Dilsey Gibson

E76991
Black woman domestic worker fictional character literary character matriarch

Dilsey Gibson is the resilient and compassionate Black matriarch of the Compson household in William Faulkner’s novel "The Sound and the Fury," embodying moral strength amid the family’s decline.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Dilsey 1

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Black woman ⓘ
domestic worker ⓘ
fictional character ⓘ
literary character ⓘ
matriarch ⓘ
appearsIn The Sound and the Fury ⓘ
The Sound and the Fury ⓘ
surface form: The Sound and the Fury (1929 novel)
associatedWithTheme Christian faith ⓘ
endurance ⓘ
moral strength ⓘ
racial inequality in the American South ⓘ
attends Easter church service ⓘ
caresFor Benjy Compson ⓘ
Jason Compson IV ⓘ
Miss Quentin ⓘ
Quentin Compson ⓘ
contrastsWith decay of the Compson family ⓘ
createdBy William Faulkner ⓘ
embodies compassion ⓘ
moral integrity ⓘ
resilience ⓘ
employer Compson family ⓘ
ethnicContext African American community in Jefferson, Mississippi ⓘ
firstPublicationAppearance The Sound and the Fury ⓘ
surface form: The Sound and the Fury (1929)
gender female ⓘ
hasRelative Froney ⓘ
Luster ⓘ
TP ⓘ
householdRole caretaker ⓘ
stabilizing presence in the Compson home ⓘ
languageOfWork English ⓘ
literarySignificance symbol of endurance in Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha fiction ⓘ
loyalTo Compson family ⓘ
narrativeSection featured in the fourth section of The Sound and the Fury ⓘ
nationality American (fictional) ⓘ
occupation cook ⓘ
servant ⓘ
publisherOfWork Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith ⓘ
race African American ⓘ
religion Christianity ⓘ
residesIn Jefferson, Mississippi NERFINISHED ⓘ
Yoknapatawpha County ⓘ
roleInFamily matriarch of the Compson household ⓘ
setInPeriod early 20th-century American South ⓘ
workGenre Southern Gothic ⓘ
modernist novel ⓘ

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Benjy Compson → caredForBy → Dilsey Gibson ⓘ
Luster → interactsWith → Dilsey Gibson ⓘ
The Sound and the Fury → mainCharacter → Dilsey Gibson ⓘ
Caddy Compson → perceivedBy → Dilsey Gibson ⓘ
Luster → relatedTo → Dilsey Gibson ⓘ
Mr. Jason Compson III → treatsCharacter → Dilsey Gibson ⓘ
subject surface form: Jason Compson III
this entity surface form: Dilsey