It's not my day to post, but I thought this map might prove helpful to some. I didn't even know what all states were considered part of "The South" before I saw it. This is THE SOUTH, as made official by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Showing posts with label Faulkner: As I Lay Dying. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faulkner: As I Lay Dying. Show all posts
Monday, February 6, 2012
THE SOUTH
It's not my day to post, but I thought this map might prove helpful to some. I didn't even know what all states were considered part of "The South" before I saw it. This is THE SOUTH, as made official by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
"Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes"
"Darl has gone to Jackson. They put him on the train, laughing, down the long car laughing, the heads turning like the heads of owls when he passes. "What are you laughing at?" I said.
"Yes yes yes yes yes."
Two men put him on the train. They wore mismatched coats, bulging behind over their right hip pockets. Their necks were shaved to a hairline, as though the recent and simultaneous barbers had had a chalk-line like Cash's. "Is it the pistols you're laughing at?" I said. "Why do you laugh?" I said. "Is it because you hate the sound of laughing?"
... Darl is our brother, our brother Darl. Our brother Darl in a cage in Jackson where, his trimmed hands lying light in the quiet interstices, looking out he foams.
"Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes" (253).
Darl's final section just does it for me. The voice we relied on for reason and the slightest of normalcy is now lost somewhere in the ashes of that burned barn. It seems somewhat ironic that the act meant to be the one which would snap the family out of the madness backfires and instead puts Darl into this crazed state of mind. I can't stop but wonder if he was actually crazy all along. Even in the earlier part of the novel he claims to be hearing the thoughts of those around him, and we also know that he "witnesses" occurrences that he is not actually present for. "As you enter the hall, they sound as though they were speaking out of the air about your head" (20). By the end of the novel, it seems that Darl loses this aspect of himself and succumbs to the madness all around him. He can no longer see through the perspectives of his siblings and assumes what they are saying in his broken mind. "Darl is our brother, our brother Darl. Our brother Darl..." He becomes one with all of which surrounds him and falls victim to his family's final judgment; and they hardly care at all. The question he keeps asking himself is also quite intriguing; why exactly is he laughing? Could it be that when one reaches a point of unbelievability and ridiculousness towards a situation, one can't help but just laugh at it? I've seen this pattern all too much in several other places and as far as I know, this is how the hero (or neutral) becomes the villain. This maniacal laughter is a turning point in the novel and convinces us that the most "normal" person all along has been none other than Cash.
"Yes yes yes yes yes."
Two men put him on the train. They wore mismatched coats, bulging behind over their right hip pockets. Their necks were shaved to a hairline, as though the recent and simultaneous barbers had had a chalk-line like Cash's. "Is it the pistols you're laughing at?" I said. "Why do you laugh?" I said. "Is it because you hate the sound of laughing?"
... Darl is our brother, our brother Darl. Our brother Darl in a cage in Jackson where, his trimmed hands lying light in the quiet interstices, looking out he foams.
"Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes" (253).
Darl's final section just does it for me. The voice we relied on for reason and the slightest of normalcy is now lost somewhere in the ashes of that burned barn. It seems somewhat ironic that the act meant to be the one which would snap the family out of the madness backfires and instead puts Darl into this crazed state of mind. I can't stop but wonder if he was actually crazy all along. Even in the earlier part of the novel he claims to be hearing the thoughts of those around him, and we also know that he "witnesses" occurrences that he is not actually present for. "As you enter the hall, they sound as though they were speaking out of the air about your head" (20). By the end of the novel, it seems that Darl loses this aspect of himself and succumbs to the madness all around him. He can no longer see through the perspectives of his siblings and assumes what they are saying in his broken mind. "Darl is our brother, our brother Darl. Our brother Darl..." He becomes one with all of which surrounds him and falls victim to his family's final judgment; and they hardly care at all. The question he keeps asking himself is also quite intriguing; why exactly is he laughing? Could it be that when one reaches a point of unbelievability and ridiculousness towards a situation, one can't help but just laugh at it? I've seen this pattern all too much in several other places and as far as I know, this is how the hero (or neutral) becomes the villain. This maniacal laughter is a turning point in the novel and convinces us that the most "normal" person all along has been none other than Cash.
Questions to Discuss: Why is Darl laughing? And how, as the reader, are we supposed to feel about Darl's being sent to the mental institution? Do we feel bad for him or do we just shrug it off while we eat our bananas from a paper bag?
The Modern Age Sinks In
"A car comes over the hill. It begins to sound the horn, slowing. It runs along the roadside in low gear, the outside wheels in the ditch, and passes us and goes on. Vardaman watches it until it is out of sight." (227)
To my memory, this is the first time that an automobile is mentioned in this novel. Granted, there is a lot to remember in this novel and the word could have appeared before, but I do not remember it if that is so. Throughout the novel, we travel with this rural family in a mule-drawn wagon through the countryside on their journey to the city of Jefferson. All of a sudden, when they reach the city, automobiles start showing up. This sudden appearance of modern technology completely threw off my assumptions of when this novel takes place. I now believe that it takes place in a more modern age of an industrialized South.
