Respond to sections of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying in the comment section of this post. The sections are:
Pgs. 1-84
Pgs. 85-168
Pgs. 168-end
The due dates for these blog responses may vary between the two classes.
For these responses, you should focus on motifs (repeating objects, ideas, concerns, language patterns, etc.) much as you did with King Lear, only this time you need to establish what the motifs are yourself, and you must also create your own understanding of how they interconnect with each other and how they support the overall meaning of the novel as you see it.
Don't be afraid to explore or think through a motif that isn't immediately accessible or doesn't appear to connect to anything (those cakes! They turned out real well, and they didn't cost Cora anything . . .)
Pgs. 3-84
ReplyDeleteIn As I Lay Dying, a motif that I have noticed while reading is money. Money is something that is consistently mentioned throughout the first third of the novel. However, the motif struck me in specifically two places in the novel.
On page 9, William Faulkner, through the perspective of Cora, says, “I could have used the money real well. But it’s not like they cost me anything except the baking.” The stress over having enough money is prevalent in this quote, as well as throughout the novel. Cora’s character is also stressing about putting her money to good use, which is something that is also prevalent throughout this novel.
On page 41, William Faulkner, through the perspective of the doctor
named Peabody, says, “I thought maybe they have the same sort of fool ethics in heaven they have in the Medical College and that it was maybe Vernon Tull sending for me again, getting me there in the nick of time, as Vernon always does things, getting the most for Anse’s money like he does for his own.” Peabody’s character is describing how Addie’s family asked for him to go their house to save Addie before she dies. He comments how they asked for him “in the nick of time” and how they are “getting the most for Anse’s money.” Once again, the characters want to put their money to good use, even if it means that Addie will die. Money is a bigger stressor than Addie dying.
The symbol that I have noticed that continues to pop up in As I Lay Dying is animals. After the death of Addie Bundren, all of her children and other relatives have different ways of coping with her death. I think that one of the ways that some of the characters cope with the death is by attaching to animals. Vardaman says “My mother is a fish.” By saying this, Vardaman is connecting his mother with the fish that he caught. I think that Vardaman sees the transformation and changes when death happens and is dealing with it by simplifying the death of his mother to the death of the fish. Jewel’s horse is his symbol for his mother. I think that something has happened to Jewel in his past and he has built up anger for his mother. I think there is an entire of emotion in Jewel toward his mother and he projects those feeling onto his horse. “You pussel-gutted bastard. You sweet son of a bitch.” Jewel, when fighting with his horse, is often hurting and comforting his horse at the same time. The Bundren family sees the importance in having animals such as cows or hogs and they value their existence. I think Jewel does love his mother but feels unease with his family. I think the family’s dependence has shifted- it was on Addie but it has shifted to the children and they need an outlet to funnel what they can’t express to other people. Anse forces his children to do all the work and refuses to help them with any of it. The animals offer a relationship the characters can cling to and so they can avoid confronting each other with their feelings about Addie’s death. The family’s constant physical movement is another way that the family is symbolically coping with Addie’s death. The only person that does not seem to be moving forward is Addie’s husband. Anse is constantly rubbing his knees and he does not physically exert himself because he cannot sweat. Anse does not acknowledge the importance of animals and he does not have any sort of relationship with an animal like many of the other characters. Animals are an outlet for the characters to focus their grief and they can attach their emotions to an animal.
ReplyDeletethe thing that i have noticed between all of the different perspectives so far is repetition. Who ever is narrating is always repeating themselves. they either say the same phrase multiple times in a row, or they say one thing, say a second thing, and then say the first thing again. This repetition occurs because the book is written from different peoples perspectives, and some ones perspective is influenced by there thoughts. So if someone is stuck on the same thought it repeats itself in their narration. Also the repetition hints to how individuals handle the grieving process of losing a loved one. Some can hold together through there work, and others compare their mothers to a dead fish. So repetition is how the author creates a different feel to every characters passages, even though Faulkner is righting all of the passages.
ReplyDeleteNow even though i find rereading something over and over again painfully annoying, the repetition offers more then the knowledge of different perspectives. The repetition of each character allows us the reader to determine more about each character, and what is important to them as individuals, and as groups. Like in the first section we read it was very important to all that every one knew that the rain was coming and that the bridge would be useless. But even though it was repeated dozens of times we still saw people in the rain, and people trying to cross the river. So so far repetition in the story has allowed us to to discover more about each character, through their actions and their thoughts.
A common theme/motif I have noticed throughout part 1 of As I Lay Dying is animals. Consistently animals have popped up and are used as symbols, especially in the case of Jewel and his horse. Before the horse is brought up, Vardaman constantly calls Addie a fish. I believe this is how he is coping with Addie's death; seeing it as a fish being caught. But the relationship between Jewel and his horse is quite intricate. Jewel loves this horse and works hard to keep connected with the horse, yet takes his anger out on it. I think this represents his feelings towards his mother's death as well. He loved his mother like he does the horse but is angry by the fact that she is going/gone. I want to read more about Jewel due to the complexity of his character and nature. He seems to be the favorite by the way others act towards him. His father asked Darl where he was instead of even asking how Darl's day was. I am also compelled by the relationship with the horse and hopefully will read more about that as well.
ReplyDeleteClare Pleuler
ReplyDeletePages 3-84
Grappling with identity
Throughout the first of three self imposed sections of the novel As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, I have found that a majority of the characters explicitly and continually grapple with their sense of identity. This prominent motif is developed throughout the entirety of the first part of the story, however I did not clearly identify this recurrence until late in the section. Once I identified this motif, though, I was able to recognize and relate it to other significant parts in the novel.
On page 79, Cash and Vernon are working tirelessly to finish Addie Bundren’s coffin. Mrs. Tull pleads with the boys to come in out of the steady rain, but they refuse, saying “We won’t be long.” and “We’ll be done after a spell.” It is practically dawn when Cash “drives the last nail and stands stiffly up and looks down at the finished coffin.” Then Cash, pa, Vernon and Peabody carry the finished coffin toward the house and set it down by the bed. During this ominous and seemingly methodical act by the men, the reader is given both a visceral and deep look into Darl’s thoughts and emotions, which is where the motif of identity becomes prominent.
The following two quotes reveal Darl’s inner turmoil and shed light on his tendency to grapple with his own and other’s identities: “And before you sleep what are you. And when you are emptied for sleep, you are not. And when you are filled with sleep, you never were. I don’t know what I am. I don’t know if I am or not. Jewel knows he is, because he does not know that he does not know whether he is or not. He cannot empty himself for sleep because he is not what he is and he is what he is not.” (Faulkner, 80)
“And since sleep is is-not and rain and wind are was, it is not. Yet the wagon is, because when the wagon is was, Addie Bundren will not be. And Jewel is. so Addie Bundren must be.” (Faulkner, 80)
As Darl struggles to puzzle out his own identity through “is” and “was” he uncovers complexities to the novel that I otherwise would have overlooked. This passage alone opened up a variety of new connections to be made. For example, this self reflection and internal confusion foreshadows Vardaman’s single, powerful line, “My mother is a fish.” (Faulkner, 84), and further explains some of Vardaman’s other musings, like when he reflects on the “not-fish” (page 53) or his interaction with the cow (page 55). It is also reminiscent of Jewel’s connection to the horse and Dewey Dell’s wonderment of her gender and nakedness. After I was able to identify this clear and vital motif, other connections and complexities of this novel became clear and allowed me to understand the story on a much deeper lever.
I also chose to investigate animals as one of the motifs in 'As I Lay Dying.' At this point in the book animals have come up in numerous scenes as well as used often in comparisons. As we discussed in class, and as Shae pointed out in her post, Jewel is especially connected with the horse, and Vardaman constantly makes references to a fish. There are two different passages that I chose to read closely.
