Vardaman 65-67

“It was not her. I was there, looking. I saw. I thought it was her, but it was not. It was not my mother. She went away when the other one laid down in her bed and drew the quilt up. She went away.” Page 66

In this passage, the author uses repetition and imagery to characterize Vardaman and his reaction to his mothers’ condition. He refers to his mother as disappearing when the person who is dying lies down, not making the connection that his mother is the one dying. It is as if when the person lies down, she becomes a dying person and not who they were a moment before. The repetition of the postulation that it was not his mother might speak to his denial of his mother’s condition, but taking into account his age, it is more likely that he doesn’t understand the concept of death. As such, the person who is dying in bed isn’t his mother, because in his experience, his mother doesn’t look like a dying person.

I related Vardaman to an ignored puppy. He desperately desires attention and affection, but he is mostly ignored by the other members of the family. He seeks to be praised, but he is often under the radar compared to the other, more important members of the family. As a result, he doesn’t comprehend much of what is going on and has no one to explain it to him, like an ignored puppy