If that is the case, then this novel contains that theme which has been prevalent in many of the works which we have read thus far in this class: that of residents of the old South holding onto their old traditions while they still can. This eventually led me to realize that this could be the entire theme of the book. The Bundrens' journey to bury Addie in her final resting place is their way of keeping her around them while they still can. They know that, once they bury her, they will have to enter a new era in their lives, and so they want to hold on to her as long as they can. This also symbolizes the remnants of the old South not wanting to enter the modern age. The Bundrens live in a rural area where modern technology is not present at all. It seems to me as if they have purposely tried to avoid modern technology with their lifestyle. Like Sally Poker Sash in "A Late Encounter With the Enemy" or Emily Grierson in "A Rose For Emily," the Bundren family is clinging onto the remnants of their past. However, the appearance of that automobile changes everything in my opinion.
Also notable is the fact that the automobile is pointed out by Darl. I don't know what anyone else thought, but what I picked up from the novel's description of Darl's actions was that Darl was trying to get rid of Addie sooner than they had planned. First in the river, and then in the barn, he seemed to want to let go of Addie, and therefore of the past, so that they could get on with their lives in a new era. Therefore, it is relevant that he of all people points out the presence of the automobile here. I believe that, had this section been narrated by anyone else, the automobile would not have been mentioned.
Discussion Question: Do you believe that Darl burned the barn in order to let go of Addie? Why or why not? Do you believe that the Bundrens are better off without Addie or not?
To my memory, this is the first time that an automobile is mentioned in this novel. Granted, there is a lot to remember in this novel and the word could have appeared before, but I do not remember it if that is so. Throughout the novel, we travel with this rural family in a mule-drawn wagon through the countryside on their journey to the city of Jefferson. All of a sudden, when they reach the city, automobiles start showing up. This sudden appearance of modern technology completely threw off my assumptions of when this novel takes place. I now believe that it takes place in a more modern age of an industrialized South.
If that is the case, then this novel contains that theme which has been prevalent in many of the works which we have read thus far in this class: that of residents of the old South holding onto their old traditions while they still can. This eventually led me to realize that this could be the entire theme of the book. The Bundrens' journey to bury Addie in her final resting place is their way of keeping her around them while they still can. They know that, once they bury her, they will have to enter a new era in their lives, and so they want to hold on to her as long as they can. This also symbolizes the remnants of the old South not wanting to enter the modern age. The Bundrens live in a rural area where modern technology is not present at all. It seems to me as if they have purposely tried to avoid modern technology with their lifestyle. Like Sally Poker Sash in "A Late Encounter With the Enemy" or Emily Grierson in "A Rose For Emily," the Bundren family is clinging onto the remnants of their past. However, the appearance of that automobile changes everything in my opinion.
Also notable is the fact that the automobile is pointed out by Darl. I don't know what anyone else thought, but what I picked up from the novel's description of Darl's actions was that Darl was trying to get rid of Addie sooner than they had planned. First in the river, and then in the barn, he seemed to want to let go of Addie, and therefore of the past, so that they could get on with their lives in a new era. Therefore, it is relevant that he of all people points out the presence of the automobile here. I believe that, had this section been narrated by anyone else, the automobile would not have been mentioned.
Discussion Question: Do you believe that Darl burned the barn in order to let go of Addie? Why or why not? Do you believe that the Bundrens are better off without Addie or not?
My Ride On Anse's Roller coaster
“’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.” (261)
As I got further and further into ‘As I lay Dying’, my
perception of Anse’s character took so many different twists and turns, that I just
had to laugh when I realized that throughout this story it was not only Anse
that was a fool, but myself as well. In the beginning, I pictured an old and
tired man not knowing how to cope with the loss of his diseased wife, blaming
the weather and an ill-placed road for Addie’s death. As the story progressed, I saw his intentions
for his wife’s body as being honorable and brave for going on this dangerous
journey to fulfill her final wish. Faulkner tricked me into thinking
Anse’s self centered ways were merely a form of his foolish, manly, southern
pride for himself. However, throughout
this final portion, I began to see Anse for the selfish man he truly was.
The final gotcha moment that Faulkner hits us with allows us
to see Anse’s intentions come full circle. We knew that Anse wanted new teeth
when he arrived in Jefferson, but we (or at least I didn't) didn't know that
that wasn’t the only new thing he was looking for. As I began to piece the puzzle together, I
thought back to his “prideful” nature, and realized that every second of the
Bundren family journey dishonored Addie more and more. As he continues to
insist on dragging her decomposing corpse into one foreign town after another,
he keeps bringing indignity upon everyone associated. At each stop on their
journey, the Bundren’s hosts always comment to him that he is not doing the
right thing by taking her to Jefferson, but we soon see why Anse had no intentions of stopping short. Once in Jefferson, he helps himself bury any
memory of his previous wife by using the spades of the new Mrs. Bundren he has found. Although I didn’t see it coming, I didn’t astonish me that Anse would do
something like this. His disrespectful and closed nature would allow him to
pick up another woman in what seemed like seconds after he dug a hole to throw
his previous wife into. He has that same hangdog look he has had throughout,
knowing he has done wrong, but ultimately finding joy for himself. I believe
Faulkner used this form of writing, in which we see everybody’s point of view,
to help us see that not everyone draws the same conclusion about what is
happening. And Anse’s persona helps us see that; his family has suffered the
entire journey, yet he finds a way to take full advantage and add a new wife.
