Chapter: April Seventh, 1928

My oh my, this was a hard chapter to read.  I suspect Faulkner decided to introduce the book through Benji's perspective to give a raw, unbiased view of the family.  After getting used to the constant time changes, I started to understand the general dynamic of the household.  Caddy is the motherly figure that Benjy's mom refuses to be. The Mother constantly tries to make Benji grow up somehow, but he is physically incapable of doing so.  Eventually she changes his name to Benji (originally Maury, after her brother) because "in old time [his] granpaw changed nigger's name, and he turn preacher, and when they look at him, he blue gum too"(44).  Basically, he doesn't deserve the prestige title, because he's a loony.
  
The Father, who we learn dies, was very supportive of Benji and Caddy's motherly nature.  I was confused by the passage, "I got undressed and I looked at myself, and began to cry. Hush, Luster said. Looking for them aint going to do no good. They're gone"(47).  I'm think they're talking about scars, but that also raises the question, how did Benji get them? Who gave them to him?  The mere title of the chapter "April seventh, 1928" raises suspicion being the day before Easter, and his age being 33, the age Christ was when he was crucified.  Perhaps we'll get an idea of this purpose as the book continues, what do you think it means? 

Benji's need for consistency show how the family itself is not consistent, resulting in his constant crying spells.  It also says how the South as a whole treats people such as Benji as just plain stupid, not as if he is handicapped.  If I could guess what Benji is a symbol of at this point in the book, I'd say he symbolizes struggles within families.