Section Three is told by the third Compson brother, Jason, a day before Benjy, on Good Friday, April 6, 1928. Unlike his brothers, Jason is much more focused on the present, offering fewer flashbacks — though he does have a few, and he refers frequently to events in the past. The tone of Jason's section is set instantly by the opening sentence: "Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say." A redneck and a sadist, Jason serves to demonstrate how low the Compson family has descended from its former stature, specifically illustrated in the comparison between Quentin's obsessions over heritage, honor, and sin to Jason's near-constant cruelty, complaints, and scheming.
Also present in this section is another ironic comparison: In residence in the Compson home is another Quentin, Caddy's daughter, who appears to be heading in the same direction of sexual freedom as her mother. Jason is, in his way, as preoccupied with young Quentin's emerging sexuality as his brother Quentin was with Caddy's. Among the surprises and revelations in this section: Quentin drowned himself (the suicide itself was not depicted in Quentin's section); Benjy is brutally castrated to prevent him from fathering any impaired children"; Caddy has been divorced. Banished from the family home, she has taken up residence in a neighboring county and has been sending money to her daughter. Because Mrs. Compson has forbidden Caddy's name from being mentioned in the house, she has likewise forbidden her money from entering the house. To overcome this hurdle, Jason forges copies of Caddy's checks sent to cover expenses and treats for Miss Quentin. Jason gives his mother the forgeries, which Mrs. Compson ceremoniously burns. Meanwhile, Jason cashes the actual checks and pockets the money, giving little or none of it to his niece.
