Addie and her effects on the Bundrens

I, as I think most everyone did when reading the first part of As I Lay Dying, thought Addie was a stereotypically hard working, good, caring mother, who was stuck with a dysfunctional husband and ended up doing all the work for the family to keep it functional. When we read Addie's narration in the book, it is obvious that this is simply not true. She absolutely hates raising her children, seems to hate Anse, and doesn't really care for any of her children, except Jewel, whose father isn't even Anse. This brings up a lot of questions in my mind regarding the nature of the family before Addie dies. How did it even function?

I think that Cash must deserve a lot of credit. He had to have helped the family run immensely. During the book, we do see that Cash's mind is always on the task at hand or what he needs to do in the future. He never doddles or wanders or complains. He seems to be the father that Anse never was. I get the feeling that he did most of the grunt work for the family and probably got the other children motivated to help, namely Darl, because Jewel seems completely disinterested most of the time and Vardaman seems too young to be of much use.

Dewey Dell probably also helped quite a bit. We don't know how much Addie did help around the house (presumably preparing dinner, cleaning, standard farm-wive stuff, etc), but it was clear during her chapter that she did not enjoy it and there is a good chance she did not care to do a quality job. I seem to faintly remember Dewey Dell preparing a meal without much trouble at the beginning of the book when her mother is sick, so I doubt she was a stranger to taking over at home.

The fact that Addie loved Jewel so much more than her other children, despite his seemingly lack of interest in her, even when she was dying, shows that she really really really hated Anse, enough to go so far as to be cold to the children that he made with her, despite their loving actions towards her. Faulkner does a great job depicting how Anse's children feel about Addie, with Dewey Dell fanning her, Darl wanting to say goodbye to her, Cash proudly making her casket. Yet she still seems to just not appreciate anything they do. Does she really think they are just destined to be like Anse? Although Anse is dysfunctional, it's not like he's abusive or anything, and from what we see, he does love Addie and does unintentionally create sympathy (or maybe just pathy - he's pathetic) for himself.

I think to really know the full extent of Addie's relationship with the rest of the Bundren's, as well as Jewel, we have to know more about Whitfield, the man that Addie has an affair with. Addie must think highly of him to some degree, considering the way she idolizes her child that she had with him. As the book comes to a close, I hope we get more insight into Whitfield and his relationship with Addie and possibly Jewel.

Vardaman - I Just Don't Understand Him

I was assigned to report on Vardaman in class the other day. I compiled what I thought was a good list of facts but soon I realized I had no idea what I was talking about. I really really just don't understand Vardaman at all. Granted, I do remember little from my early school-aged days, but I definitely remember not thinking my family members were fish. 

I try to make sense of what Vardaman is saying by going into the head of a young boy. Young children always need an explanation for everything, and I think that is what Vardaman is doing when he decides his mother is the fish he caught. His mother dies around the same time the fish is caught and killed, so it is only reasonable for a young boy to believe that his mother is indeed the fish. This idea that Vardaman just needs an explanation also comes up when he is blaming Doctor Peabody for the death of his mother. In Vardaman's mind, the sequence of events basically goes, mother is alive, Peabody arrives, Peabody leaves, mother is dead. If we just had that information, it is not at all implausible to suggest that Peabody killed her. Vardaman probably didn't know he was a doctor just trying to help. 

I find it very interesting how Faulkner writes as a boy of Vardaman's age. Does he really, accurately know what goes through the minds of children at his age, in his situations? I think that just maybe, it is possible that part of the reason that Vardaman is so out there is the author's relative inexperience to being and thinking as a seven year old boy. I do, however, think it is really awesome that we get to see some of the story take place through the eyes of a young boy. I've never read a book where the narrator is so young.