Understanding the Misunderstood

The Sound and the Fury is one of William Faulkner’s most well-known novels. It’s also, as it happens, one of his more difficult novels. Told from four distinct perspectives spanning decades—including flashbacks and memories—it is basically the story of the trials of the Compson family. The novel centers on the three Compson boys’—Quentin, Jason, and Benjy—obsession and dependence on their sister Caddy, and it also shows the progressive decline of the Compson family. The first section of the novel is told from the point of view of Benjy, the youngest Compson son. Benjy is mentally handicapped. He cannot speak or take care of himself, and he labeled and idiot by his family and society. I think this label is inaccurate. I believe, based on what little I know about the subject, that Benjy is autistic, not an idiot.
Autism is a neurological disorder that manifests itself in social and communicational deficiencies. Autism is characterized by impairments in social interaction, impairments in communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behavior. Benjy Compson appears to meet all of these criteria. He does not speak; he only moans and cries. His family believes that he is dumb and def, but this isn’t the case, because Benjy can hear and remember things very well. He simply cannot vocalize or communicate his thoughts. He clearly, as is evidenced by his narration, understands more about what is going on than his family believes he does. Benjy points at things, such as the gate, his pillow, and the fire, to express himself. This gesturing and pointing is also characteristic of low functioning autistics. The fact that Mr. and Mrs. Compson did not notice Bejny’s handicap until he was five also makes me believe that he is autistic because it is hard to diagnose.
Another characteristic of autism is impaired social skills. Autistic people do not develop too far socially, as we can see is the case with Benjy. He does not understand how to interact with other people. He wants T.P.’s lighting bugs and cries until he gets them, and he steals baby girl Quentin’s toy when they are playing together. He also scares the school girls running by the gate because he does not understand that they are not Caddy. Socially and mentally, Benjy is a child, even through adulthood. He also shows signs of restricted interests and repetitive behavior, signs of autism. Benjy is preoccupied with certain things—Caddy, his slipper, his jimson weed, his cushion, fire—and he only seems to be interested in those things. Benjy does not pay attention to those who are talking to him if he is preoccupied with one of these things. Benjy is also repetitive, especially in his thoughts. He keeps repeating that Caddy smells like trees, and at the end of the novel, when T.P. drives the carriage in an unfamiliar route, Benjy moans and cries until he recognizes his surroundings again. I think that the character of Benjy displays very clear signs of autism, but I am not an expert in this, so I would like to research it fully.
Something I am curious about is Faulkner’s intentions when writing this character. I do not believe that autism was a diagnosable disorder then, and so I wonder if Faulkner knew what he was doing in constructing this character. Was Benjy based off of someone Faulkner knew? Did Faulkner do research in order to make Benjy more believable? Was Benjy a believable character when the book was first published? This character raises so many unanswered questions for me that I can’t help but want to know more.