuGardens
intheLuxembourg
tionbutTempleDrakeandherfathersitting
listeningto a bandconcertwhileTempleexaminesherfaceina compact
whyFaulknerchangedthe openingof
mirror.One can see immediately
thebook withHorace seeinghis rethe 1931 version,forbybeginning
withthefinalscene
ina pool Faulknercreatesan exactsymmetry
flection
ofTemplelookingat herfacein a mirror.Moreover,Faulkneris able to
scene in the book as
to includethe next-to-last
extendthis symmetry
well,our finalglimpseofPopeye.Since whatHorace sees in thepool is
of Popeye'shat, the presbutthe reflection
notjust his own reflection
codes Horace and Popeye
surface
ence ofbothimageson themirroring
doubles.Smallwonder,
as mirrorimagesofone another,as antithetical
then,thatour last glimpseofPopeyeis a freezeframethatarrestshim
foreverin a momentofultimatenarcissism:
. . . theyadjustedthe rope, draggingit over Popeye's sleek, oiled
head,breakinghishairloose. His handsweretied,so he begantojerk
again....
hishairbackeach timeitfellforward
his head, flipping
the
drone
oftheminisinto
sharp
the
sound
cutting
he
"Pssst!" said,
lookedat him;he quitjerkinghisneck
ter'svoice; "pssst!"The sheriff
and stoodrigid,as thoughhe hadan eggbalancedon hishead. "Fixmy
hair,Jack,"he said.
thetrap.2
said. "I'llfixitforyou";springing
"Sure,"thesheriff
and
infrontofa mirror,
usuallyperformed
Fixingone's hairis an activity
in effectPopeye, withhis handstiedbehindhis back, triesto use the
gesture.But,likethe
sheriff's
gaze as a mirrorfora finalself-regarding
gaze inNarcissus'spool,thisone is fatal.
mirrored
and mirroring

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Literature
546 American
To theextentthatourfinalglimpsesofPopeyeandTempleemphasize
a
thenarcissismofeach, thetwoare assimilatedintheirself-absorption,
impotent
Popeyeas a feminized
resemblancethatevokesthephysically
ofthenovel'sbeginning
andend,thisassimimale. Giventhesymmetry
lationofPopeyeand Templeat theclose balancesthatotherat thestart
ofhimself
and Popeye'shatin thepool.
whenHorace sees thereflection
talkedenoughpsychoanalysis
Faulkner'sfriendPhilStonehad certainly
to the authorforhimto knowthata hat was a commondreamsymbol
ofgenitalia,eithermale or female,so thatthisdetailserves to reinforce
double,as a darkmirror
our sense of Popeye as Horace's antithetical
imagewhose physicalimpotencereflectsHorace's spiritualimpotence.
Of course, the keyelementin the Narcissusmythis thatthe objectof
image)withwhomhe can never
Narcissus'sloveis a "being"(a reflected
consummatethatlove,an objectthatrendershimnecessarilyimpotent.
As Horace phrases his conditionto Ruby Lamar, "You see, . . . I lack

is all here,butit wont

courage:thatwas leftout ofme. The machinery
run" (16). WhatFaulkner'srevisionof the openingscene ofSanctuary
in thenovel'sbeginning
and end (need I
achieves,then,is a symmetry
thatfiguratively
presentsthenarcissismofthe
say a mirrorsymmetry?)
threemaincharactersas thebook'scentraltheme.
But narcissismis onlywhatwe wouldexpectwithHorace Benbow.
Afterall, he has an onlysisternamedNarcissa,and in theoriginaltext
ofSanctuaryhis wifeBelle says to himbeforetheyare married,"Dont
talk to me about love . .. ; you're in love with your sister. What do the

books call it?Whatsortofcomplex?"(OT, 16), a remarkthatprovokes

exchange:
thefollowing
withhercould
"Notcomplex?. .. Do youthinkthatanyrelationship
be complex?" ...

"Call it whatyoulike,"Belle said. "Howdidshe come to let yougo

to thewar,evenin theY.M.C.A. ?"
"I didthenextbest thing,"he said. "I cameback."
"Yes,"Belle said. "To her.Notto me."
"Isn'tone manat a timeenoughforyou?"...
She said: "So youhopeone manis enoughforhertoo, do you?"He
said nothing."That is, ifyou're the man, of course....

Horace, what

are you goingto do whenshe marries?Whatwillyou do the nighta

" He rose quickly....
man makes
You've
aboutvirginity.
"Dontlet thatworryyou.Youknownothing
neithereverfounditnorlostit."(OT, 16-17)

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 547

in the contextofa brother'sincestuousatThis mentionofvirginity

recallsthe situationof Quentin
tachmentto an onlysisterimmediately
is explicitly
andCandacein TheSoundand theFury,andthatrelationship
imagedat one pointin thenovelintermsofthemythofNarcissuswhen
Candace lies on her back in the streamand Quentinlooks downat his
it,"I randown
As Quentinremembers
sisteras ifshe werehisreflection.
across a mirror
thehillin thatvacuumofcricketslikea breathtravelling
she was lyingin the water . . . I stood on the bankI could smellthe
betweenQuentinand
honeysuckleon thewater."3Like therelationship
in
associationofthesisits
Candace,thatbetweenHoraceandNarcissa,
coding
imageanditsconsequentfeminine
terwiththebrother'sreflected
fora specialvariantofthe
ofthatimage,suggestsFaulkner'spredilection
mythofNarcissus,a variantI shallcallthemythofNarcissa.Recallthat
Narcissus's
in thestandardversionofthestoryin Ovid'sMetamorphoses
is a "prideso coldthatno youth,no maidentouchedhisheart,"including
thenymphEcho whowastesawayafterNarcissusspurnsher.4Afterone
ofthe youthswhomNarcissushas rejectedpraysto the gods forretribution,saying"So mayhe himselflove,andnotgainthethinghe loves"
(1:153), the goddessNemesisanswerstheprayerand bringsNarcissus
to a woodlandspringwhereinOvid'swords,as Narcissus"seeks to slake
his thirstanotherthirstspringsup, andwhilehe drinkshe is smittenby
hopeand
formhe sees. He lovesan unsubstantial
thesightofthebeautiful
thinksthatsubstancewhichis onlyshadow"(1:153). At firstNarcissus
foranotherbeinglivingbelowthewater'ssurface,
mistakeshisreflection
buteventuallyhe realizesthatit is his ownimagehe is in love withand
thathis love is hopeless.Narcissuswastes awayforlove ofhimself,and
intotheeponymousflower.
his bodyis metamorphosed
In thisversionofthemyth,thoughNarcissusat firstmistakeshis reflectionforanotherbeing,once he has recognizedit as his own there
is neverany sense thatthe imageis oppositelygenderedfromhimself.
But in Pausanias's Descriptionof Greecethereis a paragraphdevoted
to the springof Narcissusin Boeotia in whichthe authorgives a brief
on a shiftin the image's
on the myth,focusingspecifically
commentary
gender:
Theysay thatNarcissuslookedintothiswater,andnotunderstanding
fellinlovewithhimself,
thathe saw his ownreflection,
unconsciously
to imaginethat
and died oflove at thespring.Butit is utterstupidity
a man
a manold enoughto fallin lovewas incapableofdistinguishing
Thereis anotherstoryaboutNarcissus,less
froma man'sreflection.

