The Sound and the Fury Language and Communication Quotes
How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
I couldn't feel the gate at all, but I could smell the bright cold. (1.31)
Benjy, who is unable to communicate with other people, conveys his impressions of his surroundings through his sense of smell. He "smells" his knowledge, like his knowledge of the cold weather.
I could hear Queenie's feet and the bright shapes went smooth and steady on both sides, the shadows of them flowing across Queenie's back. They went on like the bright tops of wheels. Then those on one side stopped at the tall white post where the soldier was. But on the other side they went on smooth and steady, but a little slower. (1.105)
Benjy describes moving in a carriage and turning a corner by describing the way that he perceives the buildings moving (or flowing) around him.
"It's froze." Caddy said. "Look." She broke the top of the water and held a piece of it against my face. "Ice. That means how cold it is." (1. 236)
Caddy, the one person who understands how Benjy interprets his world, uses sensory information to help him infer conclusions about his environment.