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The Sound and the Fury · Character

Maury Bascomb

Caroline's brother, a shiftless Bascomb who lives off the Compsons, schemes in the shadows, and lets others pay for his appetites.

supporting

Also known as Uncle Maury, Maury L. Bascomb, Bascomb

First appearance: april seventh 1928

As a supporting figure in The Sound and the Fury, Maury Bascomb is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Uncle Maury drifts through the Compson house as a dependent whose Bascomb name outranks his usefulness, meddling in family quarrels and borrowing against others' patience. His presence sharpens the family's decay: he is the parasite the household cannot expel, a reminder that the Compsons' decline is also a failure of the class that produced them. His schemes and small treacheries feed the resentments that drive the middle sections of the book.

See Maury Bascomb in april seventh 1928Book page

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Character Web

16 connections

A slice of how Maury Bascomb sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

LULusterQUQueenieCCCaddy CompsonVEVershBCBenjy CompsonMBMaury Bascomb

Relationship types

  • Family
  • Other

Character groups

  • Compson Family and Household
  • Minor Characters and Acquaintances
  • Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupBreaking pointClimax
  • Setup
  • Breaking point

This scene is the dramatic climax because it crystallizes the Compson family’s central crisis: the complete br…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

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See Maury Bascomb in april seventh 1928
See Maury Bascomb in april seventh 1928