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Literature
548 American
some support.It is said
popularindeedthantheother,butnotwithout
thatNarcissushada twinsister;theywereexactlyalikeinappearance,
theirhairwas the same, theyworesimilarclothes,and wenthunting
together.The storygoes onthathe fellinlovewithhissister,andwhen
thatitwas hisreflection
thegirldied,wouldgo to thespring,knowing
some reliefforhis love
he saw, butin spiteofthisknowledgefinding
butthelikenessofhis
thathe saw,nothisownreflection,
inimagining
sister.5
ontheimagery
Fora varietyofreasonsPausanias'sglossbearsdirectly
of narcissisticdoublingassociated withQuentinand Candace in The
Soundand theFuryandwithHoraceandNarcissainFlags in theDust and
Sanctuary.Firstofall, Pausanias'sversionclearlylinksnarcissismwith
thattheobjectchoiceininincest,suggesting
themotifofbrother/sister
self-love
whichprojectsitsownimageon to
cest is based on a narcissistic
a beingthatcloselyresemblesitbecausethatbeingis so closelyrelatedto
ofa mirrorimagewith
it. Second,thisversionlinksthevisualrepetition
the
narcissistic
reflected
of
it
codes
Third,
twinship.
repetition
thevisual
it associates the difAndfinally,
image of the male figureas feminine.
conjoined
ferencewhichpreventsNarcissus'sbodyfrombeingphysically
whichpreventsNarcissus
withits reflectedimage withthe difference
conjoinedwithhisdeadtwinsister.Thatis, inassofrombeingphysically
betweenthebodyand
ciatingas barriersto sexual unionthedifference
the
livingand the dead,
between
its reflectedimageand the difference
thisversionofthemythsuggeststhatthemeansto overcomethelatter
indeed,sugdifference
mayserveas themeansto overcometheformer,
gests thatNarcissus'sactivelytakinghis own lifeas a means of being
tothatpassivewastingaway
unitedwithhisdead twinsisteris preferable
self-lovewhichNarcissusenduresin the standard
fromunconsummated
versionofthemyth.
remindedof the prolepticimage of Quentin's
One is immediately
inTheSoundand theFurywhenhe standson
are
that
we
given
drowning
ofhislastday,sees hisshadowon thewater,and
thebridgethemorning
to blotitintothewater,holdingituntilit
thinks,"ifonlyI had something
for
was drowned.... Niggerssaya drownedman'sshadowwas watching
andglinted,likebreathing"
(90).
himinthewaterall thetime.It twinkled
CertainlyFaulknermeansforus to readthisscene,inwhichQuentindeas ifitwerea livingpersonhe intendsto drown
scribeshisshadow-image
in the river,in relationto thatotherscene whereCandace,lyingon her

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 549

back in the water,is evokedas a reflected

imageofher brothergazing
at himselfNarcissus-likein the stream.And it is especiallyclear that
Faulknermeansforus to readthesetwoscenesinrelationto one another
givenwhatoccursinthelatteronce Candaceclimbsoutofthewaterand
lies downon the bank;forQuentinproposesthathe killhis sisterwith
his knifeand thenkillhimself,the knifeservingas a phallicsubstitute
in
to unitethe twonotin an act ofphysicallovebutin death,a liebestod
whichthe two willbe joinedforever,
because isolatedforever,in their
ownprivatehell. It is preciselythisscenarioofa unionin deathwithhis
thatFaulknermeansforus to see superimsister-as-narcissistic-image
posed uponthatearlierscene on thebridgewhenQuentinthinksabout
his narcissistic-image-asdrowninghis feminine-coded
shadow-image,
ofthisscenarioto thatvariantofthe
sister.The structural
relationship
Narcissusmythfoundin Pausaniasis made even plainerin yetanother
scene on a bridgewhenQuentinconfronts
Candace'sloverDaltonAmes,
triesto strikehim,and,as he says,passes out"likea girl"(162). Thinkingbackon thisepisodelaterinhis narrative,
Quentinsays, "I knewhe
ofme at all as a potential
wasn'tthinking
sourceofharmbutwas thinking
ofherwhenhe lookedat me was lookingat me through
herlikethrough
a piece ofcoloredglass" (175), in muchthe same waythatNarcissusin
butsees
Pausanias'sversionlooksat whathe knowsis hisownreflection
theimageofhis dead twinsisterthrough
it.
The structural
elementscontainedinPausanias'sversionofthemyth,
whichI have called the mythof Narcissa,clearlygovernthe relationshipof Quentinand Candacein TheSoundand theFurybutalso thatof
Horace andhis sisterinFlags in theDust andSanctuary.Wewilldiscuss
thatrelationship
butfirstwe mustconsiderfora momentthe
presently,
centralfeatureinthemythofNarcissa-the linking
ofnarcissismandinofan impossiblesexualunion(that
cest, whichis to say,theassimilation
ofa bodywithits reflected
sexualunion(thatofa
image)to a forbidden
brotherwithhis sister)and thusthesubstitution
withinthemythofthe
latterfortheformer.Obviously,
theassociativelinkthatallowsthemyth
of Narcissus(in whicha boy fallsin love withhis own image) to turn
intothemythofNarcissa(in whicha boy,in lovewithhis twinsister,is
remindedofthatlove afterherdeathbyhis ownreflected
image)is the
elementofdoublingsharedbybothmirroring
and twinship.
Had Narcissus's sisternotbeen his mirror-image
twin(even to thepointofcutting
herhairthesame andwearingthesame clothes),Pausanias'sversionof
the storywouldmakeno sense.

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Literature
550 American
led
andtwinship
commonto mirroring
Giventhatthevisualduplication
Pausaniasto associatenarcissismwithincest,one wonderswhetherhis
betweenthetwo,a connection
insightreflectsan evendeeperconnection
ofthe ego. Considerfora momentthat
rootedin the veryconstitution
stage in the ego's development
occurringbetweenthe ages of six and
eighteenmonthsthatLacan calls "themirrorphase."As Laplancheand
Pontalisdescribeit, "Thoughstillin a stateofpowerlessnessand motor
plane the apprethe infantanticipateson an imaginary
incoordination,
comes
imaginary
unification
hensionandmasteryofitsbodilyunity.This
as total
withtheimageofthecounterpart
aboutbymeansofidentification
concretely
bytheexperiencein whichthechild
Gestalt;it is exemplified
ina mirror."6
Lacan believesthatthemirror
perceivesits ownreflection
in
"the
matrix
and
firstoutlineofwhatis to beeffect
constitutes
phase
"perceivesintheimageofitscounterpartcome theego" as theinfant
a bodily
or its ownmirrorimage-a form(Gestalt)inwhichitanticipates
with
"identifies
lacks,"thatis, as theinfant
unitywhichitstillobjectively
nature
experienceis basic to the imaginary
thisimage. This primordial
rightfromthe startas an 'ideal ego"'
of the ego, whichis constituted
(LP, 251).
betweentheages ofsix andeighteen
Now one has a sense thatinfants
monthsdon'tspendall thatmuchtimelookingat themselvesin mirrors.
Rather,theyspendmostoftheirwakinghourswiththeirmothers.Conis
sequently,Lacan says thattheimagewithwhichtheinfantidentifies
in a mirror.In filling
the
or ofits ownreflection
thatof"itscounterpart"
at thatage, themotheracts as thechild's
counterpart
roleoftheinfant's
withthisimageofits self,the
livingmirrorimage.Fromits interaction
ofall humaninteraction-duplication
childlearnsthe basic constituents
learnsthe principleon
(bothvisualand vocal) and reciprocity-indeed,
discoversinthemirror
The infant
whichlearningitselfis based,mimicry.
ofthemother'sfacethata smilebegetsa smile,a laugha laugh,a frown
a frown;itlearnsthattheproperresponseto a hugis a hug,a kissa kiss,
thisprocess
and so on. In shortthechildlearnsfromthemotherthrough
ofmimicry,
ofvisualand vocal doubling,thebasic expressiveelements
and
in the vocabularyof humanemotion.The principlesof duplication
imageina mirror
wouldbe reinforced
bythechild'sreflected
reciprocity
onintheoriginal
up to a point,whichis to say,up to thatpoint(remarked
mythof Narcissus)whenthe childtriesto makephysicalcontactwith
his reflection.
For thenthe childlearnsthatthoughhis reflectedimage,
like his mother'sface, can respondwitha smileto a smile,his image,

