That Evening Sun Memory and The Past Quotes

Now Mr. Jason gets to throw in his belief about where Jesus has gone. He has apparently forgotten that (as he put it) "a Negro gave Nancy word of Jesus returning to town." Mr. Jason is the one who brought that up in the first place. True, maybe Jesus hasn't returned to town, but look at the conviction with which Mr. Jason states his position. Memory is selective; people tend to see things as they want to see them.

Arguably, the fact that the adult Quentin chooses to focus on this quote in his narration shows that he has learned something. At the beginning of the story, he's kind of "meh, whatever" about the black women carrying the laundry—not remarking on it one way or the other. But this quote shows how powerless and selfish he was as a child. By including the quote, perhaps the adult Quentin shows that he has learned something from this experience fifteen years earlier.

That he concludes his memory here is more evidence that the adult Quentin now comprehends the terrible indifference his family has shown to Nancy. Just moments ago, they abandoned her, and all they can do now is engage in childish name-calling.