ReplyDeleteOne of them was short and is on page 53. The excerpt is from a portion of the book where Vardaman is speaking: "Then I begin to run. I run toward the back and come to the edge of the porch and stop. Then I begin to cry. I can feel where the fish was in the dust. It is cut up into pieces of not-fish now, not-blood on my hands and overalls. Then it wasn't so. It hadn't happened then. And now she is getting so far ahead I cannot catch her." In this passage Vardaman is talking about the fish. The fish is a metaphor for his mother who is dying. This passage also brings up an interesting observation that Tucker made. Faulkner uses repetition in his writing to get a point across. This is displayed here as he repeats 'not' to emphasize the loss of life in Addie. Later, on the last page of this section, Vardaman clearly states: "my mother is a fish."
The other section I wanted to look at again started on page ten and includes Darl, Pa and Vernon. They are discussing where Jewel is. Faulker goes into great detail about his time spent in the barn. Although I agree with Shae's statements about Jewel's connection with the horse, I am still looking for more evidence and depth to that relationship. I have a feeling that it will become more complex as the book continues and look forward to picking up on it in the future.
On pages 82 and 83 Cash is describing the coffin. He uses a list structure and makes it seem as if the description is very logical and orderly. However, around number seven, the neatness and simplicity of the list is diminished. This was interesting to me because this is the same time when animal magnetism is brought into the topic.
So far, only two motifs have really stood out to me in the book, and since three people have already talked about animals (two people? Whatever. I'm not counting again) I'll talk about the other one.
ReplyDeleteIdentity as a concept is integral to As I Lay Dying, but it gets more specific in that in terms of grasping a motif. The focus seems to be something more along the lines of “identity in relation to the other.” We may have discussed this in class, but it is after 10:30 at night so I may just be imagining things. Regardless.
Almost all of the discussion of or references (directly or indirectly) to identity are done within the context of comparing the narrator to something else, or to comparing the character the narrator is discussing to something else. Darl and Vardaman come to mind, respectively.
Darl is consciously ambiguous. Of all the characters, he is the most central structurally, that is, in terms of conveying the story to the reader. He narrates things that he physically cannot be present to see (like Addie's death or the finishing of the coffin), and furthermore seems to be aware of things he cannot be physically present to see (Addie's death). All of the other characters (so far) have been more sternly rutted in their own perception of the reality around them (which is another thing I'll get to), but Darl is more loose. He is called a thinker (in a flawed way) by Tull, and of all of the characters he seems to be the most philosophical. Furthermore, he also speaks the most clearly and the most artistically, using clear words unaffected by dialect (when narrating away from himself, at least). This may be as a route for Faulkner to talk more traditionally in his narration, but even if that was the case the fact that he does it specially with character is noteworthy. Thus, more than any other character Darl is defined by (and defines himself by) the others around him both directly (his “is” speech) and indirectly, through his distant and distinct narration.
Vardaman defines another character in relation to an “other,” Addie vs. the fish. He is constantly thinking of her within the context of the fish which he caught, and often times the comparison can seem sort of murky and unclear (though that may just be me) but the comparison is still there. He has defined one character (one we have yet to hear from directly) by comparing her to something completely foreign and largely unrelated. He also seems to be the only character who understands this comparison, and his perception of the situation.
Which brings me to another thing, all of the characters identities are deeply rooted in how their perspectives are displayed (or visa versa). Although now most readers are accustomed to reading something with a firmly grounded and clearly understandable reality, this book does not seem to treat reality in that way. It is more fast and loose, and this is largely based on the vary individual portrayal of perception. One could make the suggestion that all of the characters were perceiving a different reality and it wouldn't be totally off base. Most characters are firmly within the bounds of their own perception, and seem more realistic and expected in that way. Other characters, though, have an understanding of things they weren't there too see. At least two that I know of, Darl and Addie (who I noticed comes up later in the book), who were both compared by Core (I think) as being compassionate thinkers, or something of that ilk.
While reading As I lay Dying, I notice motifs like horses and Addie's coffin. They are both mentioned a lot over this section of the book. While Addie's coffin has a big part in the plot with the different members of the family reacting to it, the horse are more less serious, but are put in often. With the coffin reactions, like with Jewel, when he gets angry at cash for building the coffin right outside of Addie's window. Also, like how Cash is really concerned with making the coffin perfect, I started to think that he is using it as a escape for Addie's death. I have also notice horses mentioned in the novel. Now other animals have been mentioned, like Vardaman's fish and it's relationship with him and Addie. Horses have mostly been mentioned with the trips the sons take to earn money. Like before they go on a trip, they had to get a team of horses, but Anse does not want to let them go at Addie's condition. There also was a scene where Jewel struggles to mount a horse at the same time as Addie's condition gets worse. Towards the end of the section where Tull talks about how he knew that Addies died before Peabody and his horses showed up. Horses are starting to represent the necessity of the condition and how quickly they needed to treat it.
ReplyDeletePages 3 - 84
ReplyDeleteMotif: Guts & Vomit... Innards?
Throughout the first section of As I Lay Dying, the themes of guts and vomiting come up a few times. I include vomiting because I believe that it is emptying of the contents of a stomach and guts are essentially thought of as the deep internal contents of a body, I believe they are directly interrelated. Both Vardaman and Dewey Dell are the two characters specifically connected to the two themes; Vardaman to vomiting, and Dewey Dell to guts. A cow also creates a connection with the theme of guts via Dewey Dell (to be explored later on).
The first mention of either of the two messy internal contents is in Anse’s narration. Vardaman brings in a specific fish, one which is associated with his mother throughout the novel. The fish is described as being full of blood and guts, similar to a hog. This connection is relevant in relation to Addie, as she is represented by the fish, all full of substance and its organs. At this point in the book, Addie has not yet died; thus, blood and guts can be thought of as life, and sustainment of life. Shortly thereafter in the book, Addie dies and the fish is gutted. Additionally, Dewey Dell describes herself as full of guts, and specifically full of Lafe’s guts, which blatantly points out her pregnancy. The guts inside Dewey Dell are directly representative of the life in the baby she is carrying. An irony in this case is the gutting and eventual cooking of the fish by Dewey Dell, who is thus performing an act contrary to what she contains; she is emptying and being far from nurturing, which she otherwise generally epitomizes, as a mother to her own internal guts/child and to her younger siblings, specifically Vardaman.
Another place in the book that vomiting and the image of guts comes up is less specific. When Addie dies, there is an immediate and intense reaction by her children. Vardaman participates in a particularly strange moment: “From behind pa’s legs Vardaman peers, his mouth full open and all color draining from his face into his mouth, as though he has by some means fleshed his own teeth in himself, sucking.” The image resembles the inner fluids and guts of a person, all red and intensely colored, and specifically reminded me of the guts Dewey Dell describes. The moment in which this image (described by Darl) comes up is also interesting... the death of Addie seems to directly connect with the removal of guts, as in the removal of the fish’s guts, and this seeming filling up of Vardaman’s mouth with a vomiting of color, and thus release of internal pressure, and possibly guts. As in a few chapters later, when Vardaman says that he “vomits the crying”, and can then breathe, he is perhaps releasing his sorrow or his sudden surges of feeling.
As previously mentioned, Dewey Dell describes herself as all full of guts, and later describes herself as full of Lafe’s guts, who impregnated her. Dewey Dell also describes a cow as an “old green-eating tub of guts.” Cows are always female, and this holds consistent with Dewey Dell being full of guts, as a soon-to-be mother. Also, Addie’s death being associated with the removal and release of the internal, in this case especially in a physical sense, can connect directly to the thought of having life be represented by guts carried inside, and Addie who is no longer a mother to her children, having died, is contrasted by the cow who carries milk and Dewey Dell who carries a child, both presenting something essential to those who rely on them. When Dewey Dell gives birth, she will transition from two lives to one life, and spew out her guts like the guts were removed from the fish, destroying the unborn body’s reliance on her own, though creating a new life, as the fish's death and cleansing provided food for a family, and as Addie's death provided substance for individual and familial growth.