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 551

unlikehis mother,cannotrespondto a hugwitha hug.At somepointthe

betweenhis reflectedimage and
difference
childalso noticesa further
imageis underhis
thefactthathisreflected
theimageofthecounterpart:
is not,thathis image
controlin a waythattheimageofthecounterpart
whichthe childinitiates
alwaysreciprocatesthosegesturesofaffection
mayormaynot.So thatone theorizes
whiletheimageofthecounterpart
imageandthe
betweenhismirror
thatthechild,in seeingthisdifference
imageofthe mother,longsto controlhis mother'sgesturesofaffection
as he does thoseofhisreflection.
as completely
Whatthis suggests,then,is thatsince the motherusuallyfillsthe
imageduringthisformarolebyactingas thechild'smirror
counterpart's
ofhumanemotionis acquired,
tiveperiodoftheego whenthevocabulary
to that
is attachedalmostfromthebeginning
ofnarcissism
themechanism
that
child
for
the
the
child
and
the
for
mother,
mother
loveofthe
mirroring
in thewaythatyou
whatnarcissismmeans,in effect,is to loveyourself
narcissism
desiredyourmotherlove you. Consequently,
imaginatively
and an incestuousdesireforthemotherarejoinedat theroot.
is anotherlessonthatthechildmusteventuinthislinking
Butimplicit
Justas thedesireto be physically
allylearn-the lesson ofsubstitution.
unitedwiththe otheris a centralpartofthe mythofNarcissus,so the
between
childlearnsthatthatdesire,whichis impossibleto consummate
image,is possiblewiththemotheras counterpart
a bodyanditsreflected
of a possiblebut forbidden
The factof thatsubstitution
but forbidden.
ofa possible
substitution
unionforan impossibleone pointsto a further
unionas the solutionto thisproblem,pointsto a suband unforbidden
stitutewho is not a memberof one's immediatefamilybutwho either
resemblesthemotheror whoseloverecallsone's ownnarcisphysically
sisticimageofthemother'sloveforthechild.Butthereare, ofcourse,
possibilitiesthatlie
otherpossibilitieswithinthisarrayofsubstitutions,
unionofthesonwiththemotherandtheunforbidbetweentheforbidden
den unionoftheson withsomeoneunrelated,themostobviousofthese
unionofbrotherand sister.
beingtheforbidden
As I suggestedearlier,thisdiscussionofan originallinkbetweennarcissismand an incestuousdesire forthe motherprovidesa modelfor
ofelementsin the mythofNarFaulkner'smanipulation
understanding
betweenHoraceBenbowandhis sister.
cissa increatingtherelationship
The firstthingto note in thisregardis thatthoughCandace and Narcissa are bothdescribedat varioustimesinlanguagethatevokesthemas
theirbrothers'mirrorimages,neitherCaddyand QuentinnorNarcissa

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Literature
552 American
the
and Horace are actuallytwins.Faulknerdoes, however,incorporate
elementof twinshipintothe Horace-Narcissastructureby displacingit
ontoNarcissa's choiceof a mate,whichis to say thatthoughNarcissa
unionwithher brothera unionwithsomesubstitutesfora forbidden
coded as "a twin
one unrelatedto her,she chooses a figurespecifically
brother"-youngBayardSartoris.Andifthatisn'tenoughofan evocation
ofPausanias'sversionofthemyth,FaulknermakesBayarda twinwhose
twinobsessedwithdeathas themeansofbeing
siblingis dead,a surviving
tellsNarcissa
reunitedwiththeonlypersonhe everloved.As MissJenny
thatcoldbrute?.. . He never
inFlags in theDust, "Bayardloveanybody,
7
foranybodyinhislifeexceptJohnny."
careda snapofhisfingers
ofBayardand Narcissain details
Faulknerdescribesthe relationship
clearlydrawnfromPausanias'sversionofthe myth.At one point,in a
ofhisgrandsonBayard'sfate,a fateemkindofsymbolicforeshadowing
to generation,
ofgivennamesfromgeneration
bodiedin thealternation
a scenefromhisyouthwhenhe was escapingfrom
oldBayardremembers
a Yankeepatrolthroughthewoods and stoppedto drinkat a woodland
spring:"As he leanedhis mouthto it thefinallightofdaywas reflected
intosharpreliefforeheadandnose abovethecavontohis face,bringing
ernoussocketsofhis eyes andthepantinganimalsnarlofhis teeth,and
fromthe stillwatertherestaredback at himfora suddenmoment,a
skull"(97). Old Bayardrecallsthisscene as he sits in the atticinscribing in the familyBible the date of youngBayard'stwinbrotherJohn's
enough,Narcissafirstseems to becomeattracted
death.Appropriately
to Bayardwhenhe is convalescingfromhavingalmostdrownedin the
Flags in theDust withtheimage
creek.Narcissais associatedthroughout
of water,as one wouldexpect givenher connectionwithNarcissus's
as thatofhissister.Faulknersaysthat
water-reflected
imageinterpreted
withHorace's returnto Narcissaafterthe war,"he let himselfslip,as
again"(183); and
intowater,intothe constantserenityofher affection
and without
ofBayard,butbriefly,
withHorace back,Narcissa"thought
anytremorat all. He was nowno morethantheshadowofa hawk'sflight
bythewindlesssurfaceofa pool, and gone; where,
mirroredfleetingly
thepool knewandcarednot,leavingno stain"(188-89).
fora forbidden
union
ButifNarcissa'sunionwithBayardis a substitute
ofbrotherand sisteris
thentheincestuousattachment
withherbrother,
forthatbetweenson andmother.
itself,as Faulknerimplies,a substitute
ThoughNarcissais sevenyearsyoungerthanHorace,she is represented
lesserdegreeinSancFlags in theDust (andonlyto a slightly
throughout

