Study Questions
1. Where was Thomas Sutpen born?

2. Where was Faulkner’s great-grandfather, William Clark Falkner, born?

3. How old was Thomas Sutpen when he set off to complete his “grand design”?

4. How old was William Clark Falkner when he left his family to make his fortune?

5. In what state of the Union did Thomas Sutpen and William Clark Falkner settle?

6. What role did Thomas Sutpen and William Clark Falkner play in the Civil War?

7. How did Thomas Sutpen and William Clark Falkner finally die?

8. How many children did Thomas Sutpen have?

9. Who is the only surviving member of the Sutpen clan?

10. What is the moral of this story?

Answers
1. Thomas Sutpen was born in the West Virginia mountains.

2. William Clark Falkner was born in the West Virginia mountains.

3. Thomas Sutpen was 14 or 15 when he set off to complete his “grand design.”

4. William Clark Falkner was 15 when he left his family to make his fortune.

5. Both Thomas Sutpen and William Clark Falkner settled in Mississippi.

6. Thomas Sutpen and William Clark Falkner were both colonels in the Confederate Army.

7. Thomas Sutpen and William Clark Falkner were both murdered by men who bore them a grudge.

8. Thomas Sutpen had at least five children: Henry, Judith, Charles, Clytie, and Milly’s murdered child.

9. The only surviving member of the Sutpen clan is Jim Bond, who is developmentally impaired.

10. The moral of this story is that, if you have children, you’d better recognize them as your own; if you act, you had better recognize your actions as well.