Because Quentin presents the story's details as he experienced them when he was 9 years old, his impressions are those of a child. Limited by his young age, his perceptions of Nancy's troubling circumstances reach horrendous significance at the end of the story, when he finally understands enough to know that Jesus is probably going to kill Nancy. His main concern, however, is not with Nancy's fate; rather, he is more anxious about his own personal welfare, worrying over such a mundane problem as who will do the family's laundry after her death. His selfishness indicates his acceptance of her death as insignificant. Likewise, he and his sister, Caddy, and their younger brother, Jason, do not understand the significance of most of the story's events, including why Nancy gets several of her teeth knocked out by Mr. Stovall, the Baptist deacon; why Nancy tries to hang herself; and what the "watermelon" is under her dress. Most important, the children will never comprehend the abject horror that she suffers.
The dual points of view are best illustrated by Faulkner's brilliantly contrasting Nancy's and the Compson children's fears. Nancy's sense of impending doom and her debilitating fear in the face of her imminent death are strikingly dissimilar to the Compson children's playing their games of "scairy cat." Nancy is terrified by premonitions of her rapidly approaching death, whereas the children try to frighten each other by using such insignificant things as darkness.