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 553

forhim.WhenMiss Jennychallenges
tuary)as beinga mother-figure
ofHorace-saying "Whydon'tyouget marNarcissaon her mothering
ried,and let thatbabylookafterhimselffora while?"-Narcissa's only
replyis "I promisedmother"(33). Andas Faulknermakes clear, Narnot
cissa, afterher mother'sdeath,had filledthe role ofmother-figure
that
the
sistersuggesting
as well,
onlyforHoracebutforHorace'sfather
is also a substituteforthe incestuousdesireof the
brotherattachment
daughterforthe father:"Narcissaacquiredtwo masculinedestiniesto
of seven and eight
theintensematurity
controland shape, and through
andcommanded
and (veryoccasionandnineshe cajoledandthreatened
Andso through
fourteen
andfifteen
ally)stormedthemintoconcurrence.
and sixteen.... ThenWillBenbow'stimecame, ... andthecurrentof
hadnowbuta singlechannel.Fora timethiscurrentwas
hermaternalism
butnowHorace was
ofhumanaffairs,
dammedbya stupidmischancing
homeagainandlaynowbeneaththesame roofandthesame recurrence
ofdays,and thechannelwas undammed
again"(188).
Ifthe mainreasonthatFaulknermakesyoungBayardSartorisa twin
obsessivelyattachedto his dead siblingis to code Narcissa'schoiceofa
brother,
thenit seems equallyclearthattheprinmateas a narcissistic
withBelle Mitchell'ssisterJoan
cipal reason forHorace's involvement
Heppletonin Flags in theDust is to providea roughlyparallelsituation
in whichHorace's choiceofa mateis codedas a sister.Recallthatwhen
Belle is in Reno gettingherdivorcefromHarryMitchell,Horace meets
withJoan.As ifto underline
and has a briefaffair
by antithesisthe parallel betweenNarcissa's marrying
a twinbrotherand Horace's having
an affair
withhis futurewife'ssister,Joansays,in responseto Horace's
remarkon theirfirstmeetingthathe shouldhaveknownshe was Belle's
sister,"How? Nobodyyet ever said we lookalike. Andyou neversaw
me before"(343). The implication
is thatjust as Narcissahas chosena
husbandwho looks exactlylikehis dead brother,Horace has chosen a
wifewhoresembleshersisternotinphysicalappearancebutincharacter
and instinct;forwhatHorace learnsaboutJoanHeppletonduringtheir
briefaffair
sexualityandunparalleled
is thatshe is a womanofpredatory
commonness.In short,he learnsthetruthofwhatNarcissaina mixture
ofrage anddespairhadsaidto MissJenny
aboutJoan'ssisterBelle, "But
thatwoman.... She's so dirty!"
On theone occasionwhenJoanstaysall nightat Horace's,she prowls
aboutthehouse lookingintodarkrooms,at one pointopeningthe door
to Narcissa's bedroomand askingwhose it is. WhenHorace tells her,

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Literature
554 American
Joanreplies," 'Oh, yoursister's.The one thatmarriedthatSartoris.'She
examinedtheroomquietly.'I'd liketo haveknownthatman,'she said in
a musingtone. 'I thinkI'd be good forhim.... Yes, I'd have been just
intohis sister's
thethingforhim"'(347-48). Uneasyaboutthisintrusion
privacy,Horace repeatedlyasks Joanto comeaway,and thescene ends
whetherHorace feelsthatherpresencein
tauntingly
withherinquiring
That,ofcourse,
hissister'sbedroomis a "sacrilege"anda "desecration."
is preciselywhathe feels. Faulknersays thatthe nextday Horace exofhis sisterand he
overtheincident:"he thought
perienced"revulsion"
feltunclean"(348).
Clearly,the whole pointof the scene in Narcissa'sbedroomlies in
Joan'sremarkthatshe wouldhave"beenjustthethingfor"youngBayard
thatthe position
ofJoanand Bayardimplying
Sartoris,an identification
ofsubstitutions
thatis filledbytheSartorisbrothers
withinthisstructure
inrelationto Horace's sisteris filledbythesistersBelle andJoaninrelain these relationships
tionto Narcissa's brother.The onlyasymmetry
it
who
is marriedto Narbeingthatwhilein the firstgroup is Bayard
inthesecondgroupitis Horacewhois
cissa butinlovewithhisbrother,
marriedto Belle buthas madeloveto hersister.
The scene withJoanand Horace in Narcissa'sbedroomis also meant
to remindus ofanotherscene earlierin thenovelwhenyoungBayard,
returnedhomeafterthewar,sits
quietlyintheroomwhichhe andJohnhadsharedintheyoungmascuon thebed wherehe and his wifehad
lineviolenceoftheirtwinship,
lainthelastnightofhisleave,thenightbeforehe wentbackto England
andthenceoutto theFrontagain,whereJohnalreadywas. Beside him
on thepillowthewildbronzeflameofherhairwas hushednowin the
darkness....
of his
of her then. . . . He was thinking
But he was not thinking
thatin a month
brotherwhomhe hadnotseen inovera year,thinking
theywouldsee one anotheragain.
of his dead
ofher now. . . . He was thinking
Nor was he thinking
brother.... (48-49)
In the scene withHorace andJoan,a brotheris in his sister'sbedroom
witha womanto whomhe willmakelovelaterthatnight(thoughalmost
notinthatroom)andyetallhe canthinkofis hissister'sreaction
certainly
whilein the scene whichBayardremembers,a brotheris
to thisaffair,
in bed withhis firstwife(Narcissa'spredecessor)in theroomwhichhe

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 555

and his twinhad sharedgrowingup and all he can thinkof is rejoining

his brother.Justto make sure thatwe don'tmiss the parallelbetween
these two scenes, Faulknergives Bayard'sfirstwifethe same striking
physicalfeaturethathe givesJoanHeppletonand describesthatfeature
withexactlythe same phrasein each case-"the wildbronzeflameof
qualityinthe
herhair"(48, 406). Indeed,thephraseevokesa sculptural
femaleformthat,whencombinedwiththecolorbronze,maybe meant
to remindus ofthat"almostperfectvase ofclearamber"whichHorace
had fashioned,a vase "chastelyserene" whichhe "keptalwayson his
nighttable and called by his sister'sname in the intervalsof apostroin his momentsof rhapsodyover the
phisingbothof themimpartially
ofit,
attainment
realizationofthemeaningofpeace andtheunblemished
brideofquietude"(190-91).
as Thou stillunravished
In structurally
codingNarcissa'smate as a narcissisticbrotherand
Horace'smateas a sister,Faulknerneverfora momentimpliesthatthere
is anyactualresemblancebetweenBayardand Horace on the one hand
or betweenBelle andNarcissaontheother.Indeed,on severaloccasions
inFlags in theDust NarcissacomparestheSartoristwinsto herbrother
muchto thetwins'detriment,
leadingherat one point"tothankhergods
he was not as they"(77). And,ofcourse,one ofthe ongoingtopicsof
betweenHorace and Narcissain Flags in theDust is how
conversation
different
Belle is fromNarcissa,howmuchshe representsin character,
thatNarcissais not. It is as ifthe
appearance,and conducteverything
on Horace'sand
structural
codingwerea kindoftemplatesuperimposed
to revealtheincestuousdesirefortheoppositeNarcissa'srelationships
butthatseems
sex siblingthatrepresentstheiridealofan object-choice
to operatein reversein theactualchoiceofa mate.Eitherbecause they
someonewho resemblesthe belovedbrotheror sisdespairof finding
ter, or because theydon'twantto findsomeonewho resemblesthem
too closelyand thuscompeteswiththem,or simplyin reactionto the
oftheiridealizedobject-choices,
forbiddenness
theychoosea matewho,
no
whilebearinga structural
resemblanceto thesibling,bears virtually
resemblanceintermsofpersonality.
Whichbringsus to the nextlinkin thischainof substitutions.
If, as
we have suggested,the child'sdesireforan impossibleunionwithits
ownimageis linkedto theforbidden
incestuousdesireforthemother-asand ifthe onlyslightly
mirror-image
duringthe stage ofego formation,
desireforunionwiththeopposite-sexsiblingis a substiless forbidden
tute formation
forthis,thenwe wouldexpectto find,as the chainof