PART 1
ReplyDeleteThis novel is very much about the subjectivity of death, and how death itself lives in the reactions of surrounding peoples and characters. When Peabody’s perspective is first added, he thinks the following while watching Dewey Dell fan the dying Addie, “I can remember how when I was young I believed death to be a phenomenon of the body; now I know it to be merely a function of the mind---and that of the minds of the ones who suffer the bereavement. The nihilists say it is the end; the fundamentalists, the beginning; when in reality it is no more than a single tenant or family moving out of a tenement or a town.”(Faulkner 43-44) The reader spends the time in the novel watching death’s character evolve through the eyes of the family members. Peabody states just that in his telling of death being a “function of the mind” of those who “suffer the bereavement.” In other words, those mourning characterize death, without them, it is merely the emptying of a body and a journey to bury a loved one.
“I am not crying now…Cooked and et.’”(Faulkner 56-57) The paragraphs between these phrases are the thoughts of Vardaman following Addie’s passing. The first section is his discussion of his own nothingness, how the emptying of Addie’s body leaves him to be “not anything” but the sounds of his own tears. This is particularly interesting as it shows his similarity to Darl with his “is” and “was” speech at the end of this section. It connects the characters as siblings, and shows the essence of death: without it there could be no “was” there would only be “is.” Even so, Addie “is” dead, which means Darl and Vardaman “was” alive(since their death follows hers within their own minds--as Peabody stated). Since the book focuses on subjectivity, what we see is the death of everyone through the death of one: “It takes two people to make you, and one people to die. That’s how the world is going to end.”(Faulkner 39) So with Addie’s death, each person suffers their own death without her. Vardaman is only a child, and he sees Addie’s “is” as the same as the fish he caught, since that is the only death he knows, and the only way death has a purpose besides to hurt him: to be eaten. He attempts to use the fish to distance himself from the reality of Addie’s passing, saying “an illusion of a coordinated whole of splotched hide and strong bones within which, detached and secret and familiar, an is different from my is.”(Faulkner 56) However desperate his efforts, he succeeds in connecting himself to both Addie and the dead fish, in calling them both is-es, saying they both exist, both broken by death, and he calls the “is” within the fish “familiar” connecting it to Addie, and to himself. Yet as a child, he can’t face that reality, there must be a layer separating the two, and he allows himself to believe there still is, saying “I am not afraid.”(Faulkner 57)
PART 2
ReplyDeleteJewel as well allows Addie’s “is” to live in another animal, his horse. “Down there fooling with that horse…You sweet son of a bitch,’ he says.” (Faulkner 11-13) spanning the area between those phrases is the description of Jewel’s relationship with the horse. We find out throughout the first 84 pages that Jewel earned the horse by his own labor every night for at least a month, and worried Addie sick doing so. He also has an abnormal attachment to the horse especially considering the scuffle that occurs throughout this passage. It seems to me, Jewel mimics his relationship with his mother with the horse, except he acts as his mother and the horse is himself. It is made evident that Jewel cares very little for his mother openly: “ ‘You got no affection nor gentleness for her [Addie]. You never had.’”(Faulkner 19) These are Anse’s words to Jewel. Despite this obvious rejection of his mother, Addie has an affinity toward Jewel that far exceeds that which she has for her other children. In his own way, Jewel seems to try to understand the nature of his own detachment, and his mother’s unnatural favoring of him. He accomplishes the task of seeing himself from her point of view. Not only this, it is a perfect picture of Jewel trying to conquer the evils within himself. In doing this, he would free himself from the unnatural separation of him and Addie. The curse is that he is stuck in the relationship with his horse and can find no connection besides blood-relation to his dying mother until he improves upon the nature of the horse---the nature of himself.
Pages 85-168
ReplyDeleteIn the second part of As I Lay Dying, another motif I noticed was God. One character, Anse, had questioned God’s purpose. Another character, Addie, had turned away from God completely.
On page 111, William Faulkner, through the character of Anse, says, “I am the chosen of the Lord, for who He loveth, so doeth He chastiseth. But I be durn if He don’t take some curious ways to show it, seems like.” The character of Anse says God chose him to exist, and because he exists, God loves him. But Anse is questioning God’s purpose. He is unsure whether God loves him because Anse is suffering now that his wife, Addie, is dead and Anse must travel to bury her coffin. I find it interesting how even though Anse is suffering, he still has some form of trust in God.
As for Addie, it seems that she lost – if she even had it to begin with – all trust in God. On page 166, the character of Cora claimed that she had said to Addie many times, “’God gave you children to comfort your hard human lot and for a token of His own suffering and love, for in love you conceived and bore them.’” With this quote, you can tell that Addie had resented herself for having children. Cora had tried to comfort Addie by saying that God allowed you to have children so they could comfort you and so you could love them. Addie must have resented God for allowing her to conceive and bear children.
It is also implied that Addie never forgave herself, or God, for having children. Cora said that Addie, “She just sat there, lost in her vanity and her pride, that had closed her heart to God and set that selfish mortal boy in His place.” Cora said that Addie was too lost in her self-pity to embrace God. It makes me wonder whether Addie was lost in her self-pity when she died.
Pages 85 - 168
ReplyDeletePassage Analysis, Page 100 - 102; “We are going to town....no town boys.” (Vardaman)
This passage begins and ends with Vardaman focusing on their journey to town, and also Christmas, but distantly. It quickly diverges and focuses on Jewel, and his horse. Jewel refuses to abide by his mother’s wishes, and instead sticks with his horse. Jewel’s attachment and devotion to the horse seems to be largely due to the fact that Jewel earned and raised the horse all by himself, and that it was the only thing truly only he owned. Moving on in the passage, Darl and Vardaman complicate Jewel’s relationship with the horse by analyzing it. Vardaman says, “Jewel’s mother is a horse.” This is charged with significance, because Jewel bonded with the horse like he refused to bond with his mother, and even after his death, he chooses to honor his horse over his mother by bringing the horse along on the journey rather than riding on the wagon. This demonstrates the intensity of the relationship, and also the independence Jewel garners from the horse, as he can ride separately and keep his distance, on his own property rather than something he relies upon his family for.
The complex and illogical sequencing of thought and dialogue comes up in this passage as well. Vardaman logically concludes that since Jewel’s mother is a horse, which is wildly illogical, then his mother can be a fish. (Appropriately, shortly after in the journey, Addie’s casket falls into the river, and thus Vardaman’s “fish” mother actually swims (page 151).) He then determines that this is not the case, and both dialogue and thought process are shown, though the reader cannot be sure which is which as the dialogue appears to be only one-sided; Vardaman responds to himself after saying, “Then mine can be a fish, can’t it Darl?” The next piece of dialogue is, “Then mine will have to be a horse, too.” There is no interjection by Darl, and the bit of information with which Vardaman would justify this apparent one-sided conversation is depicted as said internally, though it is possible that the reader is simply left to interpret the dialogue/thoughts as they choose, or in multiple ways.
The interpretation of logic and family continues as Darl explores the differences between “is” and “was”, and the relationship between a living mother and a living son, versus a dead mother and a living son. The speculation done by Darl in this passage is demonstrative of his perceptive thinking and feeling. He provides a base of comfort for Vardaman by stating that though Jewel’s mother is one thing, Vardaman can choose to have a different sort of mother. I believe Darl does this since he is aware of Vardaman’s grieving process, and his attachment to the image of his mother and the fish, and their connection as one and the same. The exploration of past and present, and the differences between the “is” of one person and the “is” of another (which is done both in this passage and in a previous passage, in which Darl narrates) reveals Darl as a deep thinker, and perhaps makes him easier to relate to. He is depicted as the most empathetic and perceptive character in the work, but he is still somewhat unclear on his conclusions, and this modesty marks him as a particularly relatable character. The passage as a whole ultimately demonstrates key characteristics of Darl, and as previously explicated, Jewel and Vardaman as well.
Cash Pg. 96, and Pg. 165
ReplyDeletethe entire story is told through multiple peoples perspective on individual conflicts,and the main conflict. Since the book is written as though it was just righting down each persons thought at an individual moment there is a lot of repetition, because people just keep thinking the same things over and over again. But no one does it more then cash. Over 70 pages of story he is still thinking the same thing. He told everyone that the coffin would not ride and tote unless they did something. But he never finishes his thought, But even though he doesn't finish his thought he just keeps thinking about that one thing. Although everyone else repeats themselves, everyone else also has thoughts about other thing going on around them. However cash doesn't, so it leads me to ponder on weather or not cash is just focusing on a certain problem to avoid the fact that ma is dead, or is he emotionally detached from the rest of the characters. If this is the case it would give reason to why he is so methodical about his work, and that he thinks in list, and repeats himself so much. So i am interested to read further into Cash's perspective to look for hints about him. Because for me he is the most interesting character, because we know so little about him.