Discussion Questions: Did anybody else see Anse as merely a
prideful man until the last few sections? Can we view this as a happy, yet
sinister, ending since most of the Bundren family got what seemed to be a
better and more desired situation in the end?
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
On Vardaman
Similarly to Benjy from The Sound and the Fury, Vardaman offers an innocent commentary on the events of the novel, even though the stream of consciousness of other characters around him seem full of ineffable desires and strange secrets. While most of his interior monologue resembles a funnel for the pure landscape around him, it seems to say more than what simply lies on the surface. If Darl is the philosopher of the Bundren family, Vardaman is the poet; in that he speaks with the senses, color and sound, making sense of reality in a separate plane than the reality of the pure prose of other chapters.
"She was under the apple tree and Darl and I go across the moon and the cat jumps down and runs and we can hear her inside the wood," (204).
After this particular-strangely-beautiful thought, Darl and Vardaman have a conversation about Addie's corpse seeing through the wood of her coffin, talking to God. Darl leaves the matter, "Come . . . we must let her be quiet. Come," (205).
Does this interaction foreshadow anything to come? What does it say about Vardaman? Do you agree with the idea of him being in touch with an alternate plane of existence; a more poetic consciousness? or is his reality just like the others? Why might Faulkner need a character like Vardaman?
-grayson
"She was under the apple tree and Darl and I go across the moon and the cat jumps down and runs and we can hear her inside the wood," (204).
After this particular-strangely-beautiful thought, Darl and Vardaman have a conversation about Addie's corpse seeing through the wood of her coffin, talking to God. Darl leaves the matter, "Come . . . we must let her be quiet. Come," (205).
Does this interaction foreshadow anything to come? What does it say about Vardaman? Do you agree with the idea of him being in touch with an alternate plane of existence; a more poetic consciousness? or is his reality just like the others? Why might Faulkner need a character like Vardaman?
-grayson
Darl's Breakdown
" 'He [Darl] is out there under that apple tree with her, lying on her. He is there so the cat won't come back'…The moonlight dappled on him too. On her it was still, but on Darl it dappled up and down.
'You needn't to cry,' I said. ' Jewel got her out. You needn't to cry, Darl'" (225)
Darl weeping, coupled with the fire blazing, summed up the novel for me. This scene captures the chaos, loss, and destruction that the family carried with them throughout their journey. Darl is seen here as fragile, clutching his mother's casket near a blazing fire ignited by his own hands. This is his breaking point. Other than Cash, Darl is the most level headed of the family, and this sort of breakdown seems like the final straw for him. Darl crying is in total juxtaposition to his character beforehand in the novel, and from this point on he detoriates to literal insanity. The surprise evoked in the reader at his reaction paints a strong and heavy picture of the emotional turmoil Addie's death and burial had upon Darl and the entire family.
The grief and chaos of Addie's death became far more real to me in this moment. The characters, are so strange that it is easy to distance oneselves from just how sad this whole journey was for them. They were traveling for day's with their mother's corpse literaly rotting beside them. This scene sums up so well the dismantling of this strange family, as we see the son weep over the mother's casket as the fire rages.
Discussion Questions: Why did Darl start the fire?
Insane in the Membrane?
“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?
See you on the flip side...
"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" (261).
From the beginning of our discussion of 'As I Lay Dying' classmates claim that Darl is purposefully malicious or spiteful. I would have to disagree, I think Darl loves this dysfunctional family the 'Darl' way. I'm not denying that Darl can be mean, but what person in this book is not at least once? Darl happens to be the most intelligent character out of Faulkner's story. His intelligence does not lie in book smarts or common sense, but more of being 'queer' and knowing things that others do not. He parades this information about, causing the aversion from Faulkner's audience. However, he uses this information on his siblings and his siblings alone. Having an older brother myself, I can comment on the fact that we have a hate/love relationship (usual 80/20) that stems from being extremely competitive. The same relationship is found in the Bundren family. For example, in the beginning Jewel cuts through the little mill to put himself in front of Darl on their walking path. This is a classical annoyance move by Jewel: 'Ha Ha I'm in front of you Darl. I win. I'm smarter, stronger and better and now you know it.' Darl may be mean, but he does so because he wants to win in this brotherly competition. The only way he knows how to do this is to parade his intelligence and information in front of Jewel to get the best of him.
I guess what I am getting at here is that I don't think Darl actually went crazy- he left with the men because he cared for his family. His family didn't understand him and his actions. He was 'queer' to them and everyone else, which is why Cash states 'this world is not his world; this life his life.' It is easier for people to banish something weird than try and understand it. Which the Bundren family does when they attack Darl and give him over to the men. However, the only reason Darl stops fighting is because Cash says to him, "it'll be better for you"(238). He could of fought harder and brought more disgrace to the Bundren family, but he doesn't- he leaves and is labeled crazy.
Discussion Question: Why does Cash take over Darl's position as the all seeing narrator? And, is Darl crazy?