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Literature
556 American
to an opposite-sex
progresses,thata parent'sattachment
substitutions
childsubstitutesforthatparent'sincestuousdesireforits opposite-sex
sibling.Somethingverymuchlikethatis whathappenswithHorace and
Narcissa. On thedaythatyoungBayardis killedina planecrash,hisand
haddecidedshouldbe called
Narcissa'ssonis born,a sonthatMissJenny
John.Butwhenitcomestimeto nametheboy,Narcissarejectsthename
all theSartorisdoomevokedbythename'salterJohn(and presumably
withthatofBayard)andgiveshimherfamily
nationoverthegenerations
stillis thenickname
nameinstead,callinghimBenbow.Moreinteresting
whichNarcissa chooses. One wouldexpect a childnamedBenbow to
eitherBen or Bo, butin Sanctuary
diminutive
have as his affectionate
Narcissacallsherson Bory.I wouldarguethatas Narcissatookherson's
so she also tooktheformofhis nickname
givenname fromher family,
fromthe same quarter;thatis to say, the reasonNarcissa'snickname
forher son in Sanctuaryis Boryis thather nicknameforher brother
suggestsis that
Flags in theDust is Horry.Whatthisrhyming
throughout
or
in givingher son her own familynameNarcissawas, unconsciously
that
becomes
even
an
intention
plainer
not,naminghimafterherbrother,
Indeed,in FaulknerthefigureofEcho (a
in her choiceofa diminutive.
figureofauraldoubling)hauntsthemythofNarcissajust as surelyas in
Ovidshe hauntsthemythofNarcissus,a mythofvisualdoubling.
This namingoftheson afterthebrotheris onlywhatwe wouldexpect
pairwhoshare
givenwhathappenswiththatother,earlierbrother-sister
thissame structureofincestuousdesirefora sibling,forCaddynames
hadsugjustas MissJenny
herdaughterafterherdead brotherQuentin,
John.
gestedthatNarcissanamehersonafterherhusband'sdeadbrother
herbrotherbythisnaming,
No doubt,Caddyhadmeantto memorialize
hisnamesakechild.Certainly
to bringhimbackto lifeina sense through
her brotherwouldhave been dearerto her thanthe child'sfather(particularlysince Caddysays she doesn'tknowwho the fatheris, though
of
readersgenerallyassume it is DaltonAmes). But it is no distortion
inof
Faulkner
the
clear
a
sense
conveys
thetextto suggest,givenhow
betweenQuentinandCaddy,thatpartofthereason
cestuousattachment
forCaddy'snamingher daughterafterher brotheris as an expression
ofher own desireforQuentinto havebeen herchild'sfather-or at the
veryleast to give the impressionthatQuentinwas its fatherand thus,
thatincestuousdeed whichher
bya simpleact ofnaming,to accomplish
brotherhad contemplated
but been unableto achieve,a deed that,as

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 557

Quentinimaginedit,wouldhave leftthemforeverdamnedin theirown

wedintheirisolation.I wouldsuggestthata simiprivatehellbutforever
lar dynamicgovernsNarcissa'sechoicnamingofherson, thenickname
servingas an unconsciousexpressionofNarcissa'sdesireto havea child
becomes the object of that
by her brother.Indeed, Bory immediately
ofwhichhisunclehadbeen
"current
ofmaternalism"
same overpowering
the sole objectuntilthen,so muchso thatbythetimeofthe 1933 story
son sitin the creek
"ThereWas a Queen" Narcissahas herten-year-old
purifiesherselfforspendingthe nightin
withher as she symbolically
MemphiswiththeFederalagent,thenhas Borysitnextto herat dinner
thateveningbecause, as she says, "I gotso lonesomeforyoulast night
in Memphis,"8and finishesbymakinghimpromisethattheywillnever
leave each otheragain. Clearly,thisis a queen whomeans to turnher
consortshe hadhopedherbrotherwouldbe;
son intothekindoflifelong
andjust as clearly,thescene inwhichmotherandson sitfullyclothedin
thecreekis meantto recallthescene ofQuentinandCaddyat thecreek
in TheSound and theFury.
Justas FaulknerbalancedthecodingofNarcissa'schoiceofa mateas
with
brother"againsttheepisodeofHorace'sinvolvement
a "narcissistic
JoanHeppletonand the resultantcodingof Horace's futurewifeas "a
sister,"so he balancesthissubsequentlinkin thechainofsubstitutions
withherson Bory
by drawinga parallelbetweenNarcissa'srelationship
Belle. Indeed,it
Little
withhis stepdaughter
and Horace's relationship
thatin some sense formsthe hiddencenterof
is thislatterrelationship
Horace's characterin Sanctuary.Faulkneralertsus to thisearlyon in
thenarrativewhenhe has Horace,afterbeingcapturedbyPopeyeat the
springand broughtto Lee Goodwin's,describean incidentthathad ocRubyLamar
curredjust beforehe lefthome,describeit to thelistening
importwe recognize.Horace beginsby
in imagerywhose psychological
tellingRubyaboutthe grapearborand hammockthathe sees fromhis
that"we knownatureis a she; because of
windowat home,remarking
betweenfemalefleshandfemaleseason"(13). In hisramthatconspiracy
blingmonologueHorace associatesthe grapeblossomswiththe image
andthememoryofher
ofhis stepdaughter
blossomingintowomanhood
trystswithyoungmenin thearborhammock:"ina littlewhitedress in
thetwilight,
thetwoofthemall demureandquitealertanda littleimpato herfleshifI hadbegot
tient.AndI couldn'thavefeltanymoreforeign
in question,Horace andLittle
itmyself"(13). On thedayoftheincident

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Literature
558 American
Belle are homealone. Horace scoldsherforpickingup a collegeboyon
himto thehouse,andLittleBelle retorts,"You're
thetrainand bringing
thingsonthetrain!... Shrimp!Shrimp!":
a fineone to talkaboutfinding
"Thenshe was saying'No! No!' andme holdingherandshe clinging
to me. 'I didn'tmeanthat!Horace! Horace!' AndI was smellingthe
slainflowersthe delicatedead flowersand tears,and thenI saw her
facein themirror.Therewas a mirrorbehindherandanotherbehind
me, and she was watchingherselfin the one behindme, forgetting
the
abouttheotherone inwhichI couldsee herface,see herwatching
(14-15)
backofmyheadwithpuredissimulation."
Justas Horace's narcissismis evokedin thenovel'sopeningscene when
in the springand Temple'semblematizedat the
he sees his reflection
novel's close as she sits in the parklookingat her face in a compact
narcismirror,so LittleBelle's place in thisstructureof proliferating
ina scene whereshe andHoraceembracebetweenfacing
sismis figured
mirrors.