The passage spanning “Now it begins to say it. New Hope three miles…I believe in God, God. God, I believe in God.”(Faulkner 121-122) contains the thoughts of Dewey Dell. The selection contains references to the animal and physical associations of death, as well as the “was” and “is” connections of pure being.
ReplyDeleteIt begins with Dewey Dell’s awareness that a crossroads is approaching in their journey: one that could lead them to a town named New Hope. This is a very telling name for a town, particularly because they pass it, and continue on. This leaves the family, particularly Dewey Dell in a rather unstable position, stuck dealing with a grief few or none of them have truly come to grips with.
Following this bit, she mentions “bones” and “entrails” something that was closely associated with the fish Vardaman caught in the previous section of the book, and mentioned also while Dewey Dell speaks in the same section “It‘s like everything in the world for me is inside a tub full of guts”(Faulkner 58). It’s a very physical and earthly description that suit’s the emotional turmoil and stomach churning feelings of the family. The paragraph after this is a description of more physical voids that are associated with the passions of death and the fear of closeness it brings. Dewey Dell talks about being naked again in the same manner she did when in the barn with the cow, “She nuzzles at me, snuffing, blowing her breath in a sweet, hot blast, through my dress, against my hot nakedness, moaning.”(Faulkner 61).The similarity between the two occurrences is the rawness and vulnerability that is implied by both. One is more of a sexual exposure(the first one) while the part in this section of the book is slightly different yet still unsettling close connection to Darl. The scene containing the killing of the fish and the killing of Darl suggests two things. The first we discussed in class, how having a deep empathizing understanding and connection with someone is frightening, and that leads to a striking out in defense(leading to the killing of Darl), and the other suggests a fear more poignantly directed toward death and the damage it does to a soul when the loss is someone they have developed a close relationship with. Since Dewey Dell has such an intimate connection with Darl, the only way she can prevent death from taking one she loves, is by taking him herself, and gaining a pseudo-control over the situation. By taking Darl’s life, she relieves some of her inner conflict about the loss of her mother “I heard that my mother is dead. I wish I had time to let her die…too soon too soon too soon.”(Faulkner 120).
Next she discusses a nightmare she had when she was sleeping with Vardaman. She has an experience of pure being, of no thought or connection with the world just sensation and a total lack of control. Control is what Dewey Dell is trying to get over her entire situation, she has no control over Addie’s death, she has no control over her relationship with Lafe, and she has no control over her connection with Darl. The world is just a swirling mess of spirits and things and decisions bumping into each other and she is constantly overwhelmed by them. This dream is an embodiment of her own feeling of loss and particularly the loss of her footing and grounded-ness to earth. She is simply floating through “is” and “was” and losing track of which is which. After this intense lack of control she says repeatedly that she “believe[s] in God,” a way to give herself control over at least the reason she has no control over her life. She tries to justify the things that are happening by putting them out of her hands, a decision only she can make.
Well, this is late. Still, you know, better than nothing. Here are some words.
ReplyDeletePerception and identity remain as integral in this section of the book as in the last one. This section adds yet more characterization onto all of the central characters of the book, which only serves to carry along the matter of identity. It seems that Jewel becomes more central to the theme of identity in this section. Whereas Darl seems to embody the concept through the shape of the story and of the narration itself, Jewel does within the story. He is trying very hard to be independent of the family, and to develop on his own without depending on the family. The Darl passage that talks about the family before Addie got sick is very prominently about this. Jewel is leaving the family behind in such a way that makes things harder for them, so that he can do something on his own. Despite wanting to be totally independent (also embodied through his riding separately), the family still depends on him to an extent. In this passage it seems rather selfish while still being admirable to an extent. The selfishness seems to be implied prominently by when Vardaman is asking to ride the horse (though that could be interpreted differently, like their conflicting embodiments of their mother). It also firmly reinforces Addie's seemingly one-sided loving relationship with Jewel, particularly since he thinks of the horse as more important. (As Darl has said, Jewel's mother is a horse).
But then Jewel seems to have some manner of redemption after the river crossing. Perhaps not anything as climactic as redemption, but something along those lines. As I said, there is the impression that the family still depends on him to an extent, and here he rises to that. He brings Addie back to the shore, and he gets most of Cash's tools. The whole moment gives an impression of the whole group rising to the occasion, not just Jewel. The exception being Cash (because he has a broken leg and is unconscious) and Anse. Anse doesn't do anything to really help the family along (which Cora points out before the passage, but afterward chronologically). He stands above Cash and repeats “If ever was such a misfortunate man.” He has resigned to the misfortune, instead of doing what the rest of the family is doing to try and fix the situation in some manner. Even Tull, who has no relation to the family, though he takes on a pseudo-paternal role throughout much of the book so far. He seems to be willing to bare the family's burdens in an attempt to weather them, while Anse just resigns to it.
Eleanor Keller
ReplyDeleteThird Section of: As I Lay Dying
Focus: Cash
Although I previously looked to investigate the role of animals in As I Lay Dying, I chose to focus this post on one of the characters, Cash. SImilarly to Tucker, I am enthralled by his obsession with the coffin. As I mentioned in class, his sections of the book are always about the physical being of the coffin. The last line of this section, after the scene with the river crossing, Cash states: "It wasn't on a balance. I told them that if they wanted it to tote and ride on a balance, they would have to" We discussed this passage in class and there was a disagreement over whether the sentence was supposed to be finished, or if Faulkner was implying that cash thinks the people too would have to ride on balance.
The idea of balance and perfection is crucial to Cash. When he makes a list about the coffin, earlier in the book, he tries to be completely orderly. Now, with Addie dead and the group on a trip to her burial, all order and normalcy has vanished. Also like Tucker, I am interested to see how Cash's feelings on the situation and general will be displayed through his obsession with the coffin.
So, I went on here to do my third post and was planning on looking at my first and second post, but for some reason my second section of writing didn't post, so here is my second post:
ReplyDeleteIn the first response, I focused on Jewel's connection with the horse in relation his with his mother. Throughout the second section, there were numerous references to this, starting with Darl saying he has no mother, that Jewel's mother is a horse. Vardaman also sees this later on in the book while questioning Darl. We then find out how Jewel managed to get the horse in the first place; by working to cut down trees each night and working at home during the day. This scene is especially important because Addie constantly defended Jewel, yet he almost betrayed her in a sense by lying to the family and staying out all night. The connection is seen between Jewel and the horse when they are crossing the river. They move fluidly together and work well together in this situation. In the beginning the horse was scared but Jewel managed to calm it down and got it to go across the river. But after the whole incident at the river, Jewel is seen punching the horse in the head repeatedly. Lastly, the horse helps Jewel rescue Cash and the coffin when in the water.
Jewel is very on and off with his horse. He constantly is either beating it or taking care of it like it is his child. I believe he sees the horse as Addie's soul so he takes care of it, but when things go wrong as they are on the trip he blames Addie for it.
Clare Pleuler
ReplyDeletePages 85 - 168
Addie’s coffin
“He came up to see and I hollering catch her darl catch her and he didn’t come back because she was too heavy he had to go on catching at her and I hollering catch her darl catch her darl because in the water she could go faster than a man and Darl had to grabble for her so I knew he could catch her because he is the best grabbler even with the mules in the way again they dived up rolling their feet stiff rolling down again...” (Faulkner, 150-151)
At this point in the novel, the reader receives a chilling account of the daunting hardships the Bundren family suffered the day their wagon flipped when trying to cross a river. The account is made perhaps more interesting because of the fact that it is given from the perspective of Vardaman, the youngest of the Bundrens. The dialogue by Vardaman is an unique account of what happened, which is explained in detail from Darl’s point of view prior to Vardaman’s section. In short, the team of mules were separated when crossing the river, ultimately causing the wagon sheers to cross. While Cash struggles to keep the reins in his hands and Addie’s coffin in arms length, the mules drown. After this, Vardaman’s account begins.
