Visible Emblem

For my emblem I created a drill that emerges from a three piece braid. The two pieces create a contrast between organic and mechanical but are resolved in the similarity of the weaving component of both. The drill bit was lifted directly from the tool belt of Cash, who is clearly defined by his own tools. The braid is referential to women’s hairstyles which can also ‘define’ who they are. There exists in these same images a conflict between masculinity and femininity which is resolved in the future generations which begin their own conflict.
The broken triangle represents superstition and then ending of the cycle of conflict then resolution. Addie speaks of how she poses the hatred of her father which she will inevitably pass on to her children. The broken drill bit shows how the children are able to escape that cycle but also have to break convention to do so.
The triangle I created points sideways so as to differentiate itself from the upwards (male) and downwards (female) facing triangles. It is also typographically a D which can stand for Dewey-Dell. Dewey-Dell is the most likely candidate for following her mother (she is the only girl, and she is pregnant) but she chooses to reject her mother’s decision to have children by attempting an abortion. She truly breaks the cycle.

Quick Design

There is no set number for quickness. The number four with its geometric square is the best at visualizing the stagnant nature of certain parts of the book, while the number five and the spiral with geometrically larger arms could represent the rapid pace of other parts. The number one could also work to represent those sections which are disjointed and yet related. A line is the quickest path between two points, and so the number one also represents the quick pace of certain sections.
Five wins out over the other numbers for a few reasons though. Since a spiral (the visual of five) starts at a point it effectively encompasses the number one. Depending on which direction a person ‘reads’ the spiral also determines the speed. Reading outwards shows ‘looser’ slower spirals while reading in shows ‘tighter’ faster spirals. The spiral emanates from the center just as the story emanates from Addie.
While five represents regeneration Faulkner’s story is seemingly about degeneration. The body of Addie degenerates, Darl descends into madness, and even Cash’s leg disintegrates. However there is growth and regeneration within the novel. Dewey-Dell is carrying on the biological regeneration of human kind in her womb. Vardman and Cash’s minds become more sharply honed and mature to fill the gap of maturity left after Darl is declared crazy and is carted off. Anse even takes on another wife to fill the void left by Addie.