The openingscene in thenovelalso evokes Popeyeas Horace's distortedmirrorimage,andas criticshavenoted,itis preciselytheparallel

betweenHorace and Popeyethatformsthebook's core. The revelation
thatbeginswhenHorace embracesLittleBelle betweenthefacingmirrors, a revelationthatcauses himto run away fromhome, continues
a glass darkly,
therestofthenovelas Horacesees, as ifthrough
through
Popeyedoes to Templewitha corncob
impotent
thatwhatthephysically
Horace wouldliketo do to
impotent
is an imageofwhatthe spiritually
narcissism,thisdoubleThis dynamicofproliferating
his stepdaughter.
mirrorstructurein whichone pair ofnarcissists(Popeye and Temple)
mirroranotherpairofnarcissists(Horace and LittleBelle) is onlywhat
inwhichincestmirrorsnarwe wouldexpectwithinthatlargerstructure
cissism,inwhichthedesireforan impossibleunionwithone's ownimage
unionwiththemotheris reflectedintothe son's desirefora forbidden
inturnintothebrother'sincestuous
andthenreflected
as-mirror-image,
desirefor
mirrored
by the stepfather's
desire forthe sister,and finally
thestepdaughter.
forLittleBelle ina
FaulknermakesclearthenatureofHorace'sfeelings
to takethetrainto Oxford
subsequentscene inwhichHoraceis preparing
to lookforTemple.On thebureauin his roomare Horace's "watch,his
pipe and tobaccopouch,and, proppedagainsta book, a photographof
lay"
LittleBelle. Upontheglazedsurfacea highlight
his step-daughter,

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 559

face... outof
(162). As Horacestandslookingat "thesweet,inscrutable
he thinksof"thegrapearborat Kinston,of. .. the
thedead cardboard,"
intosilenceas he approached,who meant
murmurofvoices darkening
them,her,no harm;whomeantherless thanharm,goodGod; darkening
intothepale whisperofherwhitedress,ofthedelicateandurgentmammalianwhisperofthatcurioussmallfleshwhichhe hadnotbegot"(162).
shifts,"the
He movessuddenly,
and"as ofitsownaccordthephotograph"
likesomething
familiar
seen beneath
"intoits highlight,
image"blurring
imagewitha kind
disturbedthoughclearwater;he lookedat thefamiliar
ofquiethorroranddespair,at a facesuddenlyolderin sinthanhe would
ever be" (162-63). Horace gets readyto leave forthe train,"putting
his watchand his tobaccopouchintohis pocket,"andit is onlywhenhe
reaches the stationthathe realizesthat"he had forgothis pipe" (163),
ofLittleBelle.
thatitis stilllyingon thebureaunextto thephotograph
We can be fairlysure thatFaulknerknewthe psychoanalytic
significance ofstandarddreamsymbols,suchas Popeye'shatand in thiscase
in TheInterpretation
ofDreams
Horace's pipe, the pipe beingidentified
aboutthis
as a commonsymbolofthemalegenitals.Whatis remarkable
FaulknersymbolizesHorace's incesscene, then,is not how explicitly
thebusinessofthepipe lefton the
tuousdesireforLittleBelle through
bureauwiththepicture,norhowclearlyhe linksthisincestuousdesireto
bya lifelessimageout
narcissismbyshowingthatitis arousedspecifically
of"dead cardboard,"an imagethatseems to be immersedin "disturbed
thoughclear water,"butratherhowexactlythisscene recapitulatesthe
structureofthe one in whichQuentinstandsabove Caddylyingon her
back in the branchas ifshe were his reflectedimageand then,holding
his knifeto her throat,offersto join thembothforeverin deathonlyto
drophis knifeand lose it whenCaddysays "yes pushit" (152). As the
lost phallicknifefiguresQuentin'spsychicimpotence,so the forgotten
that
pipe figuresHorace's. Andjust so thattherewillbe no mistaking
Horace's pipeis a phallicsymbolandthathisspiritual
impotencemirrors
Faulknertellsus thatduringhisunsuccessPopeye'sphysicalimpotence,
fulsearchforTemplein OxfordHorace boughthimselfanotherpipe, a
corncobpipe: "He returnedto the stationan hourbeforethe trainwas
cob pipe in his hand.In the lavatoryhe saw,
due, a filledbutunlighted
scrawledonthefoul,stainedwall,herpencilledname.TempleDrake. He
pipe" (168).
read it quietly,his head bent,slowlyfingering
theunlighted
This scene in the lavatory,withHorace lookingat Temple'sname and
a laterscene in a lavatorywhenHorace,
fingering
his pipe, prefigures

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Literature
560 American
Templeat Miss Reba's, looks
afterfinding
havingreturnedto Jefferson
andfindsthat"thesmallface seemed
againat LittleBelle's photograph
to swoon in a voluptuous languor, . . . leaving upon his eye a soft and

promiseandsecretaffirmaandvoluptuous
ofinvitation
fadingaftermath
tion"(215-16). SuddenlyHoracebecomesillandrushestothebathroom:
and struckthelavatoryandleaneduponhis braced
he "plungedforward
roarbeneathher thighs"(216).
armswhilethe shucksset up a terrific
As theimageofTemplelyingon thecornshucksmergeswithHorace's
becomesa kindofperverse
feelingsforLittleBelle, Horace's vomiting
desireand his revulsionat
ejaculation,expressingat once his forbidden
thisdesire.
Horace's lastencounterwithLittleBelle in thenovelbears thesubtle
imprint
of the mythofNarcissa.AfterLee Goodwin
but unmistakable
has been lynched,Horace returnsto his wifein Kinstonand findsthat
LittleBelle is awayat a house party.Horace phonesher longdistance
and whilehe waits forthe connectionto be made (in effect,waits for
the local operatorto insertthemale plugintothe femalesocketofthe
outofa bookhe hadread:
he keeps repeating"something
switchboard),
'Less oftis peace. Less oftis peace"' (293). The lineis fromtheending
In 1821ShelleymetJane
ofShelley'spoem "ToJane:The Recollection."
Williamsin Pisa. She had been married,but her husbandhad lefther
and she was nowlivingabroadwithEdwardEllerkerWilliamsand their
twochildren.The ShelleysandtheWilliamsesweremuchineach others'
company,andJaneseemedto Shelley"a sortofspiritofembodiedpeace
in our circleof tempests."9Indeed at one pointShelleyand JaneWilinvolved.The poemmemorializes
liamsseem to havebecomeamorously
a daythe two spentin the Pine Forestnear Pisa, a dayofsuchsublime
forthat"spirit
calmthatit becomesin thepoeman objectivecorrelative
of embodiedpeace" thatis Jane.No doubtHorace Benbow'sattraction
section.
imageryofits fifth
to the poem stemsfromthe Narcissus-like
Shelleysays thatso calmwerethewindsthatdaythatthesurfacesofthe
mirrors
theskyandtreesand,one
reflecting
forestpools wereunruffled
as welltheimagesofthepoetandthewomanwhois
assumes,reflecting
He concludes,
thesubjectofthis"recollection."
Sweet viewswhichinourworldabove
Can neverwellbe seen,
Wereimagedbythewater'slove
Ofthatfairforestgreen.

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 561

beneath
Andall was interfused
Withan Elysianglow,
An atmospherewithouta breath,
A softerdaybelow.
Like one belovedthescene hadlent
To thedarkwater'sbreast,
Its everyleafandlineament
Withmorethantruthexpressed;
Untilan enviouswindcreptby,
Like an unwelcomethought,
eye
Whichfromthemind'stoo faithful
Blotsone dearimageout.
Thoughthouarteverfairandkind,
The forestsevergreen,
Less oftis peace in Shelley'smind,
Than calminwaters,seen.10
poolof
thebeloved'sface,so themirroring
As thewoodlandpoolmirrors
Shelley'smindreflectstheimageofthatpeacefuldaywhenhe sawJane's
in the water,and rareas suchcalmdaysare, rarerstillis the
reflection
womanwhocouldcreatefora daysuchpeace inShelley'srestlessspirit.
Now if thispoem meantsomethingto Horace, as his remembering
because
the line "Less oftis peace" wouldsuggest,it was undoubtedly
of
embodied
who
seemed
a
of
woman
"spirit
a
Shelley'smemorializing
natureis thesubject
Horaceofhissister,whosetranquil
peace" reminded
inFlags in theDust,a qualitythatcauses herbrother
offrequent
comment
to addressheras "O Serene" (187) on severaloccasionsandto apostrophizethevase whichhe callsbyhissister'snameas "Thoustillunravished
also meantforus to register
brideofquietude"(191). Faulknerprobably
the resemblancebetweenHorace's situationand Shelley's,forShelley
was obsessed witha belovedsister(Elizabeth)andwas rumoredto have
Claire Clairwithhis wifeMary'shalf-sister,
had a sexual relationship
thatevokedSouthey'sfamousremarkabouta "leagueof
mont,a situation
incest."(Southey'sremarkalso alludedtothefactthatByronhadfathered
andwas rumoredto havehad an affair
an illegitimate
childbyClairmont
withShelley'swifeMary,andthatByronhadhintedwidelyaboutan inAugusta.IfFaulknerdoes meanforus
cestuousaffair
withhishalf-sister
to compareHorace's situation[in love withhis sisterand havingmade
love to hiswifeandhersister]to Shelley's,thenwe can see why,in that

