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.
Mrs. Compson's sickness in Scene 69 carries Benjy's mind back to 1898 (Scene 70), when Damuddy died and all the children were told not to disturb Mrs. Compson. Then in Scene 71, Benjy returns to the scene he was just remembering, when Caddy carried him to Mrs. Compson for an explanation of his new name.
Between Scenes 71 and 72, there are no italics or any other graphic indications denoting a scene change, but the scene obviously changes. Both of these scenes concern the same subject at the same time, but Scene 72 obviously takes place later in the evening, after Mr. Compson is at home.
These two scenes again reveal Mrs. Compson's total inability to deal with Benjy. She has no understanding of her own child's needs. Instead, it is Caddy who must look after him. In other words, Caddy functions in Mrs. Compson's place as a mother for Benjy. It is also interesting to note that Mrs. Compson's mother spoiled Jason, whom Mrs. Compson says is the only one of her children who takes after the Bascombs rather than the Compsons. That the Bascombs prefer Jason, the most detestable of the children, illustrates their lack of understanding of the basic qualities of each child. We also realize here that Mrs. Compson is probably right — they prefer Jason because he is most like them. The sadistic pleasure that Jason gets from maliciously destroying Benjy's paper dolls is later reflected in Jason's insistence that Benjy be castrated. Clearly, Caddy's desire to protect Benjy and Jason's attempts to destroy him are characteristics that remain with each character as they grow older.
