“Sometimes I ain’t so sho who’s got ere a right to say when a man is crazy and when he aint. Sometimes I think it aint none of us pure crazy and aint none of us pure sane until the balance of us talks him that-a-way. It’s like it aint so much what a fellow does, but it’s the way the majority of folks is looking at him when he does.”
(Faulkner, 233)
As I read the remainder of the novel, this quote instantly stood out to me. Cash has been the least vocal throughout the majority of the novel, in comparison to the other Bundrens. However, in light of the situation that arises as a result of Darl incinerating the barn and now his clouded speech, Cash begins to have a more centered voice. I believe that there is really no other way to reflect upon such scenario, than to respond in a protective manner. His life has been filled with chaos, not to mention the almost comical ‘parade’ they’ve made up to Jefferson with the rotting corpse of their mother. To top it all off, his brother has just attempted to burn down the barn in order to rid the family of Addie’s corpse. The more I read this quote over, the more sense it made. Who is to say what is right and what is wrong, sane or insane? Cash has had his leg covered in cement, his brother thinks his mom is a fish, his family has lost property and above all, any dignity they might have had, but at the end of the day, in some twisted manner, it makes sense to them. It’s a style of living that they have been accustomed to: constantly being judged and belittled. We’ve passed judgment on every character as we’ve been reading this novel, but who is to say what personal ideals have led us to such conclusions. I think that Cash has been able to understand this flaw in society: to judge others irrationally, and thus accepting the ‘craziness’ of his family as just a misconception of those looking in.
Discussion question: Now that Cash finally has a chance to voice his thoughts, has it had a bigger impact on the reader to be able to hear it from his perspective rather than Darl’s?
No comments:
Post a Comment