Addie Bundren is the epitome of a burden to her family, as her name cleverly implies. The entirety of the book is centered around this woman’s final wishes, not to say fulfilling them is not a noble thing to do. Her family sacrifices their possessions, their time and perhaps their health in order to carry out her last orders and give her the “proper” burial that she would have wished for. While it seems that nothing is clearer than the fact that Addie Bundren becomes a figurative burden for her family to carry, she also becomes a physical burden, too. The coffin that Cash so expertly made becomes a physical burden that the Bundren’s must toil with and sacrifice for throughout the entire novel. This is true in the first section of the story, where the family, especially Cash, puts everything they have into building her coffin and paying their proper respects. This recurring motif is also substantiated and developed when the family risks their lives to save Addie’s coffin when the wagon tipped and the mules drowned. The fact alone that the Bundren’s must tote this coffin the long way to Jefferson for her burial speaks to the thought that she is a physical burden as well. Addie’s coffin is most definitely a motif because of how constantly it is there, right under their noses, a continual reminder of both the figurative and physical burden the Bundrens carry. The coffin becomes like a gathering point for all of the family’s dysfunction, and putting it to rest is vital to the family’s ability to return to some sort of normalcy.
This motif has numerous layers to be peeled back and investigated because of the sheer effect that it has on the Bundren family. It acts as a constant reminder to not only the death of their mother Addie, but as evidence of the trials and tribulations they are taking to fulfill her wishes. Like mentioned before, her coffin functions as a perfect motif because it is always there, and it only gains more significance to the characters as the story continues. It is not until the coffin is finally laid to rest that the characters are able to move on with their life.
Clare Pleuler
ReplyDelete168-end
Tools, buying/selling
“But time I give him another sup of whiskey and supper was about ready, he had done already bought a team from somebody, on a credit. Picking and choosing he were by then, saying how he didn’t like this span and wouldn’t put his money in nothing so-and-so owned, not even a hen coop. “You might try Snopes,” I said. “He’s got three-four span. Maybe one of them would suit you.”
Then he begun to mumble his mouth, looking at me like it was me that owned the only span of mules in the country and wouldn’t sell them to him...” (Faulkner, 184-185)
At this point in the story, the Bundrens have taken a rest at Armstid’s home, a generous man who means well and wishes to help as much as he can. He tries to lend Anse a hand with his variety of predicaments, offering his food, home, and even his team of horses to the Bundren’s. It is not surprising that Anse refuses almost all of his offerings, being the stubborn man he has appeared to be thus far. The reader gets a rare look into the perspective of someone other than a Bundren family member, which perhaps sheds even more light on the reality of their situation while revealing different elements of the other characters. This particular quote explains one of many situations that are very alike in nature, as Anse is constantly finding a way to sell away his life and gain the things he has always wanted.
The motif of tools and the process of buying and selling certain items that allow for common functioning shows up constantly throughout this novel, and is something I found even more prominent in the last section. This quote in particular reflects Armstid’s thoughts and feelings on Anse’s decisions regarding buying things (a new team). Cash’s carpentry tools and Anse’s farm equipment that he eventually sells are all symbols of the normalcy and somewhat stable home that the Bundren’s had before Addie’s passing. The fact that the tools and equipment are being exchanged, traded or lost speaks to the absurdity and desperation of the family. It appears to the reader that Anse is the chief prospect when it comes to buying and selling important things in order to obtain other seemingly needed items. For example, Anse mortgages some of his equipment to purchase new mules. Even more notably, he sells Cash’s gramophone and Jewel’s horse to fulfill his own dreams, while perhaps destroying his son’s. The tools and equipment that Anse and the Bundren family are constantly trying to trade are a motif for the ever changing normalcy of their family as a whole. As things get traded away, so does the essence of each of the characters. The motif of tools and the direct relation that they have on many of the characters, most prominently Cash and Anse, is vital to characterization and the overall theme of the novel as a whole.
“It’s Cash and Jewel and Vardaman and Dewey Dell,” pa says, kind of hangdog and proud too, with his teeth and all, even if he wouldn’t look at us. “Meet Mrs Bundren,” he says. (Faulkner, 261)
168-end
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, As I Lay Dying I have been tracking this theme of substituted identities. This theme comes to a physical form after the fire. In class we discussed how the only character who seemed to give the reader a sense of the story is Darl, him being the only character who is not totally enthralled with their own form of grief. This also in some ways sort of makes him the balancing point of the family, both emotionally and literally, being the middle child. Darl is also one of the characters who has been most noted with the followed theme. The fire, and Darl’s hand in it can be seen his being overwhelmed at his role of being the balancing point until he literally explodes. Once he is sent away for his arson of the barn, the role of family balance needs to be filled, as in the theme of substituted identities. It turns out to be Cash who fills this role. Cash who is the character who’s sections as well as references to him are always full of movement, whether it be his constant sawing and building of Addie’s coffin, or his attempt to save the wagon and the tools and coffin within from the rushing river, now has to take on the stationary role of family rock. This transformation into a calm and central character is literally represented by the cementing of Cash’s leg after it is broken in the river. Because of his now rock encased leg, he has to stay put and take care of his family. Cash’s new stationary existence can also be seen in the way he speaks, it is much calmer and much less meticulous and complex.
168-end
ReplyDeleteReligion and the idea of a god in As I Lay Dying play a critical role in the entire work as a whole. Many of the characters address religion but they seem to each view it a bit differently. I see three ways of using religion as a tool in As I Lay Dying. 1. as a threat, 2. as a guide and 3. as a way of justifying an action.
1. Threat- Jewel’s life lacks stability and throughout the book, it is evident how complex his situation is but there is one thing that Jewel says over and over again. When Jewel is confronted with a question or issue (like when Cash is asking who Jewel’s father is), Jewel repeatedly replies with “goddamn you.” I think that Jewel uses this phrase as an offensive and defensive attack – he wants to feel like he is striking a nerve and scaring people when he says “goddamn you” but he also doesn’t know what else to say because he simply does not have the answers. He uses the phrase to deflect people from attacking him emotionally.
2. Guide- Many of the characters use god as a method for navigating their lives. I think the most interesting character to express his need for guidance is Whitfield. Whitfield is supposed to be the closest to God because he is a minister yet he commits a sin when he fathers a child through an adulterous relationship. I think that people would normally look to a religious figure like Whitfield when they are going through something as traumatic as burying a mother, like the Bundrens. I think that for Bundrens, religion offers a solace, an escape from the reality they are facing.
3. I think that many of the Bundrens use god’s logic to their advantage. Anse, for example, justifies his buying new teeth by saying that god meant for men to eat meat so he must buy the teeth in order to follow god’s wishes. I think this opens a window into the Bundren’s state of mind- they are eager to move on with their lives and they are willing to manipulate their beliefs and come up with any means necessary to do so.
Blog Post #3
ReplyDeleteWithin As I Lay Dying there are key parts in which birth and children are focused on. It is in Addie’s section and in Dewey Dell’s sections throughout the novel that Faulkner introduces and supports the perspective of pregnancy as creating a sense of reluctant obligation and regret, and of the subsequent birth of that child as being the death of the mother’s freedoms. It is mostly in Dewey Dell’s sections that pregnancy is brought forward, since she is pregnant during the entirety of the novel. It is through Dewey Dell’s repetition of phrases that she strongly conveys her thoughts and emotions; it is these repetitions that allow the reader to connect and sympathize with Dewey Dell’s outlook that her future is now hijacked by the child that grows within her. It is through Dewey that Faulkner flips the common notion of pregnancy from being “a wonderful gift” or “a blessing from God” to the force that denies a mother’s dreams and goals and condemns her to a life not following her intended path.
