Mottson Filling Station (Location Key)

Jason Compson's first stop in Mottson is at this "filling station," where "they" tell him that the railroad cars carrying the show can be found on a siding at the train station (308). The Sound and the Fury doesn't say who "they" are - whether customers or employees - nor does it describe the filling station. But it seems significant that Jason's last stop in Jefferson before setting out on his pursuit of his niece and the money she took from him is also a "filling station" (305). From one point of view these two stations, both open on Easter Sunday, imply how prevalent the automobile has become as part of the culture of Mississippi by 1928. But from another, these stations can only "fill" Jason's car with gas or his tires with "air" (305), unlike the church that Dilsey attends at the same time as Jason's trip - or the "churches" he "passes" while on the road to Mottson (306): they can fill the believers with the promise of eternal life.