How does Faulkner balance humor with grotesque and what effect does the tension between humor and grotesqueness have on the overall story?

The deep vile
self absorption of the characters is balanced by the ridiculous ends they pursue for ultimately
selfish goals. The horrific treatment of Addie's coffin, the effects of the water, the heat and
the fire create an image that is so uneasy it is only consumable with laughter. Dark humor
accentuates the difficulty of the scene instead of distracting from it.
Vardaman is
so lost and forgotten that the reader's burden of empathy is too great without some ridiculous
humor to ease the pain. Dewey Dell's mission was doomed to be foiled by the exploitation of the
next man she encounters, yet she willingly participates. Cash's injuries are so utterly
grotesque they provoke a chuckle and a shaken head from the reader.