As for birth, it is in Addie’s section that the important connection of birth and death is created by Faulkner. Addie explains that with Cash’s birth, she died as the person she wanted to be, and that her solitude was forever ruined by the prospects of raising children. Addie’s affair with Whitfield adds a new perspective on birth for her, as she sees Jewel’s birth as a constant reminder of the sin she committed, and it is the births of Dewey Dell and Vardaman after Jewel that Addie views as a sort of retribution, but also as repentance. She believes that by bringing two more children into the world, she can make up for the moral lapse she was caught in, and subsequently branded by with Jewel.
It is through these perspectives that Faulkner creates a cynical challenge to the commonplace views of pregnancy and birth. He relates birth to death strongly, pointing it out as the beginning of the end for the mother involved, as her life is no longer within her hands to do with as she pleases. Faulkner’s impressive pieces through Dewey Dell and Addie back up these points and create a theme that is seen throughout the novel.
Pgs. 168-end
ReplyDeleteIn the third and final section of As I Lay Dying, I noticed that a motif was flesh and blood. Addie started off the section with, “When the switch fell I could feel it upon my flesh; when it welted and ridged it was my blood that ran, and I would think with each blow of the switch: Now you are aware of me! Now I am something in your secret and selfish life, who have marked your blood with my own for ever and ever.” Addie was pained by the fact that she was alive. This pain was described as being so great that she could feel her blood run through her veins. Addie also said that every time she felt this pain, Anse would be aware of her as being something in his “secret and selfish life.” This means that he would acknowledge his wife wasn’t happy. Addie also described herself as being marked by Anse’s blood, meaning that she felt like she was his property. Addie may have felt that her body was owned by her husband, but her soul was always hers to keep and, in some ways, to guard.
Later on in the novel, on page 228, Anse said, “’I just never wanted to be beholden to none except her flesh and blood.’” Anse validated the fact that he was only after her body, not her soul. Maybe if Anse had tried to connect with her soul, Addie would have been happy. But unfortunately, that is not how the story went.
Shaelyn Lake
ReplyDeletePgs. 168-End
Jewel and his horse
Throughout the novel, I have followed the relationship between Jewel and the horse he earned. In the last section, there was less instances because Jewel winds up selling his horse for the family.
The first time the horse is mentioned in the last set of chapters is when Jewel allows Anse to ride the horse. Armstid is amazed by this and believes this is the first time Jewel has ever allowed anyone else to ride the horse. Later on, Jewel finds out that Anse made an arrangement to sell the horse, angering Jewel. The next time the horse is brought up is while in Vardaman's point of view. He speaks of Jewel and the horse leaving during supper time. Jewel runs away with the horse after finding out Anse wants to sell the horse. Later, again in Vardaman's point of view, he sees Jewel walk up and sit on the wagon, realizing Jewel sold the horse after running away. Another instance is when Darl brings up that Jewel's mother is a horse and questions who Jewel's father is. Lastly, the horse is brought up when Darl goes crazy. Cash thinks Jewel was too hard on Darl, causing him to tip. But he also gives Jewel a little leeway because he had sold his horse that night.
All and all, Jewel sacrifices everything for that horse and winds up selling it in order to bury Addie. So, in summary, I believe by selling the horse, he was able to let go of Addie.
Eleanor Keller
ReplyDeletePage 168 - End
Role of Women
Throughout the entirety of: As I Lay Dying, the role and feelings of women have been brought up in multiple ways. The ending, with the under-explained burial of Addie and the sudden change in Anse, made me look back and reflect on the rest of the book in relation to it's portrayal of women.
As we mentioned in class a few weeks ago, this family and their story is one of burdens. The characters have memories, experiences, and futures that put a burden on each of their shoulders. As a group they exemplify the intense difficulties that are often found in life. Like Brian mentioned in his blog post, the burden I chose to focus on was the one of children. Dewey Dell's insecurities and questions about her pregnancy have been displayed throughout the whole book. As a woman they are something she must carry with her. Addie's portion of the book, starting on page 168, gave me a new outlook. The tone in which she speaks of her life is sad and at times, seems full of regret. She also speaks of her children as objects in relation to her and Anse, and in relation to her life at home. She steers away from recognizing them as individual people and characterizes them, even now as adults, from what her life was like at the time of their birth. And by the time that she has given birth, she has lost her 'aloneness' and see's her life as having little reason anymore. This way that children seem to bring sadness to the main characters' (both women in these cases) lives interests me and clearly represent the burden being places on their sex (in the context of this book).
As I said in the beginning of this post, the end of the book is what made me look at the way women were portrayed throughout the whole work. This is mostly due to Anse's insincerity in his motives for traveling to Jefferson. Rather than focusing on the burial of Addie, Faulkner chooses to highlight the true reasons for the families trip. Anse has quickly moved on to find his new wife. Evan worse than that, is his 'new teeth,' when even those are considered more important that Addie.
For the last part of the book in As I lay Dying, there are certain motifs like the horses and Addie's coffin found throughout the section. Like most of the book, obviously Addie's coffin is one of the major parts of the book, but the horse motif makes it's appearance known. The family's actions towards the coffin is also very prevalent in the this section and the book. The first time Addie's coffin was mentioned in this section was when the minister Whitfield goes to confess about the affair with Addie. Of course when he finds out that she is dead, he decides not to tell them. Cash has a major affect on the family and the coffin. With him giving up his leg piratically to make sure that everyone can bury and put their mother to rest. Also there is the whole situation with Darl burning down the barn that their mother's coffin is in. I agree with what we said in class about how he did it to give the rest of the family relief from burying their mother. Horses have huge effect on some of the family, mostly Jewel. The other members are effected by horses through Jewel. Like I am sure that Jewel was not too happy when Anse sold his horse, that he thinks his is mother, to buy a team of mules. Jewel at first does not want to give up his horse and he runs away with it, but eventually brings it to it's new owner. When Darl burns down the barn, Jewel runs in and tries to save the coffin and the horses while risking his life.
ReplyDeletePages 169 - End
ReplyDeleteI became interested in the character Mrs Bundren when I first read the line in which she is mentioned on page 235. She is presented in a vague way; Cash says, “He set that way all the time we was in front of Mrs Bundren’s house, hearing the music, watching the back of Darl’s head.” The focus of the sentence is event directed away from this mysterious figure when Cash mentions Darl and reignites the reader’s interest in his status. My intrigue was heightened when posed a possibility by Mr. Cook: “...Consider the possibility (which to me seems likely) that Cash (who is narrating in the past tense) is looking back from a vantage in time after Anse remarries. Cash is then projecting the title ‘Mrs. Bundren’ onto a woman who at the time of the spade sceen was not yet Mrs. Bundren.” I am thus keen on exploring this possibility.
The second time Mrs Bundren is mentioned, Cash merely states, “He pulled up at Mrs Bundren’s.” When I first read this passage, I assumed Cash was referring to a family member of Anse’s. In retrospect, however, I have a bounty of evidence pointing to the possibility that Cash is merely narrating a past scene. Most blatantly, when looking at the passage after having completed the book, the following lines stand out in particular to me: “It was like he knowed. Sometimes I think that if a working man could see work as far ahead as a lazy man can see laziness. So he stopped there like he knowed, before that little new house, where the music was.” In this line, Cash seems to be referring to Anse knowing that Mrs Bundren would be the woman he was to marry after Addie’s death (assuming that Mrs Bundren is Anse’s wife), and thus stopped at her house specifically.
Upon further investigation of this chapter of Cash’s narration, I noticed a particularly interesting passage: “It was better to get her (Addie) underground, now we was this close, just waiting until pa borrowed the shovel. He drove along the street until we could hear the music.” When looking at it with the possibility of a retrospective narration in mind, it seems that “waiting” refers to waiting for Mrs Bundren to come into their lives and replace Addie; this also makes sense in relation to “getting her underground”, and the family would want to bury their mother and put her at rest and peace before replacing her, so that she may not see their slight betrayal.