From the beginning of our discussion of 'As I Lay Dying' classmates claim that Darl is purposefully malicious or spiteful. I would have to disagree, I think Darl loves this dysfunctional family the 'Darl' way. I'm not denying that Darl can be mean, but what person in this book is not at least once? Darl happens to be the most intelligent character out of Faulkner's story. His intelligence does not lie in book smarts or common sense, but more of being 'queer' and knowing things that others do not. He parades this information about, causing the aversion from Faulkner's audience. However, he uses this information on his siblings and his siblings alone. Having an older brother myself, I can comment on the fact that we have a hate/love relationship (usual 80/20) that stems from being extremely competitive. The same relationship is found in the Bundren family. For example, in the beginning Jewel cuts through the little mill to put himself in front of Darl on their walking path. This is a classical annoyance move by Jewel: 'Ha Ha I'm in front of you Darl. I win. I'm smarter, stronger and better and now you know it.' Darl may be mean, but he does so because he wants to win in this brotherly competition. The only way he knows how to do this is to parade his intelligence and information in front of Jewel to get the best of him.
I guess what I am getting at here is that I don't think Darl actually went crazy- he left with the men because he cared for his family. His family didn't understand him and his actions. He was 'queer' to them and everyone else, which is why Cash states 'this world is not his world; this life his life.' It is easier for people to banish something weird than try and understand it. Which the Bundren family does when they attack Darl and give him over to the men. However, the only reason Darl stops fighting is because Cash says to him, "it'll be better for you"(238). He could of fought harder and brought more disgrace to the Bundren family, but he doesn't- he leaves and is labeled crazy.
Discussion Question: Why does Cash take over Darl's position as the all seeing narrator? And, is Darl crazy?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
In Darl's chapter (128-136), we learn more of Jewel and of the tensions that characterize his relationship with the rest of the Bundrens, especially Anse. In this chapter, we learn that Jewel had once gone behind his family's back to buy a nice horse, slipping out every night to work on Mr. Quick's land, and subsequently letting his duties at home fall to the wayside, much to the dismay of his worried mother Addie. When Jewel's whereabouts are finally uncovered, he is met with scorn by his father for "[taking] the work from [his] flesh and blood and [buying] a horse with it (136)." His actions are defended by Cash, who could be said to have been a victim of Jewel's deceit, as he was often left to up Jewel's slack around the house: "'It's all right,' Cash said. 'He earned the money[...] He did it single handed, working at night by lantern. I saw him. So I don't reckon that horse will cost anybody anything except Jewel. I don't reckon we need to worry (135).'"
Even after Cash introduces some logic to the situation, Anse is still angry, which leads me to believe that something else is at stake: Anse's position within his household. When it is still believed that Jewel has taken "a spell of sleeping (128)," Addie dotes over him, dispersing his household duties, taking on some herself "when pa wasn't there (130)," and hiding special food for him. The fact that she does these things in secret, "when pa [isn't] there," suggests that Addie fears Anse's reactions to the special attention she gives to Jewel. Anse feels jealous towards his own children over the affection of his wife, displaced from his role as Addie's husband.
Additionally, Jewel, through his hard work, overturns Anse's belief that "nowhere in this sinful world can a honest, hardworking man profit (110)." Anse leaves his fate largely up to God; he is content in his self-pity and defeat by that which he cannot control. He is described by Samson as being "a lazy man (114)" who seemed to delight in any setback which gave the impression of a divine struggle: "And like he would be kind of proud of whatever come up to make the moving or the settling still look hard (114)." Frankly, Anse is incompetent, incapable, and lacks the enterprise to take things into his own hands. He is in denial of his own incompetency as a father and as a husband, owing his shortcomings to the injustices of "the Lord's Earth (110)." When Jewel disproves the very notion off of which Anse thrives by achieving some sort of gain through hard, honest work, Anse feels threatened, and, in turn, lashes out at Jewel.
-Lauren Gore
Even after Cash introduces some logic to the situation, Anse is still angry, which leads me to believe that something else is at stake: Anse's position within his household. When it is still believed that Jewel has taken "a spell of sleeping (128)," Addie dotes over him, dispersing his household duties, taking on some herself "when pa wasn't there (130)," and hiding special food for him. The fact that she does these things in secret, "when pa [isn't] there," suggests that Addie fears Anse's reactions to the special attention she gives to Jewel. Anse feels jealous towards his own children over the affection of his wife, displaced from his role as Addie's husband.
Additionally, Jewel, through his hard work, overturns Anse's belief that "nowhere in this sinful world can a honest, hardworking man profit (110)." Anse leaves his fate largely up to God; he is content in his self-pity and defeat by that which he cannot control. He is described by Samson as being "a lazy man (114)" who seemed to delight in any setback which gave the impression of a divine struggle: "And like he would be kind of proud of whatever come up to make the moving or the settling still look hard (114)." Frankly, Anse is incompetent, incapable, and lacks the enterprise to take things into his own hands. He is in denial of his own incompetency as a father and as a husband, owing his shortcomings to the injustices of "the Lord's Earth (110)." When Jewel disproves the very notion off of which Anse thrives by achieving some sort of gain through hard, honest work, Anse feels threatened, and, in turn, lashes out at Jewel.
-Lauren Gore
Addie's Sin
"I would think of sin as I would think of the clothes we both wore in the world's face, of the circumspection necessary because he was he and I was I; the sin the more utter and terrible since he was the instrument ordained by God who created the sin, to sanctify that sin he had created......Then I found that I had Jewel. When I waked to discover it, he was two months gone."
