Death is a Window
Death can reveal many secrets and hidden truths about a person. I think that Faulkner uses Addie's death as a way to show the inter workings of each character in his novel. The Bundren family appears to be complex and by having the mother die, the relationships between the father and the children can be analyzed. Anse is depicted as an old man who doesn't sweat or work. The relationship he has with his children seem to be distant. He blames the road for Addie's deteriorating health by claiming it brings bad luck. I find Anse to lack responsibility by blaming other things for his wife's death. I believe that Addie's death allowed Cash, the oldest son, to become the backbone of the family. Although he doesn't say much, he builds his mother's coffin to perfection, which shows respect. After he hurts his leg from the fall, he rarely complains and insists on transporting his mother's body to Jefferson. Cash is able to put himself before others, which is a supportive characteristic that is key to keeping the family grounded and sane. Addie's death allowed me to see the caring nature of Darl as he watches her die through Dewey Dell. He never wanted to leave with Jewel during his mother's weakening state, but he is an obedient person. After she dies, he becomes quiet and more reserved, but with a sense of humor. I find he is more observant that active in the conversations on the road to Jefferson. Jewel is depicted as a momma's boy and I think that this is still true even after Addie dies. He is more sensitive and rash when it comes to decision making, along with being very opinionated. I think that he had the closest bond with Addie and was greatly affected by her death. Dewey Dell became more self-centered after she is pregnant. Her attention is no longer on her mother, but on herself. Vardaman was by far the most affected by Addie's death. He believed she was a horse and a fish, which didn't quite make sense to me. When he bore holes not only in her coffin, but in her face as well, this alarmed me and led me to believe that this young boy is suffering mental stress from Addie's death. Overall, I think her death allows the family members to be dissected and picked apart in order to reveal deeper meanings of their characters and natures.
I agree that Addie's death is a key part of the novel. It certainly is the central thing that many of the chapters are centered around thus far. Her situation while dying and her death absolutely allow the characters to show their true colors and their true feelings towards Addie. In addition to Faulkner examining human behavior in this novel, I think he is also critiquing the place where he grew up. As we discussed in class, death was common on the poverty stricken farms of the south and Faulkner is trying to share with the world what the situation is. Addie's death is simply representative of something that would happen on a farm and it forces the other family members to behave in certain interesting and often dreadful ways. Thus far, I have enjoyed the book moderately, but Faulkner has certainly displayed an ability to comment on human behavior and society while writing a fairly depressing narrative.
ReplyDeleteCaroline,
ReplyDeleteYou touched on the reactions of each of the Bundren family members after Addie’s death. I noticed self-absorption as a common response among these characters (and throughout The Sound and the Fury as well). All of the family members seem to retreat into their own shell as Addie dies: Darl, as you mentioned, becomes a passive observer as he turns inward and views the world through the eyes of Dewey Dell; Anse feels a gross sense of relief in realizing that he can finally have his teeth fixed; even the neighbor women are only able to focus on their own lives. It seems as if they do not realize that any change has occurred at all. And, as in The Sound and the Fury, I think that Faulkner is being very deliberate in making his characters struggle with the passage of time. Addie Bundren’s death serves as a catalyst for a journey that reveals the dysfunctionality of the family—and more broadly, the deterioration of the Old South. Faulkner in no way romanticizes the Bundrens but instead comments on the depressing state of the post-Reconstruction South.
Ben