At the very end of the novel, I was surprised there were no cliffhangers, as those are often typical in novels such as this. I was left kind of disappointed, saddened, and somewhat exhausted because the book as a whole lacked altruism. The entirety of the book suggested there was no change to come, there is no tomorrow, as if we should all adhere to the status quo. This sickened me, because my life is mostly based around changed, and I look forward to changing myself and the world around me. I like to help those around me, I enjoy supporting those in trouble, and lifting the spirits of those who are down, but none of this happened in the novel. I felt sick, like Benjy, at the end of the novel because I felt myself was stuck  in the old South, incapable of change, support, love, compassion, or optimism.