They were all quiet for a second, moving away from the presences, the sounds, the memories...
-- Narrator (The Crossing)

Importance: While playing on the wooden bridge, Jimmy Croon threatens to throw Bubba's little sister, Essie, into the water. His threat, although playful, angers Bubba. While the boys are fighting, the bridge begins to emit sounds which elicit the dark memories of the past. The bridge, and its squeaking, are symbolic of the three children's ancestral past. Although the bridge appears inanimate, it carries the memories of the children's ancestors' oppression. The moment contributes to the author's explorations concerning history and the past.

New sounds. New smells. New sights.
-- Narrator (Goodbye, Sweetwater)

Importance: Throughout "Goodbye, Sweetwater," the primary narrative tension is derived from Layton Bridges's desperation to leave his hometown, Holly Springs, for New York. In this passage, the narrator inhabits Layton's consciousness in order to reveal the way he is imagining his future. Leaving Holly Springs means entering...