This chapter was a shock for several reasons. The first being the nasty unlikable nature Addie shows through her monologue. I somehow imagined Addie as a simple women who did as she was told and got nothing in return. For instance, when Darl told Jewel his mother was a horse I took that mean that she was exhausted to death much like a farm animal. This image presented me with a sad picture of Addie's life. However, it seems I was VERY mistaken. The sad aspects of Addie's life seem to be brought upon herself by her actions and attitude. Her attitude toward death is an example of this masochistic attitude. For this point I would like to ask a question. How does this new information change our view of the odyssey the Bundren's find themselves on?
The second reason I chose this chapter was due to the sin we learn Addie committed. It took me several readings to really understand what Addie had done, but the line that reads "the more utter and terrible since he was the instrument ordained by God who created the sin,..." This passage showed me that it was a minister that Addie had cheated with. (I also might have read ahead a little bit, which helped! Though I won't say who the father is for those who have not read the next chapter) Later in the passage after Addie has described her affair,in vague terms, we learn that Jewel is the bastard child of Addie's lover. This explains the favoritism that Addie has always shown Jewel. We also find that the next two children are simply an appeasment gift to Anse for her sins. What does this say about Addie's character? she is more complex than I originally thought, and I believe this chapter has greatly changed the story. Now I simply don't know what to make of her.
This chapter was a shock for several reasons. The first being the nasty unlikable nature Addie shows through her monologue. I somehow imagined Addie as a simple women who did as she was told and got nothing in return. For instance, when Darl told Jewel his mother was a horse I took that mean that she was exhausted to death much like a farm animal. This image presented me with a sad picture of Addie's life. However, it seems I was VERY mistaken. The sad aspects of Addie's life seem to be brought upon herself by her actions and attitude. Her attitude toward death is an example of this masochistic attitude. For this point I would like to ask a question. How does this new information change our view of the odyssey the Bundren's find themselves on?
The second reason I chose this chapter was due to the sin we learn Addie committed. It took me several readings to really understand what Addie had done, but the line that reads "the more utter and terrible since he was the instrument ordained by God who created the sin,..." This passage showed me that it was a minister that Addie had cheated with. (I also might have read ahead a little bit, which helped! Though I won't say who the father is for those who have not read the next chapter) Later in the passage after Addie has described her affair,in vague terms, we learn that Jewel is the bastard child of Addie's lover. This explains the favoritism that Addie has always shown Jewel. We also find that the next two children are simply an appeasment gift to Anse for her sins. What does this say about Addie's character? she is more complex than I originally thought, and I believe this chapter has greatly changed the story. Now I simply don't know what to make of her.
Jewel's Coping Abilities
"Wait Jewel, I say. But he will not wait. He is almost running now and Cash is left behind. It seems to me that the end which I now carry alone has no weight as though it coasts like a rushing straw upon the furious tide of Jewel's despair. I am not even touching it when, turning he lets it overshoot him, swinging and stops it and sloughs it into the wagon bed in the same motion and looks back at me, his face suffused with fury and despair." :Goddamn you, Goddamn you." (Faulkner 98,99).
To me these lines give good insight into Jewel's character and how he copes with the death of his mother. All the siblings have their own unique personality and way they act. Jewel stands out the most to me as he is the sporadic hothead who expresses his grief by actions such as hoisting his mother's coffin into the wagon by himself. It to me signifies how he is dealing with the despair of his dead mother all by himself even if people are there to give comfort or help. Physically Jewel is the tallest and strongest of the family. His feelings are not as built up as Vardaman's or Darl's who express their grief in the form of thought in their adolescent minds. Jewel's grief is expressed by his outbursts of physical strength. Anger and defiance are what drives him as a character to do the things he does such as riding his horse when told not to by Anse in respect to his mother. By acting out in aggression it is hard to know how strongly Jewel truly felt about his mother when compared to his siblings who are understandable by the narration of their thoughts while you are left with just Jewel's defiance and outbursts. It becomes evident that Jewel's passion for his mother is the most noble when compared to his siblings especially Darl. Jewel's actions show how proud of a person he is and how strong he is not only physically but in his heart. When Jewel says, "Goddamn you. Goddamn you." after loading the coffin it is just his way of expressing his pain and anguish to others as they do not share the same sentiments and sorrows the way he does.
Discussion Question- How would you describe the relationship between Anse and Jewel and which of his siblings do think relates to him the most if any?
To me these lines give good insight into Jewel's character and how he copes with the death of his mother. All the siblings have their own unique personality and way they act. Jewel stands out the most to me as he is the sporadic hothead who expresses his grief by actions such as hoisting his mother's coffin into the wagon by himself. It to me signifies how he is dealing with the despair of his dead mother all by himself even if people are there to give comfort or help. Physically Jewel is the tallest and strongest of the family. His feelings are not as built up as Vardaman's or Darl's who express their grief in the form of thought in their adolescent minds. Jewel's grief is expressed by his outbursts of physical strength. Anger and defiance are what drives him as a character to do the things he does such as riding his horse when told not to by Anse in respect to his mother. By acting out in aggression it is hard to know how strongly Jewel truly felt about his mother when compared to his siblings who are understandable by the narration of their thoughts while you are left with just Jewel's defiance and outbursts. It becomes evident that Jewel's passion for his mother is the most noble when compared to his siblings especially Darl. Jewel's actions show how proud of a person he is and how strong he is not only physically but in his heart. When Jewel says, "Goddamn you. Goddamn you." after loading the coffin it is just his way of expressing his pain and anguish to others as they do not share the same sentiments and sorrows the way he does.
