Elizabeth Cornell is the Senior Writer for Internal Communications at New York Public Radio. Her publications include articles on Faulkner and the digital humanities in South Central Review and Mississippi Quarterly.
Submitted by chlester0@gmail.com on Wed, 2013-04-10 19:25
Mrs. Lovelady, the wife of the white man who collects insurance money from the local Negroes, commits suicide "one morning" (308). Quentin's narrative gives no further account or explanation of that act.
Submitted by chlester0@gmail.com on Wed, 2013-04-10 19:08
Versh is mentioned only once in the story, when Dilsey tries to help Nancy "get aholt of" herself and offers "to get Versh to walk home with" her (300). Although this story provides no other information about Versh, in The Sound and The Fury (1929) he is the oldest of Dilsey's three children .
Submitted by chlester0@gmail.com on Wed, 2013-04-10 18:29
Jesus, Nancy's husband, is described as "a short black man, with a razor scar down his face." He has been missing since he threatened Nancy in the kitchen of the Compson house, saying that he might kill the white man responsible for her pregnancy ("I can cut down the vine it did come off of," 292). Nancy believes that Jesus went to Memphis but has returned to do her harm. While Jesus directly appears only once, the story is haunted by the possibility of his return.
Submitted by chlester0@gmail.com on Wed, 2013-04-10 18:03
As in The Sound and the Fury, here Dilsey cooks and cares for the Compson family and lives in a cabin on the Compson place with her own children. The story this story tells, however, occurs because Nancy takes her place as the Compson cook when Dilsey gets "sick" (290). Her illness is not described, but after she recovers she tries to help Nancy too: she talks with Nancy about her fears, suggests that Nancy ask Mr. Jason to "telefoam the marshal," and invites Nancy to spend the night in her cabin (297-298).
