The Benjy Section
The following page references are to the Vintage International paperback edition of The Sound and the Fury, the corrected text, published by Random House. Dating of various scenes may sometimes differ from the dating found in other publications.
P.3, Scene 1 (1928) Through the fence . . .
P.4, Scene 2 (about 1902) Caddy uncaught me . . .
P.5, Scene 3 (about 1902, earlier) "It's too cold out there."
P.6, Scene 4 (1928) What are you moaning about . . .
P.7, Scene 5 (about 1902) "What is it."
P.9, Scene 6 (1928) Cant you shut up . . .
P.9, Scene 7 (April 1913) "Git in, now, and set still . . ."
P.12, Scene 8 (1928) Cry baby, Luster said.
P.12, Scene 9 (1902) "Keep your hands in your pockets."
P.13, Scene 10 (sometime after the above scene) Mr Patterson was chopping . . .
P.14, Scene 11 (1928) "They aint nothing . . ."
P.17, Scene 12 (1898) . . . and Roskus came . . .
P.17, Scene 13 (1898, earlier in the same day) She was wet.
P.19, Scene 14 (1928) What is the matter . . .
P.19, Scene 15 (1898, same as Scene 12) Roskus came and said . . .
P.20, Scene 16 (1928) See you all . . .
P.20, Scene 17 (1898) "If we go slow . . ."
P.20, Scene 18 (April 1910) The cows came jumping . . .
P.22, Scene 19 (1898) At the top of the hill . . .
P.28, Scene 20 (1912) There was a fire in it . . .
P.28, Scene 21 (1910) Dilsey was singing in the kitchen . . .
P.29, Scene 22 (1910) Taint no luck . . .
P.30, Scene 23 (1912) Take him and Quentin . . .
P.30, Scene 24 (1912) Dilsey was singing.
P.31, Scene 25 (1912) "That's three, thank the Lawd."
P.32, Scene 26 (1912) You cant go yet . . .
P.32, Scene 27 (1928) Come on, Luster said . . .
P.32, Scene 28 (1898) Frony and T. P. were playing . . .
P.33, Scene 29 (Roskus' death — 1913 or 1914) They moaned at Dilsey's house.
P.33, Scene 30 (1898) "Oh." Caddy said . . .
P.33, Scene 31 (Roskus' death — 1913 or 1914) Dilsey moaned . . .
P.33, Scene 32 (1898) "I like to know . . ."
P.33, Scene 33 (1912) The bones rounded out of the ditch . . .
P.34, Scene 34 (1912) Then they all stopped and it was dark . . .
P.35, Scene 35 (1928) I had it when . . .
P.35, Scene 36 (1898) "Do you think the buzzards . . ."
P.37, Scene 37 (1910) When we looked around . . .
P.37, Scene 38 (1898) A snake crawled out . . .
P.37, Scene 39 (1910) You aint got to start . . .
P.38, Scene 40 (1898) We stopped under the tree . . .
P.38, Scene 41 (1910) They getting ready to start . . .
P.38, Scene 42 (1898) "They haven't started because the band . . ."
P.39, Scene 43 (1910) I saw them.
P.40, Scene 44 (1905 — around Christmas) Benjy, Caddy said, Benjy.
P.43, Scene 45 (1908) "Come on, now."
P.43, Scene 46 (Spring 1903) Uncle Maury was sick.
P.44, Scene 47 (1908) "You a big boy."
P.45, Scene 48 (1898) We looked up into the tree . . .
P.46, Scene 49 (1928) Where you want to go now, . . .
P.46, Scene 50 (about 1908-09) The kitchen was dark.
P.46, Scene 51 (1928) Luster came back.
P.46, Scene 52 (about 1908-09) It was dark under the trees.
P.46, Scene 53 (1928) Come away from there . . .
P 47, Scene 54 (about 1908-09) It was two now, . . .
P.48, Scene 55 (1928) I kept a telling you . . .
P.51, Scene 56 (May 1910) You cant do no good . . .
P.51, Scene 57 (another time in May 1910) I could hear them . . .
P.52, Scene 58 (May 1910: nighttime) How did he get out, . . .
P.52, Scene 59 (May 1910: continuance of Scene 57) It was open when I . . .
P.53, Scene 60 (1928) Here, loony, Luster said.
P.56, Scene 61 (1900) What you want to get her . . .
P.56, Scene 62 (1928) "Aint you shamed . . ."
P.57, Scene 63 (1900) I could hear the clock, . . .
P.57, Scene 64 (1928) I ate some cake.
P.58, Scene 65 (1900) That's right, Dilsey said.
P.58, Scene 66 (1928) The long wire came . . .
P.61, Scene 67 (1900) Your name is Benjy, . . .
P.61, Scene 68 (1898) . . . Caddy said. "Let me . . ."
P.61, Scene 69 (1900) Versh set me down . . .
P.62, Scene 70 (1898) Mother's sick, Father said.
P.62, Scene 71 (1900) We could hear the roof.
P.64, Scene 72 (1900) Father took me up.
P.65, Scene 73 (1928) Jason came in.
P.66, Scene 74 (1900) You can look at the fire . . .
P.66, Scene 75 (1928) Dilsey said, "You come, Jason."
P.66, Scene 76 (1900) We could hear the roof.
P.66, Scene 77 (1928) Quentin said, "Didn't Dilsey say supper . . ."
P.67, Scene 78 (1900) I could hear the roof.
P.68, Scene 79 (1928) Dilsey said, All right.
P.68, Scene 80 (1900) Versh smelled like rain.
P.68, Scene 81 (about 1909) We could hear Caddy . . .
P.69, Scene 82 (1900) Versh said, Your name Benjamin . . .
P.69, Scene 83 (about 1909) We were in the hall.
P.69, Scene 84 (1928) What are you doing to him, . . .
P.70, Scene 85 (1900) Versh said, "You move back . . ."
Scenes 86 through 99 alternate between the years 1928 (Scene 86) and 1900 (Scene 99) in a continuous pattern on pages 70 and 71.
P.72, Scene 100 (1928) She smelled like trees.
P.73, Scene 101 (1898) We didn't go to our room.
P.73, Scene 102 (1928) Quentin, Mother said in the hall.
P.73, Scene 103 (1898) Quentin and Versh came in.
P.73, Scene 104 (1928) I got undressed . . .
P.74, Scene 105 (1898) There were two beds.
The main thing to keep in mind while reading this section is the images that recur constantly. Most of these images will have greater meaning later on in the novel. The individual scenes should, therefore, be held in one's mind until they are encountered again later on in the novel, when the full import of each separate image becomes clear.
The following breakdown shows the major scenes that affect Benjy even though some of them, such as Benjy's castration, have only half a page or so devoted to them.
