Absalom, Absalom! Dreams, Hopes, and Plans Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

"[…] just told Grandfather [Compson] that he had put his first wife aside like eleventh or twelfth century kings did: "I found that she was not and never could be, through no fault of her own, adjunctive or incremental to the design which I had in mind, so I provided for her and put her aside." (7.10)

With enormous arrogance and self-centeredness, Sutpen rejects his first wife because she is part black. She doesn't fit into his grand scheme, so he puts her aside and moves on as though the marriage never existed.

Quote #5

"So when the time came when I realised that to accomplish my design I should need first of all and above all things money in considerable quantities and in the quite immediate future, I remembered what he had read to us and I went to the West Indies." (7.12)

Everyone dreams about having more money, right? Well, Sutpen is no exception. Haiti is Sutpen's initial destination, where he will acquire enough wealth to return to the United States and execute his plan. He knows from a very young age that having lots of money is crucial to his design.

Quote #6

"You see, I had a design in my mind. Whether it was a good or bad design is beside the point." (7.26)

As Sutpen explains to General Compson, he had no considerations of morality. To him the design was not good or bad, it was just what he wanted – and so he was determined to get it.