Poor Dilsey : (

Dilsey is the thread of the Compson household. She is with the family for as long as we can see and is, perhaps, the only character able to function effectively in time. She essentially raises all of the Compson children as well as her own, while taking care of the baby of the family, Mrs. Compson. Once Caddy, Father, and Quentin are gone, Dilsey seems to be the only adult in the household. Benjy needs 24-hour attention to function; Mother depends on Dilsey and Jason for all of her needs; Quentin cannot grasp the concepts of responsibility and gratitude (understandably);and, Jason cannot grow out of his own immaturity and stubbornness.

With a house full of dependent "Children," Dilsey is forced to take on all of the household responsibilities. In section one, we get hints that Dilsey has a lot of help with this burden. Her husband and sons work hard to take care of some chores. However, in section four, it is clear that Dilsey is practically on her own. Luster does not have the same sense of willingness to help that we saw in Versh and T.P. Thus, Luster becomes just another child Dilsey has to babysit around the clock.

With all that Dilsey does for the Compsons, one would expect them to express immense gratitude towards her. However, not once do we hear someone thank or appreciate her hard work. Mother complains that she is taking too long. Jason complains that she is not perfectly obedient and complacent to his authority and Quentin flat out ignores her efforts to protect her from Jason. Why does no one express appreciation for arguably the most important member of the Compson family? Why doesn't, at the very least, Luster appreciate her? Is there a complete inability to express gratitude or do the Compsons show grattitude for other characters besides Dilsey?