’s section of the novel takes place on the day of Harvard’s commencement. This is an important day for Quentin, because it reminds him of his failures. It is fitting that he would commit suicide on this day, especially after reflecting on the things that he did do in his life. Quentin and Benjy both have a distinct yearning for the past. They long for things to be as they were before now. Benjy doesn’t want things to change, and Quentin would like to change some of his life’s decisions. Benjy reminisces about times when the surrounding land was undeveloped and Caddy was still nurturing him. Quentin would like to finish college and take back some of the mistakes that he has made, especially with Caddy. They both feel that they have lost Caddy to time. Before, Caddy was there for them, but over time, with Caddy’s maturing and growing up, they have lost her.Lena, in Light in August, also has some issues with time. She constantly compares the past with the present. In the first paragraph of the book, she is comparing where she is now to where she was:“although I have not been quite a month on the road I am already in Mississippi, further from home that I have ever been before. I am now further from Doane’s Mill that I have been since I was twelve years old.” (Page 3)Lena has a slow rhythm about her that takes her through her pilgrimage. She reflects on the past through flashbacks. Her story is rich with references to time, yet it is timeless. She seems to have all the time in the world to get where she needs to go, but in reality, she doesn’t. She embodies Nature. She doesn’t worry about time, but time affects her in ways that she can’t immediately see. She ends the story with:“ ‘My, my. A body does get around. Here we ain’t been coming from Alabama but two months, and now it’s already Tennessee.’” (Page 507)As I Lay Dyi...
