Quentin's Section : June 2, 1910
In Quentin’s section, Faulkner focuses on the societal views the influence the Compson family and their effect on the Compson children. Quentin’s section, much like Benjy’s section in the fact that that he focuses on his family especially his father , Caddy, and his "mother." With the opening of the section Quintin focuses on time and his father's view on time. When Quentin's father gave him his grandfather's watch he said to him:
give you the mausoleum of all hope and
desire; it's rather ... apt that you will use it
the reduction absurdum of all human
experience... I give it to you not that you
remember time , but that you might
forget it now and then for a moment and
not spend all your breath trying to conquer
it (65).
Quentin relates time and the ticking of the time on a clock to many situations such as the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
As the section progresses it becomes clear that Quentin is upset about the lost of Caddy's and his family's neglect to be "truly concerned" about the situation. It seems that Quentin who is a student at Harvard University should have better things to think about than the lost of his younger sister's virginity is almost obsessed or wholly consumed with the lost of Caddy's virginity. Quentin is particularly horrified by and cannot understand his father's cynical view on women and virginity. Quentin's father says " In the South you are ashamed of being a virgin. Boy, Men. They lie about it. Because it means less to women ... men invented virginity not women " (67) Quentin cannot accept this view and he looks for another reason to attribute his sister's sin and lack of self respect.
Quentin believes that the absence of his mother's presence in her children's lives is why Caddy lost her virginity. When Quentin is discussing with Gerald, he comments on the fact he didn't have a mother like his to teach and his siblings , specifically Candace the "finer points" of life (93). Quentin's perspective shows one of a concerned older brother wanting to protect his younger sister , but it can also be one of jealousy because he is single and a virgin.
Finally throughout the section , Quentin doesn't maintain a clear sense of the "I." There are points in the section where Quentin's account for what he is father is says turns into what he is saying . For example, Quentin would say " father said" and then he would then say " I said " making it confusing who is actually speaking . Also, as the section progresses and nears Quentin's suicide, the story is told from a narrator outside Quentin. Here readers may be confused as to whether Quentin is telling the story from a third -person perspective of not . His poor maintenance of the sense of the "I " reveals his unstable mental state. Quentin's incestuous passion towards his family and , his sister in particular is deterring to his mental health and this is why he by the end of the section commits suicide.
In Quentin’s section, Faulkner focuses on the societal views the influence the Compson family and their effect on the Compson children. Quentin’s section, much like Benjy’s section in the fact that that he focuses on his family especially his father , Caddy, and his "mother." With the opening of the section Quintin focuses on time and his father's view on time. When Quentin's father gave him his grandfather's watch he said to him:
give you the mausoleum of all hope and
desire; it's rather ... apt that you will use it
the reduction absurdum of all human
experience... I give it to you not that you
remember time , but that you might
forget it now and then for a moment and
not spend all your breath trying to conquer
it (65).
Quentin relates time and the ticking of the time on a clock to many situations such as the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
As the section progresses it becomes clear that Quentin is upset about the lost of Caddy's and his family's neglect to be "truly concerned" about the situation. It seems that Quentin who is a student at Harvard University should have better things to think about than the lost of his younger sister's virginity is almost obsessed or wholly consumed with the lost of Caddy's virginity. Quentin is particularly horrified by and cannot understand his father's cynical view on women and virginity. Quentin's father says " In the South you are ashamed of being a virgin. Boy, Men. They lie about it. Because it means less to women ... men invented virginity not women " (67) Quentin cannot accept this view and he looks for another reason to attribute his sister's sin and lack of self respect.
Quentin believes that the absence of his mother's presence in her children's lives is why Caddy lost her virginity. When Quentin is discussing with Gerald, he comments on the fact he didn't have a mother like his to teach and his siblings , specifically Candace the "finer points" of life (93). Quentin's perspective shows one of a concerned older brother wanting to protect his younger sister , but it can also be one of jealousy because he is single and a virgin.
Finally throughout the section , Quentin doesn't maintain a clear sense of the "I." There are points in the section where Quentin's account for what he is father is says turns into what he is saying . For example, Quentin would say " father said" and then he would then say " I said " making it confusing who is actually speaking . Also, as the section progresses and nears Quentin's suicide, the story is told from a narrator outside Quentin. Here readers may be confused as to whether Quentin is telling the story from a third -person perspective of not . His poor maintenance of the sense of the "I " reveals his unstable mental state. Quentin's incestuous passion towards his family and , his sister in particular is deterring to his mental health and this is why he by the end of the section commits suicide.
Your discussion of Quentin is spot on in my opinion. His overall unstable nature makes him an interesting character. Because of this fact, he comes off very odd. Something you talked about that I liked was the many different things Quentin does. Overall, very good.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that Question is consumed by how unconcerned his family is with the loss of his sister's virginity is a true show of mental stability. I think by including this with his obvious obsessions makes your analysis an accurate explanation of the complexity of Quentin.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that Question is consumed by how unconcerned his family is with the loss of his sister's virginity is a true show of mental stability. I think by including this with his obvious obsessions makes your analysis an accurate explanation of the complexity of Quentin.
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ReplyDeleteI thought your idea that Quentin is actually jealous of Caddy is a fresh one, because I only thought that he wanted to protect her, but I hadn't thought of that! I also thought it was spot on when you said that the fact that he did not maintain a clear sense of the "I" portrayed how mentally unstable he was.
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