Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Water
Water symbolizes cleansing and purity throughout the novel,
especially in relation to Caddy. Playing in the stream as a child,
Caddy seems to epitomize purity and innocence. However, she muddies
her underclothes, which foreshadows Caddy’s later promiscuity. Benjy gets
upset when he first smells Caddy wearing perfume. Still a virgin at
this point, Caddy washes the perfume off, symbolically washing away
her sin. Likewise, she washes her mouth out with soap after Benjy
catches her on the swing with Charlie. Once Caddy loses her virginity,
she knows that no amount of water or washing can cleanse her.
Quentin’s Watch
Quentin’s watch is a gift from his father, who hopes that
it will alleviate Quentin’s feeling that he must devote so much
attention to watching time himself. Quentin is unable to escape
his preoccupation with time, with or without the watch. Because
the watch once belonged to Mr. Compson, it constantly reminds Quentin
of the glorious heritage his family considers so important. The
watch’s incessant ticking symbolizes the constant inexorable passage
of time. Quentin futilely attempts to escape time by breaking the
watch, but it continues to tick even without its hands, haunting
him even after he leaves the watch behind in his room.
