Sanctuary

Sanctuary was not my favorite Faulkner novel. After reading As I Lay Dying-- which I loved-- this one was a big let down. We were told in class that Temple Drake was similar to Miss Quentin, and so I was expecting a more likable character (because I really liked Miss Quentin's character despite her flaws). Temple Drake was precocious and sneaky and, unfortuanately, that got her into a lot of trouble. I was kind of expecting for there to be a big turnaround for her, like she would get away from that horrible, trashy life and overcome all of that. But she really kind of didn't. It seemed like there was a constant feeling that there was something bad coming for her. Something bad because of her being sneaky or whatever. She just keeps going down a worse and worse path. Even when she seems like she could easily get out, she doesn't.
The poor infant that was in the box was pretty strange. That kind of came from left field. Popeye was repulsive. What a horrible, scary character! The whole beginning part with Benbow really kind of confused me at first- like, why is he staring down this man? Why is he taking him away? Benbow, I guess, was the only character that was normal-ish.
The title in itself is something that doesn't really happen. No one found sanctuary. No one was happy. No one was good. Or that's what I got from it. I did find myself having to go back and read parts repeatedly just in an attempt to grasp what had just happened. When I looked up stuff online for back up information, I saw that Temple had been raped by a corn cob. How could I have missed that?! But somehow I did. There was a lot of confusion for me with this novel, but I am learning that that is what goes with my readings of Faulkner: Confusion comes with the territory.
The ending was kind of a bummer. The end was pretty bleak.
After hearing that Faulkner wrote this for money, I think that that was what put me in a strange mind against it. And maybe why I didn't like it. I didn't like the trashiness of it, either and I didn't really care for the characters and I think I was just expecting something more. I think that reading As I Lay Dying and really liking it had me prepared for even greater things, but it didn't happen.
I'm sorry to say that the more Faulkner I read, and the more I learn about him the more I want to read John Steinbeck. Don't know if that makes sense.