Vardaman 249-252 Kristin Giffuni

Vardaman Pages 249-252

“But she said he would not sell it to the town boys. “But it will be there Christmas,” Dewey Dell says. “You’ll have to wait till then, when he brings it back.”
Page 250

I chose this quote because it represents the different paths that the members of the Bundren family have taken since Addie’s death. The quick, ‘attention deficit disorder’ style that Faulkner has employed here firmly cements that, most notably, Vardaman, Dewey Dell and Pa have already begun a grief-free life after Addie. About Varadaman’s character this proves his simple-minded innocence, just as Dewey Dell plays that role of the negative role model. Vardaman’s fixation on the train, however, is also symbolic of the fact that he is lost and without direction- forced to change his emotional pain into a physical and physiological need for the truck, which on some subconscious level I believe he feels he needs in order to replace Addie.



I connected this “Vardaman segment” with the little boy Ralpie from “A Christmas Story.” All each little boy wants is a specific gift and neither feels complete without it. In the movie Ralphie is absentmindedly reassured that “[he‘ll] shoot [his] eye out” just as Vardaman is absentmindedly reassure by Dewey-Dell that “it will be there Christmas.” Neither boy is really heard out or understood- thus intensifying their longing and desire for something that is representative of a larger feeling that they are too juvenile to comprehend or explain.

Tull 137-140 Kristin Giffuni

Tull Pages 137-140

“He was standing there, humped, mournful, looking at the empty road beyond the swagging and swaying bridge. And that gal, too, with the lunch basket on one arm and that package under the other. Just going to town. Bent on it. They would risk the fire and the earth and the water and all just to eat a sack of bananas. … “I gave my promise,” [Anse] says. “She is counting on it.””

Here, Faulkner primarily uses wildly changing syntax in order to show the scattered motives that holds each member of the Bundren family. They are portrayed as irrational- Anse especially. His constant repetition has gone from giving the appearance of self-reassurance to a hardly believable excuse to go to Jefferson and leave his life temporarily behind- it also dehumanizes Addie and takes away from the importance of her death.


http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/PFO4810.jpg

I found this picture both oddly literal yet perfectly descriptive of how the Bundrens- in particular Anse and Dewey Dell- look to the outside world. They both feign childish innocence and innocent ignorance in an attempt to gain what they are truly after through deceit. I also find that the blurred background emphasizes the child- analogous to the way that Dewey Dell and Anse put themselves in the foreground of whatever situation they are in, making everything else around them diminish in importance.

Dewey Dell Pg 255-257

“It’s not mine, I can’t”

This phrase was repeated throughout the chapter. Basically the only conversation between Anse and Dewey Dell consisted of Anse asking where she got the money, and Dewey Dell replying that it isn’t his to take. Both characters are very stubborn and unwilling to even listen to what the other person is saying. Anse is going to take the money no matter what Dewey Dell says (just like he took the money from his family to buy the mules). Furthermore, Dewey Dell is going to continue to hopelessly plead with her father even though she knows that she has no power over his decision. This results in the two page stagnant argument. Another interesting idea that may be alluded to through this quote was the reference to Dewey Dell’s pregnancy. Since the money that Anse wanted was for Dewey Dell’s abortion, the words “it’s not mine” can also refer to her baby. Not once throughout the novel, does Dewey Dell acknowledge the baby inside of her. It seems more like an object—something that she wants to sell desperately. This is similar to Addie’s corpse that was lugged around for the majority of the novel. The corpse was the luggage/burden the Bundren family carried with them just like the baby was the burden that Dewey Dell secretly carried with her.



Dewey Dell is two-faced. She speaks about God when she is pleading with her father to not “steal” her money. She also plays the victim by making her father seem like the thief. However, Dewey Dell fails to reveal to anyone directly that she is pregnant. It is ironic that ties in religion and morals when she is secretly obtaining an abortion. Whether having an abortion should be illegal or not is irrelevant. This comic reflects how a character is two-faced. The character speaks against abortion, and then has an abortion herself. Dewey Dell practically preaches how great she is, yet she has this second life that her family (excluding Darl) doesn’t know of.

Vardaman Pg150-151

“You never got her. You knew she is a fish but you let her get away. You never got her. Darl. Darl. Darl.”

Vardaman is arguable the saddest character in the book. He is young enough to not completely understand the gravity of death, but old enough to know that his mother is not there anymore. Vardaman returns to his obsession with the idea that his mom is a fish. Throughout the novel, the personification of a dead cut up fish as his mom serves as his outlet to grief. This extended metaphor can be furthermore analyzed to signify the Bundren’s hopeless struggle for acceptance. They are isolated from society by the corpse’s stench as they strive to bury Addie. However, even when Addie is buried, there is emptiness—nothing has changed. When Vardaman blames Darl when he says “you let her get away”, he can be referring to his happiness. He has been forced to deal with things past his maturity (like watching Darl set the barn on fire) and only wants his family to be united. Although Addie was a heartless lady, Vardaman associates her with happiness; it is what has been missing in his life ever since her death. In addition, the repetition of Darl shows that Darl is the closest person to Vardaman. Therefore, it makes sense for Vardaman to blame Darl for his pain and the loss of his mom. Finally, the repetition of “you never got her” shows Vardaman’s immaturity. He doesn’t understand that Addie was never attainable; you can’t bring back the dead.



^^The original picture had a city in the background.

Because Vardaman compares his mom to a fish, he can also be seen as a fish. A fish is contained in a fish tank. First, because glass has a different diffraction gradient than air, the world is seen to be different, at a different angle. This is shown through the inverse reflection of the city through the glass. Vardaman is unable to fully understand what death means and that his mother is never coming back. Second, the picture shows a small fish with a city in the background. Vardaman is small and young compared to the rest of his family. His ignorance is something that isolates him and prevents him for achieving happiness. Furthermore, Addie is contained in a casket like Vardaman is contained by his maturity.

