Quentin and time

Quentin's relationship to time may seem at first to be majorly different than Benjy's but after skimming the chapter again I noticed that they are in fact rather similar. Benjy is completely controled by his inability to judge time, and Quentin is obsessed with clocks and time (More specifically the passing of time). The chapter is constantly interupted by Quentin referring to the ticking of a nearby clocktower or watch that he broke in his pocket. Quentin has a very abstract thinking of time, and although he is slightly more chronological than Benjy, he still has flashbacks to memories of life at home with his family. The only difference though is that when Quentin flashes back, he seems to consciously know what is the present time.

The tension between the passing of time and Quentin seems to be that he is taken over by it. He refers often to the growing shadows and the bells tolling, then remembers a time from his past. This alludes to the fact that although he is able to gage time better than Benjy, he is just as controled by past events. I think this is why he eventually kills himself because he cannot get away from his past and how things have changed with time.