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Literature
562 American
incidentfromFlags in theDust evokingNarcissa'sownrepressedsexual
admirer],
nature[herkeepingtheobsceneletterssentbyan anonymous
Faulknerchose to maketheauthorofthoselettersByronSnopes.)
That Horace quotes the line"Less oftis peace" whilewaitingto say
nature
to LittleBelle onthephonemakesclearthesubstitutive
goodnight
resemblanceto
herpurelystructural
ofhis desireforhis stepdaughter:
even
object-choice,
forbidden
Narcissa(i.e., herstatusas anincestuously
thoughLittleBelle is onlyrelatedto Horacebymarriage)unconsciously
fuelsHorace's desire.As withHorace'schoiceofa mate,LittleBelle is,
ofNarcissa.
theantithesis
in termsofpersonality,
The line "Less oftis peace" is one of severallinksbetweenHorace
we havebeen exBenbowandthethirdavatarofthecharacter-structure
amining,GavinStevens-a linethatGavinquotesinthenovella"Knight's
of course, betweenGavinand the two
Gambit."The maindifference,
earliercharactersis thatwhileQuentin'sand Horace's specialrelationship withan onlysisteris boththe majoreventin theirpersonallives
with
and the centralactionin each oftheirstories,Gavin'srelationship
his onlysister,thoughit maybe themajoreventin his personallife,is
eventinhisstory.WhateverGavin'sfeelclearlynotthemostimportant
ingsare forhissisterMargaret,theyareneverpresentedas theprincipal
tragicas the
incestuously
aspect ofhis character,as beingas intensely,
feelingsofQuentinand Horace are fortheirsisters;forGavinseems to
to achieve,late inlife,
ofsubstitutions
a structure
makehiswaythrough
likesuccess inhiseventualchoiceofa mate.However,though
something
byhis
Gavinis able to preventhispersonallifefrombeingoverwhelmed
withhissister,we can stillsee tracesofthemythofNarcissa
relationship
in his story.Fromwhatwe have seen of thisstructurein the characters ofQuentinand Horace,we knowwhy,forinstance,Faulknergives
Gavinnotjustan onlysisterbuta twinsister,whyGavinlivesmostofhis
in
relationships
whythemostsignificant
adultlifewithhissister'sfamily,
his
and
man's
Varner
another
wife
Snopes)
love
for
(Eula
life
are
his
his
MargaretMallison
loveforherdaughter(LindaSnopes),andwhy,though
Gavinserves as a father-figure
doesn'tnameher son afterherbrother,
forChickin all the storiesin whichtheyappear,reducingthe character
ofCharlesMallisonSr. to a cipher.
OftheseverallinksbetweenthecharactersofGavinand Horace, the
one mostrelevantto our concerns,as wellas theone mostclearlydistheircharactersfromQuentinCompson's,is thatbothmen
tinguishing
thatbothchoose, structurally
speaking,
marryand, moresignificantly,

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 563

thesamekindofmate.Theymarrywomenwhohavebeenmarriedbefore
andmustfacethatfacton a dailybasisbecauseeachoftheirwivescomes
fromthefirst-Belle Mitchellwith
to hersecondmarriagewithchildren
LittleBelle and MelisandreBackus Harrisswithher son Max and her
then,thatthelineofpoetrywhich
daughterMiss Harriss.Itis significant,
to LittleBelle on
to
say goodnight
while
waiting
Horace Benbowquotes
thephone("Less oftis peace") is thesame linequotedbyGavinStevens
in "Knight'sGambit"whenhe happensto meethischildhoodsweetheart
Melisandreaftera separationof manyyears. Gavincongratulatesher
fortune
marriageto theArgentine
on whathe assumesis herimpending
hunterCaptainGualdres,and Faulknerdescribesthe blushthatspread
secof the fifth
across her face at thisremarkin imageryreminiscent
As she looksat Gavin,the
tionofShelley's"ToJane:The Recollection."
blushcoversherface "as themovingshadowofa cloudcrosses a patch
of light.Then it even crossed her eyes too, as whenonce the cloudshadowreachesthewater,youcannotonlysee theshadow,youcaneven
see the cloud too."11 As the woodlandpools in Shelley'spoem reflect
is a figureofthat"spiritofembodiedpeace,"
the skywhose tranquility
JaneWilliams,so Melisandre'seyes are imagedas twowaterypools that
betweenher and Gavin.In
reflectthe cloudlyingover the relationship
solvedin"Knight'sGambit"
mystery
some sense, ofcourse,theprincipal
concernsthisrelationship.
Whatthe readerlearnsoverthe courseofthe storyis thatMelisanfriend
ofGavin'stwinsister,was secretly
dre,whowas a close childhood
engaged to Gavinwhen she was sixteen.Gavinleftto studyat Heiand Melisandrebrokeoffthe
delberg;therewas a misunderstanding,
engagement.She marrieda strangernamedHarriss,had two children,
as
and afterthe bootleggerHarriss'sdeathshe returnedto Jefferson
the wealthiestwidowin the county.Gavinenactsduringthe course of
the storya kindofdisplacedOedipalscenarioin whichhe mustprevent
CaptainGualhiswould-bestepfather
Melisandre'sson frommurdering
overtheyoungman,
hispaternalauthority
dres in orderto demonstrate
thereby
and notjust that,but have Max Harrissacceptthatauthority,
by marrying
acknowledgingGavin'sfitnessto become his stepfather
Melisandre.12

We mightnote in passingthatthe emotionalcenterof the storyfor

thatgave hima firm
it,thepointofempathy
Faulkneras he was writing
the
was undoubtedly
gripon the characters'feelingsand motivations,
and stepson,Gavinand Max.
ofthe prospectivestepfather
relationship

