While alcohol does not assume center stage in many specific scenes in the novel, it lurks in the background, looming over events like a shadow. The reader learns that Father has died as a direct result of his drinking, Uncle Maury himself is a dedicated drinker, and the specter of addiction hovers over the entire family. For example, Jason’s use of camphor—a substance since banned in oral form, in part due to its addictive qualities—is indicative of dependency. Most significantly, alcohol is symbolic of the overall state of a family in decline; it is intertwined with death and disorder and with illness and psychological infirmity.

The first time alcohol is specifically mentioned in the book, it is invoked as a source of comfort, a calming balm: Uncle Maury tries to soothe Mother’s worries about Benjy, telling her, “’You must keep your strength up. I’ll make you a toddy’” (5). Alcohol plays a significant role in the chaos of Caddy’s wedding as well. T.P. finds Father’s stash in the cellar, proceeding to get himself—and Benjy—drunk, to the angry dismay of Quentin. This dissolution into alcohol mirrors and magnifies Benjy’s confusion about Caddy’s wedding and her eventual departure from the family.

Later, alcohol takes on a more sinister, insidious form: In the evenings, Father “drank” (49), instructing the servant to “’Take the decanter and fill it’” (50).