June 2, 1910 - Quentin's Chapter

I have to say I liked Benjy's chapter far more than Quentin's.Although Benjy's chapter was far more disorienting and turbulent than Quentin's, it had punctuation and contained a sense of time, which really helped me. While reading Quentin's chapter, I found myself getting lost easily because I couldn't tell where one scene/thought ended and another began. His jumbled thoughts were harder to follow than Benjy's changing memories in my opinion. These jumbled thoughts tell us a lot about Quentin's mental state, just as Benjy's  different perspective told us that there is more than meets the eye about the Compson Family. However, one thing I did notice was that Faulkner continues his symbolism of time in this chapter.

I think Quentin does maintain a clear sense of the "I" in his chapter because through his jumbled experiences he continues to tell us about how he views things, and how he thinks things should be. This is reflected through Quentin's failure to carry out the family name, and obvious clash between the cultures of the Old South and the New South. As the oldest of the Compson family, Quentin is expected to uphold the family status especially while away at Harvard. Quentin is very traditional in his values and ways, meaning he believes in honor, conduct, and protection of the female. Therefore, when he find out about Caddy losing her virginity, he tries to persuade her into committing suicide in order to preserve what little family honor they have left. When she refuses, he claims to his father that he has committed incest in order to protect Caddy's honor. He believes this action to be honorable. 

Quentin's narration becomes confusing to the reader because he has no concept of time. He avoids time constantly, by breaking his watch and avoiding the answer of the repair man at the watch shop. Readers find it hard to keep up with Quentin because they don't how to. Another reason for this confusion, is that the day this chapter was written was the day of Quentin's suicide. 

Quentin's narration suggest that his mental state isn't in the best shape. As we can tell from the confusion due to the lack of time, punctuation, and obsession with the moral code. Quentin tends to focus on abstract concepts such as time, virginity, and honor. These concepts aren't very tangible and therefore they cloud Quentin's thoughts, which result in us being very lost while reading.