Vardaman (100-102)

"Jewel's mother is a horse," Darl said. "Then mine can be a fish, cant 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?" (pg. 101)

In this quote, Vardaman shows his innocence and wide-eyed naivete to the world at large. Although he and Darl spend the majority of this quote speaking in metaphors, I don't believe he honestly knows what he is saying, because he keeps asking questions to Darl. These pleas for reassurance and repeated questions show that Vardaman is much younger than everyone around him and that he's having a hard time grasping the fact that is mother is dead. While Darl is trying to explain to him that he can remember his mother in any way that he wants, whether it be a fish or a horse or anything else, Vardaman is afraid to think differently from his brother. He finds comfort in his older brothers and cannot handle the independence of ideas. He also keeps bothering Darl for answers that he cannot supply, showing his youth.



I am comparing this quote to the above video, titled only "idol". This video is extremely strange and the site offers no explanation of its meaning or conception. This enigma relates to the questions that Vardaman asks, because it is not immediately clear what he means when he describes his mother as a horse or fish. In addition, the video utilizes childish elements, such as the fact that everything is labeled, yet is ultimately sinister and dark, which is similar to Vardaman's life. He is trying to experience his childhood, but his mother's death complicates this and any hope for a happy existence as a child is immediately made more difficult.