(Continued)
(Continued)
ReplyDeleteLower on page 236, Cash interacts with Darl. “‘He’ll get it too,’ Darl said. ‘Ay’, I said. It was just like he knowed, like he could see through the walls and into the next ten minutes.” This leads me to the conclusion that what Darl “knowed” was the future of Anse and Mrs Bundren, and the decision made between the two that they would marry; as Cash says, he sees what goes on in the house in the following ten minutes. The final page of the book brings up Darl yet again, and further explicates Mrs Bundren’s introduction to the reader as Mrs Bundren before she is, in fact, Mrs Bundren. (And if you are to relate this to names, before she takes on Anse’s burden. But that’s another story.) Cash narrates, “And then I see that the grip she was carrying was one of them little graphophones. It was for a fact, all shut up as pretty as a picture, and everytime a new record would come from the mail order and us setting in the house in the winter, listening to it, I would think what a shame Darl couldn’t be to enjoy it too. But it is better so for him. This world is not his world; this life his life.” This passage offers a few complexities to interpret. Cash expresses disappointment of sorts that Darl cannot enjoy the music, but he states that it is better for him to not hear the music. I believe this relays the fact that it is better for Darl to not experience Mrs Bundren as a family member, and a replacement for Addie. Darl’s connectedness to his mother, psychologically and with his presence as an intensely empathic character, would likely make it difficult for him to accept the rapid turnaround of Addie’s death, and the seemingly immediate recovery of the family. The next complexity in this passage reveals the narration to take place at a time in the future. When Cash discusses the records, he seems to be referring to a time after Mrs Bundren has moved in with the rest of the Bundren family, and instances in the winter. The season of the scene Cash is narrating appears to be summer. Ultimately, the timeframe in which each narration takes place, be it Cash’s or that of another character, is important to the fiber of the book.
PART 1
ReplyDeleteIn the last section of the book we hear the voice of Addie and watch as Darl loses his mind. Addie speaks about motherhood and the emptiness of words, how they cannot possibly have meaning, they are simply lacks to fill lacks. Not only this but her entire narrative explains the purpose of life, which she says is to “get ready to stay dead a long time.”(Faulkner 169) She explains how both she and Anse are dead, using the word living to try to fill a lack. Their marriage was far from perfect, Addie had an affair, and never found a living purpose for her life, even in motherhood. Dewey Dell seems to inherit her mother’s mothering, attempting to abort her child for the whole end of the book. She seems to know that the life inside her can live and be without life, just as Addie was, not only this but she is aware of the lack of interest Addie had in motherhood, and seems to believe it will only fill a lack that for a seventeen year old doesn’t exist in the first place. In the same way Anse informs Addie “ ‘ you and me aint nigh done chapping yet, with just two.’”(Faulkner 173), Lafe gives Dewey Dell the money and tells her to get rid of the child. Though opposites, Dewey Dell also allows a man to control her attitude toward her children. Since Addie is dead to her children from the beginning(not really mothering those who cared and caring only for those who did not), so Dewey Dell’s child is dead to her as well. Dewey Dell, like Addie, objectifies her child, never showing any emotion when trying to “get something for it” but merely stone faced concerning the “it” that she refers to her child as. This highlights Addie’s focus on the names of her children and Anse, “And when I would think Cash and Darl that way until their names would die and solidify into a shape and then fade away, I would say, All right. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what they call them.” (Faulkner 173) and “Why are you Anse. I would think about his name until after a while I could see the word as a shape, a vessel, until the jar stood full and motionless: a significant shape profoundly without life like an empty door frame; and then I would find that I had forgotten the name of the jar.”(Faulkner 173) Addie’s obsession is why we give names to things when the names mean nothing, especially to her, who can’t even find meaning in the objects themselves. No matter what she calls her children it doesn’t change that they are just objects in her lives, in the same way salvation, sin, and the jar are objects to her that don’t change how she lives for death. They are dead and unmoving, the names, same as she is.
Anse is like an object. An object will remain still unless acted upon by an outside force, and an object will remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. The only force that affects his motion is Addie. It is said, by Addie, that he has “ ‘a house and a good farm. And you live there alone, doing for yourself, do you?’”(Faulkner 171) This suggests that before Addie he was a hard-working man, doing all he had to keep his farm up and running, since he had no one. Once Addie comes into the picture, he changes to a man who hates to sweat, who never works, just depends on others to get things done. When Addie passes, he is forced to move again, unable to depend on anyone, except for the pity which he yearns for. He is a burdened man, burdened by Addie’s life and burdened by her death. Once Addie is buried, he is in need of another burden, another Bundren, and in need of someone to stop his movement. So comes Mrs. Bundren. Anse’s objectivity is governed by Addie’s and those of the children are governed by each other, is’s affects by was’s and consciousnesses bumping into objects. Darl and Dewey Dell especially have an ability to see only the objectivity of consciousness, ignoring the outer folds on shape and vessel, seeing only the meaning with the lack of name. Being a name without meaning is just as frightening as the meaning without the name.
PART 2
ReplyDeleteBoth Darl and Addie have an affinity to the meaning of a face, since a face is associated with a name and connected to a lack of meaning. Addie says “the words are the deeds, and the other words that are not deeds, that are just the gaps in people’s lacks, coming down like the cries of the geese out of the wild darkness in the old terrible nights, fumbling at the deeds like orphans to whom are pointed out in a crowd two faces and told, That is your father, your mother…I would think of sin as I would think of the clothes we both wore in the world’s face…I would not have cared. I merely took the precautions that he thought necessary for his sake, not for my safety, but just as I wore clothes in the world’s face.”(Faulkner 174-175) This points to the way father and mother are just faces, objects, names, that mean nothing to children without experiences, and associations. The world’s face is where the words come from, the attire we pretend to have based on the name we are given, Addie pretends to be burdened as a Bundren, but seeks white purity in a sin with Whitfield She pretends to be a mother because she is, but sees her children as meaning for the word lack of virgin, rather than children. Not only this, but the reference to “clothes in the world’s face” is a clear reference to the sin of Adam and Eve, being aware of their nakedness(something Dewey Dell seems to be very aware of during many of her singular monologues). Addie states that her sin is what it is though, that her precautions are another object, something the world gives a name to, which has no meaning, but rather the action itself has a meaning for her.
Darl too, has an affinity to faces, but only after his sanity has left him. “They pulled two seats together so Darl could sit by the window to laugh. One of them sat beside him, the other sat on the seat facing him, riding backward. One of them had to ride backward because the state’s money has a face to each backside and a backside to each face, and they are riding on the state’s money which is incest. A nickel has a woman on one side and a buffalo on the other; two faces and no back. I don’t know what that is. Darl had a little spy-glass he got in France at the war. In it it had a woman and a pig with two backs and no face. I know what that is. ‘Is that why you are laughing, Darl?’ ‘Yes yes yes yes yes yes.‘”(Faulkner 254)
PART 3
ReplyDeleteHere, connected with Addie, we see the effects of having a face for a mother and a face for a father. They were both objects, neither parenting him, simply leaving him like an orphan fumbling in a crowd. The law has two faces: it protects and it betrays, depending on what side you are on. For Darl, the law protects Jewel who protected his mother’s objectivity. Darl is victim to the law, seeing its second face, neither one has meaning. The deeds he did and the deeds Jewel did, those have meaning (just as the quote from page 174 says--the words that have meaning are where people do not lack, where their purpose exists. So for Darl, where the law ceases to have meaning, is where he begins to exist. In trying to rid himself and the family of Addie’s burden, he himself becomes an “is,” something other words have to be concerned about. In finding his meaning, he loses the meaning of all words, not really making coherent sense in speech, saying only “yes yes yes yes yes.” Darl also refers to women in his speech, and to incest. It has been said in class that the relationship between Dewey Dell and Darl is strangely sexual-seeming. Here is the hidden meaning in incest. Though Dewey Dell seems like a woman, she is a buffalo when Darl is being taken away. Then there is the woman with two backs and no face. Dewey Dell has never turned her face toward Darl, she’s never really spoken to him, or noticed him besides the constant bumping of their consciousnesses, she’s been a constant back, with meaning but never turning toward him for fear of what it might actually mean. In her pouncing when the men come to take him away, she betrays Darl, turning her back more firmly on him when he needs her help the most. In meaning there is danger of being outside society, outside all connections, and that is what Darl finds. Darl makes meaning of objects and names and knows the absurdity of fitting them to words. He knows the sting of betrayal and the ache of failure. He fully feels Addie’s death and Dewey Dell’s nakedness, and the face of the world staring at him. Though all characters seem to muscle through the pain, handling it in their own manner, Darl is the only one who seems to give in to it, and chooses to find meaning in the is he is and the was of Addie.