Discussion Question- How would you describe the relationship between Anse and Jewel and which of his siblings do think relates to him the most if any?
Monday, January 30, 2012
She Is a Fish, But Was a Mother
"Jewel's mother is a horse," Darl said.
"Then mine can be a fish, can't it, Darl?" I said.
Jewel is my brother.
"Then mine will have to be a horse, too," I said.
"Why?" Darl said. "If pa is your pa, why does your ma have to be a horse just because Jewel's is?
"Why does it?" I said. "Why does it, Darl?"
Darl is my brother.
"Then what is your ma, Darl?" I said.
"I haven't got ere one," Darl said. "Because if I had one, it is was. And it if was, it cant be is. Can it?"
(Faulker, 101)
Darl and Vardaman's discussion on their mother's passing provide insight to the overall inability of either character to come to terms with death, and more importantly, highlight each character's failure to have a healthy emotional response to death. Vardaman, being so young, simply can not comprehend that difference that follows after death, unable to tackle the matter of existence and death all together. At first glance, Vardaman's comparison of his mother to the dead fish seems like an illogical comparison, but when placed side-by-side with Darl's own questioning of existence, the dialogue provides the reader with a taste of the difficulty the family as a whole faces when grasping the ideas of death and existence. The absurdity of the conversation itself proves worthy to the irrational reactions to Addie's death. Darl finds connections in grammar, as diction and verb tense seems to directly coincide with his rationalizing of existence. Addie has passed away, thus she is a "was" because only someone or something in existence can be an "is," thus defining Darl's comprehension of his mother's existence. I the case of Vardaman, he seems to relate similar objects as interchangeable, especially with Addie and the dead fish. He attributes the similarity of his mother to the fish, seeing his mother is dead just as the fish is. These rationalizations of death and existence repeatedly occur in regards to both characters, providing methodical responses to Addie's death and highlight the family's inability to properly rationalize Addie's death.
Discussion Question:
How does Faulkner attribute the overall theme of death and existence through each individual family member's accounts and behavior? In what unique ways does each character cope with Addie's death?
Said the Spider to the Fly
"'It's not your horse that's dead, Jewel," I say.... 'See them?' I say. High above the house, against the quick thick sky, they hang in narrowing circles. From here they are no more than specks, implacable, patient, portentous. 'But it's not your horse that's dead.'" (page 94)
While there were several moments in this second portion of the reading that made me pause, this has to be the one that made me think the most. While none of the Bundren children are all that pleasant to be around, especially in and after the time of Addie's sickness and death, Darl is particularly malicious to those around him. Whether this is a coping mechanism or whether he is just an unpleasant person to be around can be debated... but I'm leaning towards the latter. Darl is blessed with an intellect and eloquence that is, thus far, far superior to any we have been exposed to - at least, on the surface. For some reason, I think of Darl as a spider - someone who knows all the secrets of those around him and is sitting in the centre of his web, waiting for the right time to strike. There's something decidedly sinister about Darl and I can't tell whether he plans on using that which he already knows to his advantage or keeping quiet about it. What really struck me, however, was Cora's insistence, later on in the book, on how Darl was the best child out of the Bundrens. This brings me to my question: given what we have gathered about Darl and his character, why do you think Cora is so adamant that Darl is like god's gift to mankind? What does this tell us about her?
too soon too soon too soon
"When I used to sleep with Vardaman I had a nightmare once I thought I was awake but I couldn't see and couldn't feel I couldn't feel the bed under me and I couldn't think what I was I couldn't think of my name I couldn't even think I am a girl I couldn't even think I nor even think I want to wake up nor remember what was opposite to awake so I could do that I knew that something was passing but I couldn't even think of time then all of a sudden I knew that something was it was wind blowing over me it was like the wind came and blew me back from there it was I was not blowing the room and Vardaman asleep and all of them back under me again and going on like a piece of cool silk dragging across my naked legs" (121)
Of all the characters in this novel, Dewey Dell intrigues me the most. This quote, found in italics in the text, reveals her thoughts, which make zero sense. This lack of punctuation or coherent thoughts is consistent throughout the chapter, and seems to point to Dewey quickly losing a grip on her sanity. As we discussed last class, Dewey is struggling with finding a solution to her surprise pregnancy, but the dilemma is taking a toll on her. I believe this is a result of the pressures of her family and the era in which she lives. She belongs to a Christian family, and lives among Christian people (some of whom truly believe in God, while others don't). In the Christian faith, it is frowned upon to engage in premarital sex. Dewey, well aware of this, is terrified that she will be discovered, leading to judgement from her family and friends. Dewey also considers herself Christian, or at least is trying to convince herself that she is. This might lead to guilt for what she had done as well.
"I believe in God, God. God, I believe in God" (122).
