"Caddy smells like trees."
This is the most important quote it seems throughout the first chapter of the book, because it is repeated on numerous occasions. Benji's sister Caddy seems to provide him with the caring and nurturing of a mother that he never received from anyone else in his family. She seems to be the only one who really takes care of him in the family. Benji enjoys being outdoors, and that's probably why he associates Caddy with the smell of trees and nature. This pleasant imagery that is stirred every time Caddy is mentioned is paralleled when Benji states later on that Caddy does not smell like trees. This is after he realizes Caddy has had sex, which changes Benji's outlook on Caddy, and he no longer can view her in the same light. Because of this, it drives a wedge between Caddy and Benji, and that is very significant in Benji's life, because Caddy was the only one who actually loved him and treated him like a true individual.