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Literature
564 American
Like Gavin,Faulknerhad losthis childhoodsweetheartEstelle Oldham
to anotherman (CornellFranklin),and when she returnedsome ten
(VictoriaandMalcolm
yearslateras a divorcedwomanwithtwochildren
Franklin)Faulknerwon her back. Moreover,Faulknerhad a favorite
Faulkner,who,likeChickMallison,saw air
and devotednephew,Jimmy
combatin WorldWarII. This is notto suggestthatin "Knight'sGambutratherthatin
veiledautobiography,
bit"Faulknerwas simplywriting
tryingto establishhis authority
the emotionsofa stepfather
imagining
over a stepsonand usingthefactofan adoringnephew'swillingaccepas a leverto bringthisabout,Faulknerclearlyhad
tanceofthatauthority
analoguesinhisownlifeto drawon. Like Gavin,Faulknerknewthatthe
sweetheartdependedto a large
backofthechildhood
successfulwinning
withherchildren.
extenton hisrelationship
Whatthestoryaccomplishes,
then,is thecodingofGavin'schoiceofa
wifeas a childhoodsweetheartwhois thewifeofanotherman(as made
a sweetheartwho
evidentbytheexistenceofthatotherman'schildren),
mustbe re-wonaftertheotherman'sdeath.But thendoesn'teveryboy
havea childhoodsweetheartwhois marriedto anotherman,a factmade
evidentbytheboy'sveryexistence,anddoesn'ttheboyfantasizethathis
sweetheartloves himmorethanshe does theotherman,indeed,loves
himmorebecause in some odd wayshe lovedhimbeforeshe lovedthe
other?Atleast that'sthewayChickMallisonphrasesitin The Town.He
remembersaskinghismotherwhenhe was twelvewhattherelationship
was betweenEula Snopes andManfredde Spain,and hismothertelling
himto ask hisUncleGavin.He sayshismothercouldn'ttellhimthatEula
andManfredweredoingthesame thinginbed thatshe andhisfatherhad
done whenhe was conceived,couldn'ttellhimbecause he was herchild
and because a childwouldn'tbelieveit: "Because to the child,he was
notcreatedbyhismother'sandhisfather'spassionor capacityforit. He
couldn'thave been because he was therefirst,he came first,beforethe
passion;he createdthepassion,notonlyit butthemanand thewoman
his mother
who servedit; his fatheris nothis fatherbuthis son-in-law,
ifhe is a girl."13 Chickthinksthat
nothismotherbuthis daughter-in-law
his motherdidn'ttellhimbecause, as he says, she had to guardhis and
his uncle's innocenceboth,"sincemaybeshe was mymotherbut she
was Uncle Gavin'stwinandifa boyor a girlreallyis hisfather'sandher
or mother-in-law,
whichwouldmakethegirlher
mother'sfather-in-law
brother'smotherno matterhowmuchyoungershe was, thena girlwith
just one brotherand hima twinat that,wouldmaybebe his wifeand
mothertoo" (305).

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Faulkner'sMythofNarcissa 565

That a man's twinsister"wouldmaybebe his wifeand mothertoo"

as itcan be put,unless
sumsup themythofNarcissaaboutas succinctly
as well."The codingofGavin's
one wereto add "andmaybehisdaughter
marriedto anotherman with
mate as a childhoodsweetheartformerly
terms,as
whomshe has had a childpresentsMelisandre,in structural
Gavin'sobjectchoice
a figureofGavin'smother.But whatdistinguishes
fromHorace's-or forthat
marriedwomanwithchildren
ofa previously
it fromwhatGavin'schoicewouldhave been ifhe
matter,distinguishes
had been able to convinceEula to take her daughterLinda, leave her
husbandFlemSnopes andherloverManfredde Spain,andmarryhimis thatGavin'schoiceofMelisandreis clearlyone thathas thecomplete
approvalof Gavin'ssister,the kindof approvalthatHorace neverhad
fromNarcissawhenhe marriedBelle and thatGavinwouldneverhave
hadfromMargaretifhe hadmarriedEula.
in "Knight'sGambit"thatsince
Indeed, thereis a strongimplication
Melisandrehad been a schoolmateof Gavin'ssister,it was Margaret
introducedthe two; and it was certainlyMargaretwho
who originally
keptin touchduringthe yearsMelisandreand her childrenwere living
in Europe and SouthAmerica.One gets the feelingthatMargarethad
Melisandrelongago as anidealwifeforhertwinbrother.
pickedherfriend
This ofcourse makesFaulkner'sdecisionto have GavinquoteShelley's
line "Less oftis peace" whenhe meetsMelisandreagainespeciallyappropriate,forthe quotation,evokingthepoem'simageryofnarcissistic
ofa belovedwomanwhoembodiespeace,
and therecollection
mirroring
thatGavin'schoiceof Melisandreas a
indicating
is Faulkner'sway of
is a substitute
wife,thisfigureof the childhood-sweetheart-as-mother,
forthe twinsisterthatcarriesthe sister'sapproval,a substitutethat,
unlikeHorace's choiceofa wife,drawsthe sistercloserto her brother
in havingGavinquotethe same
ratherthandrivingheraway.Certainly,
line of poetryas Horace, Faulknermeansforus to noticethe similarihis
pointforcomparing
ties in theircharactersand givesus a reference
inflections
ofthe structureofnarcissismand incestuousdesirein these
as itis embodiedinQuentin,Horace,and
two.Forclearlythatstructure,
fiction
is
Gavin,is the backboneuponwhichFaulkner'smostintriguing
constructed.
University
TheJohns
Hopkins

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566 AmericanLiterature
Notes
This essay was originally
deliveredas a talkat theeighteenth
annualFaulknerand
Yoknapatawpha
Conferenceat theUniversity
ofMississippiin 1991. The author
wishesto thankProfessorsEvansHarrington,
AnnJ.Abadie,andDoreenFowler
forinviting
himto participate
intheconference.
1 WilliamFaulkner,Sanctuary:The OriginalText,ed. Noel Polk (New York:
RandomHouse, 1981),299. Allsubsequentquotations
fromtheoriginaltext
ofSanctuaryare fromthiseditionwhichwillbe citedinthetextas OT.
2 WilliamFaulkner,Sanctuary(NewYork:Vintage,1958),307-08. Allsubsequentquotationsfromthe1931publishedversionofSanctuaryare fromthis
edition.
3 WilliamFaulkner,The Sound and theFury,New, CorrectedEdition(New
York:RandomHouse, 1984), 149-50. All subsequentquotationsfromThe
Soundand theFuryare fromthisedition.
4 Ovid, Metamorphoses,
2 vols. (Cambridge:HarvardUniv. Press, 1977),
1:149. AllsubsequentquotationsfromOvidare fromthisedition.
5 Pausanias,Description
ofGreece,4 vols. (Cambridge:HarvardUniv.Press,
1929), 4:311.
6 J.LaplancheandJ.B. Pontalis,TheLanguageofPsycho-Analysis
(New York:
fromLaplancheandPonNorton,1973), 250-51. Allsubsequentquotations
talisare fromthiseditionwhichwillbe citedinthetextas LP.
7 WilliamFaulkner,Flags in theDust (New York:Vintage,1974), 57. All
subsequentquotationsfromFlags in theDust are fromthisedition.
StoriesofWilliamFaulk8 WilliamFaulkner,"ThereWasa Queen,"Collected
ner(New York:Vintage,1977),742.
Works
9 PercyByssheShelley,TheComplete
ofPercyByssheShelley,10 vols.,
ed. Roger Ingpenand WalterE. Peck (New York:GordianPress, 1965),
10:346. I wouldliketo thankmycolleagueJeromeChristensen
forhis help
DavidVanderwerken,
for
withtheShelley/Byron
materialandan oldfriend,
outthesourceofthequotation"Less oftis peace."
pointing
10 PercyByssheShelley,The Complete
PoeticalWorksofShelley,ed. Thomas
Hutchinson
(Oxford:OxfordUniv.Press, 1904), 751.
11 WilliamFaulkner,
Knight'sGambit(New York:Vintage,1978), 164. AllsubsequentquotationsfromKnight'sGambitare fromthisedition.
12 See JohnT. Irwin,"Knight's
andtheTradition
ofthe
Gambit:Poe, Faulkner,
46 (Winter1990): 95-116.
DetectiveStory,"ArizonaQuarterly
13 WilliamFaulkner,TheTown(NewYork:Vintage,1961),305. Allsubsequent
quotationsfromThe Townare fromthisedition.

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