P. 20, Scene 16 (1928) See you all . . .
P. 20, Scene 17 (1898) "If we go slow . . ."
Again, Benjy's thoughts, set in the past, are temporarily interrupted by Luster's comments; afterward, Benjy's thoughts immediately return to the earlier scene, a scene in which one small characteristic of Jason is shown — Jason is characterized as a boy who always walks with his hands in his pockets. Symbolically, this gesture suggests Jason's later mania for money, his various attempts to accumulate and hide sums of money, and his unnatural secretiveness.
P. 20, Scene 18 (April 1910) The cows came jumping . . .
T. P. and Benjy are drunk at Caddy's wedding, and T. P., who has never seen or tasted champagne, thinks that they are drinking "sassprilluh" (sarsaparilla). This, of course, is absurd because even though it is not spelled out, an aristocratic family such as the Compsons would never serve such a cheap beverage that has no alcoholic content. T. P. and Benjy are obviously drunk in scenes 18, 37, and 39, and since "sassprilluh" has the same color as champagne, the mistake is comic and fits in with the comic actions that Benjy describes.
This scene obviously takes place at the end of Caddy's wedding, which we discover in Quentin's section to have occurred on April 25, 1910. Some critics do not like to assign the first line of this section, but the imagery of the section is that of distorted, bizarre images as seen through the drunken eyes of Benjy. Thus, since the cows are seen performing erratic actions, the first line of the section blends with the imagery of the entire section. Furthermore, the entire scene is evoked because in the preceding scene, Benjy observed Roskus milking and is reminded of another scene in the barn involving the cows. The manner in which Faulkner presents the images through the mind of a drunken Benjy is a masterful, impressionistic rendition. As an author, Faulkner never intrudes and tells us that Benjy is drunk — he allows the bizarre imagery to speak for itself.
Note, too, that this is the first view of the wedding and includes an episode that takes place at the very end of the day. There will be several other scenes (four, to be exact) from the wedding day episode because it is the last time that Benjy will ever be near Caddy, except for one short, secret visit she made after the birth of her daughter.
Quentin's violence in this scene should later remind the reader of his troubled sensitivity, his excessive concern over the fate of Caddy, and his opposition to the wedding. At present, however, there is no way for the reader, on first reading, to account for Quentin's violence.
