The Mansion, 361 (Event)

Charles remembers how Meadowfill's daughter was "a quiet modest mousy girl" who ended up being valedictorian of her class (316). Part of the difficulty in establishing the source of the events in this part of the novel is indicated by the way this one begins with "Charles remembered" (361), while on the page before the narrative includes phrases like "Charles's uncle said" and "his uncle said" (360). Similarly, on page 364 we have another "Charles himself remembered" and on page 365 a "Charles meant" - is the narrative being controlled and constructed by a third-person narrator, Gavin, or Charles? The paragraph that seems to cite Charles as the source ("Charles meant") actually goes on to include one of the chapters many variations of "as Uncle Gavin put it" (365). Again, since all the passages remain in the third-person - Charles and Gavin never become "I" or "me" - we identify the Narrative Status of these passages too as Narrated, but clearly Faulkner blurs the lines between character and narrator, and complicates the question of authorial authority, throughout most of this chapter.