In truth, Quentin wants to remember his horror; he is afraid he will forget — his father has said so. If Quentin can forget, then his horror has no meaning, and the passage of time will wipe it out. He feels that he must stop time. To do this, Quentin is constantly trying to escape from time, as represented by his act of tearing off the hands of his watch. Symbolically, this will stop time before it (time) allows him to forget his bereavement. Ironically, however, even though Quentin is trying to escape from time, he constantly inquires about the correct time and is pleased to see that the watches in the window lie about the correct time (p. 85). Ultimately, suicide becomes his only means of stopping time and escaping from the absurdities of life. Suicide, in his father's view, will be the final absurdity.
While he is riding on the streetcar (pp. 86-112), Quentin's memories of his family cause him to begin to evaluate the various relationships between members of the family. For example, he cries out in distress because he could never say "Mother, Mother." He knows now that his mother had a false pride that never allowed her to fulfill her function as a mother. Quentin later thinks that if Caddy could have said Mother, could have had a true mother to whom she could turn, Caddy would not have committed the sin that disturbs him so much. Remembrances of the family relationships, then, strongly contribute to Quentin's desire for suicide. Mrs. Compson's selfishness and her ignorance of the feelings of her children are proof that she is a rather horrible person. These memories convince Quentin that his values have little chance in the nihilistic worlds of his parents.
In remembering his talk with Herbert Head (pp. 107-11), Quentin's strong sense of honor and his high integrity do not apply only to Caddy and her sins. Quentin is cursed with high principles, and his dilemma is that the world he lives in is too corrupt for any code of principles.
