Time according to Quentin

I am not sure why, but I found the Quentin section a lot easier to understand than the Benjy section. I quickly read through the Quentin section more so than the Benjy one. I actually felt like I related to Quentin’s obsession with time. I became obsessed with the opening words to the section said by Quentin’s father regarding time. I might have read it wrong, but I ended up taking it as a notice that whenever people are doing something, and the ticking of the clock is bothering them, which is obvious, the ticking goes away, and that is the true gift, is forgetting time. The true gift of life is forgetting time, and not thinking it as a constant reminder, but to live our lives, and the moments as they come. Too many times people are plagued by their futures instead of taking things slowly, bit by bit. I am a victim just as Quentin is, (if I read correctly). He could either be committing suicide because of his overwhelming love for his sister Caddy, or for his obsession with time and the shadows that chase him. He is either way overcome with sadness, and has a stoic, glazed over sereneness towards the end. It is almost portrayed as a happy ending, which is creepy. Either way, I completely agree with the point that was brought across, whether I was right or wrong, I agree with the notion that the recognition of time is what can destroy us all. Just as it is quoted in Macbeth I think it was said over the “sound and the fury” quote, it was mentioned similarly that life is something like a shadow on stage only to have its brief moment in the spotlight and flitter away. This statement I have made is not exact, but describes the poignant side of life. Life itself is full of happy moments, but it is not necessarily described as being happy. It is not described as being anything. The time is what makes most people upset. There would be no grief if it were not for time passing. The name associated with the idea of time, is itself upsetting. Why must the society as a whole be so obsessed with the notion of keeping track of where we all stand all the time? Why must everyone be in a rush to do what they deem necessary in order to live a happy life, which is apparently not even realistic? This sounds pessimistic, but it is simply an observation which might scare many. Time plagues us all as it does Quentin, and these life questions come into play, not out of pessimism, but out of the notion that nothing can ever be truly described as any human emotion, or word association in general. Quentin was overcome with time as a student at Harvard as time plagued him wherever he went with ideas of what he should do with the next moment of his life. He was also plagued by the shortcomings of his life in which many are plagued with what should be sought after in life, what is deemed right, or an appropriate life to lead. He did not get what he wanted, which was perhaps Caddy, and he saw no other way. This chapter brings up many questions, and I found it very interesting. (560)

"Where are you going, Where have you been?"

This story honestly freaked me out. Arnold Friend was a creepy person who slithered up my spine especially at the part where the author brings up the rape images of the "stabbing". Arnold was a controlling person, and all he wanted to do, it seemed, was to lure Connie out to him in order to show that she had affection towards him, rather than fear. It bothered me with how this story ended. It would obviously end in this way, but it is shocking, as a reader, to realize how realistic it is told. Everyone has their demons, and Connie's was Arnold. Every woman lives their life as they should; entirely. This story made it seem like Connie was being punished for her vanity. I am not sure if the point was to always be careful, (or modest is how I saw it). This would be a disturbing point, if it were true. It may have also been to point out that this could happen to anyone, and it made it especially disturbing to know how attractive and outgoing Connie was. It made it easier to feel for her.

Under stress, Connie reverts back to being a defenseless child. She has a master, Arnold, who acts as a father figure, which was even more bothersome. It is sick to see that he was trying to earn her trust, only to break it with her "permission". He wants her permission to break her personal seal. This is all to hard to read over, but it may be necessary to bring up the unnecessary in order to convey what really could happen. It is easy to simply ignore this truth, and look at it as simply a story, but the author had even openly remarked that it was based on flashes of news reads to develop this concept of an "Arnold Friend". Trust is a thing kept close, and so is her self-worth. These things are all violated, which is a shame that these things could even be in question.

It is very hard for me to discuss this since everything was thoroughly discussed, but I was very fascinated with the relation of the numbers on Friend's car, with the bible passage. I think that was a very fun thing for the author to put in the passage. I think the description of the acts that Friend was to do after the novel was finished was taboo to talk about, and every mention of it makes someone cringe, or wince at the very thought. These instances are unfortunately not spoken of for reason of discomfort, or embarrassment. It is sad that women should have to feel the embarrassment rather than the Arnold Friend type. This story documented the dominance of the male psyche on the female one. It goes through animalistic characteristics of Connie and Arnold, pointing out the attacker and the prey. I felt that Connie was portrayed as defenseless and innocent. Friend was the big bad wolf, who was coming to dominate. It is depressing, but I suppose it must be expressed in a short story such as this. It is not fair that women must feel subjected, and modest consistently. Modest in the sense of living life modestly and not to its fullest. Is this short story pointing out the bigger issue that women in burka's must face? The explanation being that they are being protected from the "big bad wolf" and the uncontrolled libido of men. Should women be constantly punished, and hindered from living their lives just because of this? It does not seem fair that Connie would regret being the way she was, and feeling as though it were her fault for being who she was, and that was why Arnold was after her, it was because he was a weirdo!(629)