So.
ReplyDeleteHow 'bout those Bundrens.
The final third of the book really pulls a lot of things together in a way that changes how one sees the first two thirds of the book. Addie Bundren now appears to be a bitter and unpleasant person, Jewel is a product of infidelity, and Anse is shown to have completely different motivations than we have been lead to expect. These things all spoke out in different ways that affect the interpretation of the characters differently.
Interpretation of Addie is obviously subjective. To me, she appeared to be unpleasant and course. Though this implied characterization of her can come through earlier in the book, that comes primarily from Cora, a character who comes off as judgey and is thus not taken seriously in terms of interpreting characters. But her final spiteful wishes to her family and her perceptions of them as shown in her section make her appear to be closer to that interpretation than originally thought. But the thing that stood out to me most about her section was how she thought of her children. Particularly “And now [Anse] has three children that are his and not mine.” Jewel is obviously one of Addie's children. Vardaman and Dewey Dell are obviously two of Anse's children. That leaves the question over which of the remaining two belongs to which parent, so to speak.
Though my original thought was Darl, after class discussion I'm less confident. Darl and Cash both share different traits with their mother, so it could theoretically be either one. But based on her treatment of the children, I've changed my mind. I think Addie thinks of Cash and Jewel as her children. When describing the word love in her passage, Addie also establishes a relationship with Cash that she doesn't with the other children. A sort of direct dialogue that isn't shown with the others: “Cash did not need to say [love] to me nor I to him, and I would say, Let Anse use it, if he wants to.” This characterizes both of them, in a way. They don't need to be overt with their relationship. She says “Cash.” and he shows her the board and they carry on. They are stoic, they decide what they need to do, and then they do it without second thoughts or hesitation. They bare their burdens and do not complain about it, as opposed to Anse, who complains about more burdens than he takes on.
And then there is Darl. I was looking in the early part of the book (making sure that Addie actually says “Cash.”) and Cora describes Darl when he is looking at his mother as silent, his “heart too full for words.” If there are two characters in the whole book who love Addie Bundren it is Darl and Jewel, and of the two Darl seems the most overt about it. But of those two, Addie is only affectionate with Jewel. Darl wants so desperately to be loved, throughout the book, but instead he just watches Addie's silent affection for Jewel. But Addie and Darl share a sort of elevated level of thinking that separates them from the rest of the family. Addie has an “is” speech that is similar to Darl's. It seems she can see through a lot of people, more into what they are really. It comes through if you think of when she is describing words as similarly describing the people those words symbolize. Darl has a deeper, more empathetic (and seemingly clairvoyant) level of understanding, but it is similar. And perhaps it is a more important similarity than the one Addie shares with Cash.
(But wait, there's more!)
ReplyDeleteBut both Jewel and Darl have a conflicting sort of love for Addie. Jewel shows a sort of outward disregard, but seems to love her more deeply than anyone, despite the sort of abuse. Horse metaphor, all that stuff. Darl, on the other hand, loves her but seems to be more able to see into her unpleasantness, perhaps more than anyone else in the book. (Unless the ending implies Anse could see it as well, but the ending implies other more unpleasant things about him as a person). I read an interpretation of Darl's actions as him seeing that Addie was bitter and angry and purposefully attempting to let the coffin sink into the water and setting the fire fully with the intent of ending her bitterness. I don't buy that, but there is some substance in that interpretation. By the time of the fire, Darl sees the kind of burden Addie has laid on the family, and he has decided to set fire to the barn, not out of spite for her, but in an attempt to keep the family stable. He was trying to free them of her burden. But he still loved her, hell, he cried on her coffin. Literally on top of it. Like Jewel's, Darl's love is a conflicted love, but in this case he chose to value the family over Addie, where as Jewel chose to value Addie over the family (which perhaps makes sense, given that Jewel is only half related to everyone). But by the time Darl is arrested, it is again underlined that Darl and Jewel are the only ones who really loved her (interesting that both of them were away from her when she died. Just realized that). Jewel is angry at him for almost burning the coffin, Cash wants to get rid of him for practical reasons (no court case), and Dewey Dell attacks him because his empathetic nature forces her to confront herself in ways that make her uncomfortable.
I mentioned in class that Darl has an established relationship with each family member, where as not all family members interact with each other much. He is the spoke in the wheel of the family, at least in part because of his empathy, which is why he works as a narrator. He sees into everyone and interacts with them directly. So let me set a few things down, and then bring it back to a main point. This will be a bit of a simplification, but stay with me, I'm talking about the apparent primary reasons for the characters to care about the trip, based on the whole novel. Note, I'll be largely ignoring Vardaman, because I have no idea what to think of him. He doesn't seem to lose anything over the trip, like the others do. But I digress.
Cash cares about this trip in a plainly practical way. He is doing what he has to do, and then he'll be done.
Dewey Dell cares about this trip because she wants to be rid of her baby. (Interesting to note Addie didn't have much love for her children either.)
Jewel cares about this trip because of his love for his mother.
Anse cares about this trip because he wants to be rid of the burden of Addie.
But Darl cares about this trip because he has an investment in his family members. So, it might not be the fire that drove Darl mad, but rather than the betrayal by his family members he had an emotional investment in, which then parallels his relationship with Addie.
Part One: pgs 1-84
ReplyDeleteI'd like to talk about my huge frustration with this book. Even at the beginning, I was constantly confused about what was happeneing. The thing that bothered me at first was the fact that Darl and Jewel have to be the closest to Addie, but however, they are far away when she dies. Darl knew she was going to die before they came back, so why did he and Jewel leave instead of staying during her dying hours which every person in there right mind would do? I believe Faulkner gives Darl a lot of power over the story and because he has somewhat a jealousy towards the love between Addie and Jewel. Jewelappears to be the favorite and had grown up a very spoiled child. He wanted to take Jewel out of the picture of Addie's death to give her somewhat of a misery before she expires. Jewel clearly cares about his mother but didn't plan on saying goodbye before she dies, but however wanted alone time with her. As well as showing that her death affects both of them a lot more over the other characters. Dewey Dell is more furious at being Addie's nurse, while contemplating her brief "encounter" with Lafe and Anse, who is Addie's husband, is really selfish and becomes absorbed in his own concerns at the time.
while reading this book i have always been interested in what each character is thinking, mostly because that is how the story is told to you. My favorite narration was always cash's because even though he was the most straight forward and simple when he narrated, he always had some hidden ideas or feelings crouching in between the truth. Or in other words he was the easiest to read but one of the harder ones to understand why they where doing what they were doing. Cash stays like this up until darl gets trained off to jail. After this cash begins to be more inciteful in his passages about what is going on around him, instead of focusing on one problem that he had to face. I feel this is to show that cash is emotionally getting past his mother dying. I also think that Faulkner only added cash into the story to ad a more neutral passage earlier, so that people could tell what was really happening in the story and the things that were happening inside peoples head.
ReplyDeleteOn a separate note throughout the book i had thought Vardamen was older then he is perceived to be at the end of the book. vardamen had always appeared to me to be a strange intellectual teenager at the beginning, Talking about how his mother was a fish. Similar to how jewel thought his mother was a horse. But after darl goes crazy i began to see how young Vardamen was. He kept obsessing over the fact that darl was his brother and that he had gone on a train. This repetition lead me to think that he was a much younger boy that couldn't figure out what had happened to darl, an he kind of lost it. However unlike darl he did not go crazy, he was just a little boy that had to deal with a lot of stress and loss in the family. So it seems more logical now that he would seem a little closed off. So to Faulkner i would have liked to be informed of his younger age earlier, so i could properly assess his mentality earlier, then i would have been able to understand him better earlier in the book.