Living in the 1920s, Dewey also knows that women are looked down upon in society, and having a child out of wedlock would put a label on her for the rest of her life, making it difficult, if not impossible, to find a husband. On top of all of this, she has no one to confide in except for a cow, who fails to offer her much comfort. After thinking through this, I am inclined to sympathize with her situation, and I begin to understand the reasons behind her deteriorating psyche.
It's also worth mentioning Dewey's recurring theme of nakedness, which we have seen multiple times in her chapters. This signifies her belief that despite any evidence, Dewey believes that people can see right through her, giving away her deepest secret. This further points to her shame, guilt, and fear of being discovered.
"...and then my dress is gone: I sit naked on the seat above the unhurrying mules, above the travail" (121).
Of all the characters in this novel, Dewey Dell intrigues me the most. This quote, found in italics in the text, reveals her thoughts, which make zero sense. This lack of punctuation or coherent thoughts is consistent throughout the chapter, and seems to point to Dewey quickly losing a grip on her sanity. As we discussed last class, Dewey is struggling with finding a solution to her surprise pregnancy, but the dilemma is taking a toll on her. I believe this is a result of the pressures of her family and the era in which she lives. She belongs to a Christian family, and lives among Christian people (some of whom truly believe in God, while others don't). In the Christian faith, it is frowned upon to engage in premarital sex. Dewey, well aware of this, is terrified that she will be discovered, leading to judgement from her family and friends. Dewey also considers herself Christian, or at least is trying to convince herself that she is. This might lead to guilt for what she had done as well.
"I believe in God, God. God, I believe in God" (122).
Living in the 1920s, Dewey also knows that women are looked down upon in society, and having a child out of wedlock would put a label on her for the rest of her life, making it difficult, if not impossible, to find a husband. On top of all of this, she has no one to confide in except for a cow, who fails to offer her much comfort. After thinking through this, I am inclined to sympathize with her situation, and I begin to understand the reasons behind her deteriorating psyche.
It's also worth mentioning Dewey's recurring theme of nakedness, which we have seen multiple times in her chapters. This signifies her belief that despite any evidence, Dewey believes that people can see right through her, giving away her deepest secret. This further points to her shame, guilt, and fear of being discovered.
"...and then my dress is gone: I sit naked on the seat above the unhurrying mules, above the travail" (121).
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Neologization capped at 2
"Nowhere in this sinful world can a honest, hardworking man profit. It takes them that runs the stores in the towns, doing no sweating, living off them that sweats. It ain't the hardworking man, the farmer. Sometimes I wonder why we keep at it. It's because there is a reward for us above, where they cant take their autos and such."
This quote drove me to think deeply about why Faulkner put an apostrophe in "it's" but not in "cant." Some of his other misspellings exist to produce a dialectic "sound" to the reading, but this one seems senseless??!!
Although I would delight in dwelling further on this issue, I fear it might not meet the standard of "particularly significant" (darn the added qualifier), and I should instead develop my theory that this quote succinctly encapsulates Faulkner's effort to depict southerners as hopeless and crazed traditionalists who stifle individual expression in favor of God and convention and God's convention.
Noah edicted that we make these short essays concise, so I'll end by simply divulging that I am in love with Addie. It's not simply her superior swimming skills or those cute dimples that turn me on; I love how she stands out. Her characterization seems different (neologism spared) than the other characters in several ways. Her defiance of capitalized pronouns and her hatred for her children (I grew up hating close family and know intimately how liberating it can be) are both strikingly forward-thinking. Faulkner and I have found a solution to the South. If only we can bring her back to life. Or maybe that happens. I'm only page 176.
This quote drove me to think deeply about why Faulkner put an apostrophe in "it's" but not in "cant." Some of his other misspellings exist to produce a dialectic "sound" to the reading, but this one seems senseless??!!
Although I would delight in dwelling further on this issue, I fear it might not meet the standard of "particularly significant" (darn the added qualifier), and I should instead develop my theory that this quote succinctly encapsulates Faulkner's effort to depict southerners as hopeless and crazed traditionalists who stifle individual expression in favor of God and convention and God's convention.
Noah edicted that we make these short essays concise, so I'll end by simply divulging that I am in love with Addie. It's not simply her superior swimming skills or those cute dimples that turn me on; I love how she stands out. Her characterization seems different (neologism spared) than the other characters in several ways. Her defiance of capitalized pronouns and her hatred for her children (I grew up hating close family and know intimately how liberating it can be) are both strikingly forward-thinking. Faulkner and I have found a solution to the South. If only we can bring her back to life. Or maybe that happens. I'm only page 176.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
To Choose to Die
"You all will have to look out for pa the best you can," she said. "I'm tired."
This quote from Tull's mother is possibly the best dying statement I have ever read. From Tull's description of her working almost every day of her life, rarely taking even a moment to rest, one could make the argument that she literally looked around one day and decided that she wanted to die because death seemed similar to sleep. The same suggestion of death as a choice that everyone makes is constantly brought up in reference to Addie's death, especially when Anse insists that "Her mind is set on it, I reckon she's bound to go." Jewel seems to also consider his mother's death a decision, however he sees it as a decision being forced upon her by Anse's indecision, Darl's appearance of indifference, Cash and his coffin and Dewey Dell and her fan. He believes that if it were not for the rest of his family interfering, Addie may have decided to live after all. Even Doctor Peabody mentions that "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." I have read this novel before but only noticed this time that, despite Anse's assurance that Addie wants die and be buried in Jefferson and Cora's conviction that she is holding on just to be able to give her eldest sons their goodbye kisses, Addie seemingly decides to die at the most inconvenient time for anyone. Her coffin is not finished, Darl and Jewel are far away, and there is a powerful storm brewing. While Tull's mother apparently chose to die to escape her life of toil and fatigue, and most characters outside of family seem to think Addie is doing the same, it seems to me that if Addie literally chose to die, she had a different motivation.
Discussion question: Why is the scene of Addie's death narrated from Darl's point of view? Darl is obviously absent from the actual house, however he knows every detail of her death and interjects his own narration of himself telling Jewel that Addie has died. Are we supposed to be led to believe that Darl has some kind of supernatural powers?
This quote from Tull's mother is possibly the best dying statement I have ever read. From Tull's description of her working almost every day of her life, rarely taking even a moment to rest, one could make the argument that she literally looked around one day and decided that she wanted to die because death seemed similar to sleep. The same suggestion of death as a choice that everyone makes is constantly brought up in reference to Addie's death, especially when Anse insists that "Her mind is set on it, I reckon she's bound to go." Jewel seems to also consider his mother's death a decision, however he sees it as a decision being forced upon her by Anse's indecision, Darl's appearance of indifference, Cash and his coffin and Dewey Dell and her fan. He believes that if it were not for the rest of his family interfering, Addie may have decided to live after all. Even Doctor Peabody mentions that "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." I have read this novel before but only noticed this time that, despite Anse's assurance that Addie wants die and be buried in Jefferson and Cora's conviction that she is holding on just to be able to give her eldest sons their goodbye kisses, Addie seemingly decides to die at the most inconvenient time for anyone. Her coffin is not finished, Darl and Jewel are far away, and there is a powerful storm brewing. While Tull's mother apparently chose to die to escape her life of toil and fatigue, and most characters outside of family seem to think Addie is doing the same, it seems to me that if Addie literally chose to die, she had a different motivation.
Discussion question: Why is the scene of Addie's death narrated from Darl's point of view? Darl is obviously absent from the actual house, however he knows every detail of her death and interjects his own narration of himself telling Jewel that Addie has died. Are we supposed to be led to believe that Darl has some kind of supernatural powers?
Faith and The Road
"I have done things but neither better nor worse than them that pretend other like, and I know that Old Marster will care for me as for ere a sparrow that falls. But it seems hard that a man in his need could be so flouted by a road." -Anse
This quote highlights a couple of the things the novel has spoken to me so far: Christianity's role in the novel, and Anse's resistance to the 'road'. In regards to faith, I enjoy seeing the difference between Anse's belief, and that of Cora's. Cora's faith is eloquent and fierce, while Anse's faith, although just as present as Cora's, is portrayed as simple and dim-witted. The sovereignty of God is brought up frequently by both parties, in regards to the rough times they are facing. They are two very different people professing the same belief in different ways. I thought Faulkner's insight into the different depths and types of faith in the south to be interesting and informative.
In regards to 'the road', I questioned whether Anse's resistance to the road to be a symbolizing of the rural south's resistance to the modernizing north. A road symbolizes vast transportation, business, and to Anse (and the people like him in the south) complication. To Anse, the greatest burdens on his shoulders are the saving of three dollars, and the acquiring of dentures. The road presents a great contrast to the lifestyle of Anse, and to me symbolized modernities fierce inconvenience to those not properly prepared for it.
Discussion Question: Given the actions and heart motives of Anse, Is his faith legitimate? Why does he find the road such an inconvenience? and (if not already discussed) What are the benefits to having so many different points of view in the novel?
- Hunter Leeves
Faulkner et Battaile
"And the next morning they found him in his shirt tail, laying asleep on the floor like a felled steer, and the top of the box bored clean full of holes and Cash's new auger broke of in the last one. When they taken the lid off they found that two of them had bored on into her face"
"I think to myself he aint that less of a man or he couldn't a bore himself this long"
""I have bore you what the Lord God sent me" (73).
"I think to myself he aint that less of a man or he couldn't a bore himself this long"
""I have bore you what the Lord God sent me" (73).
The scene after Addie Bundren's death and coffining proved to be confusingly hilarious to me. It certainly was gory, but nonetheless humorous to me. I also am a large horror/gore movie fan, so perhaps this isn't what Faulkner was aiming at, but when looking at his choice of words, I have to think that he shared some sense of humor similar to mine. Most of this writing seemed like Batailles automatism, and this particular scene when Vardaman drills two holes through his mothers face, I liked to imagine them going straight through her eyes. This also led me back to Bataille and his fascination for the symbol in The Story of The Eye. Perhaps Faulkner read Bataille, or Bataille Faulkner, as they were contemporaries of one another. Apparently Faulkner had a large following in Europe as well.
I'm not sure what Faulkner's mind was working at while writing this. It is morbid, sad, fragmented. It is also surprising and hilarious at times so far.
Discussion Question: Did anyone else find this scene to be darkly humorous? What overall impression does the story so far make upon you. What is "the mood"?
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