Vardaman Journal Entry

I came home today and I was really hungry and I wanted food and there was no food in the cabinet and I saw Dad and I called him dad im hungry dad do you have any food and my mother is a fish. I’m hungry and my mother is a fish. My mother is a fish and shes my mother but I’m not a fish but my mother is a fish and I’m hungry. The cabinet was empty and dad didn’t hear me so I went to the river and caught a fish which wasn’t my mother but my mother is a fish. Then darl said come off of that log. Darl is my brother. Darl says my mother is a fish and darl is my brother.

Cash, 165

“It wasn’t on a balance. I told them that if they wanted it to tote and ride on a balance, they would have to”

Cash, fixated on the coffin and its movement, attempts to explain to the family how it should be balanced. This spurt of words, however short, lends itself to several literary devices. The repetition of the word “balance” shows Cash’s fixation on the coffin and how it should be transported best. The fact that the final sentence lacks finishing punctuation leaves the postulation that he is making open, as if Cash was going to keep talking, but rather than include it in the work, the sentence was simply left open.

Cash is reminiscent of Rain Man. He seems to almost be a savant in the way he fixates on his carpentry as much as Dustin Hoffman fixates on his various “ticks”, like refusing to fly on any airline but Quantus. Also, the way Cash repeats himself over and again about the balance of the coffin is suggestive of Hoffman’s character and his repetitions of “Abbot and Costello” and etcetera.

Darl pgs 218 - 222

“Then it topples forward, gaining momentum, revealing Jewel and the sparks raining on him too in engendering gusts, so that he appears to be enclosed in a thin nimbus of fire.” (pg. 222)





This quote describes what Darl sees when Jewel rescues the coffin from the burning barn. The tone of this passage is jealous. Darl’s purpose in burning the barn was to destroy his mothers’ body, but Jewel saved the day again, and ruined Darl’s plan. For someone who despises Jewel, he is very calm when describing Jewel’s victory. This passage also emphasizes how Addie believed that Jewel was a saint and how Darl is still envious. He describes Jewel as “enclosed in a nimbus of fire.” A nimbus is a cloud surrounding a supernatural being or saint. It is a little ironic that the nimbus is made of fire because fire represents the devil. Darl is implying that Jewel’s outward appearance is saintly, but in reality he is the devil.

Darl reminds me of the character Katherine from Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Katherine is jealous of her sister Bianca, but instead of showing her jealousy through words, she shows it through actions. She is constantly throwing temper tantrums to gain attention. This is similar to Darl and Jewel. Darl tries to do everything in his power to become the favorite, but he ultimately fails.

MacGowan (pg. 241-248)

“The one that put the acorn in your belly? …You’ve had the same operation before. Ever hear about the hair of the dog?” (pg. 243 & 247)

This quote indicates that the girl who visited the doctor’s office was indeed Dewey Dell who was looking to obtain an abortion. The metaphor of the acorn is used in reference to the baby she has in her stomach. However, in this narrative MacGowan conveys his characteristics of being an individual who is deceiving and selfish. MacGowan’s deceiving acts began when he pretended to be the doctor at the Jefferson’s drugstore. From this perspective it had been indirectly implied that in return for the abortion, Dewey Dell must give something in return (sex). This is revealed when MacGowan says “you’ve had the same operation before” which was between her and Lafe. Moreover, the old saying “the hair of the dog” is usually referred to having another drink in order to “cure” a hangover. However, in this text it is applied to doing the same act she had done with Lafe to MacGowan as a payment for the abortion. Lastly, MacGowan’s selfishness is indicated through the line “it was my night now” to show that he is getting what he desired.

I chose to have a picture of the cellar stairs because it exemplifies the stairs that are leading Dewey Dell to commit a sin in order to get what she wants. Moreover, this perfectly coincides with MacGowan’s description of the cellar: “The trouble about the cellar is, it aint but one way out and that’s back up the inside stairs.” This exposes how there is no other option for Dewey Dell due to the trap set by the cellar. The picture of the clocks represent MacGowan’s precision of time. Throughout his perspective he had been mentioning the time to exemplify his fear of getting caught. This is shown through his awareness of time before his boss comes and fires him for being with a patient. Moreover, it is also mentioned about Dewey Dell’s arrival in which he was in fear of having others know what he is doing. This also puts emphasis on her abortion by revealing how each occasion has its own time and by being late has its own consequences.

Darl (pg.128-136)

“And then I knew that I knew. I knew that as plain on that day as I knew about Dewey Dell on that day.” (pg. 136)

In this quote the repetition of “I knew” and “on that day” exemplifies how Darl is the one to notice people’s acts of deception. In this chapter, Darl was reminiscing about Jewel’s act of deceit and how this act had caused Addie to deceive others to cover up for her son. This concept of dishonesty is repeated because Darl had been unable to accept the mere fact that his mother had been covering up for Jewel while she had taught her kids that this act is morally wrong and “nothing else could be very bad or important, not even poverty (pg.130).” Moreover, this quote signifies Darl’s knowledge about Jewel being the illegitimate son and compares it to Dewey Dell’s secret of her pregnancy. It is evident that Jewel is the illegitimate son when Darl says “And I knew that she was hating herself for that deceit and hating Jewel because she had to love him so that she had to act the deceit (pg.130-31).” In essence, if Jewel was legitimate she wouldn’t “have” to love him and therefore, her act of covering up for Jewel’s work exemplifies how she also tries to hide her act of deception that caused Jewel to be illegitimate. Therefore, Darl builds this tension between him and Jewel because he knows about this treachery and despises the fact that Jewel receives more attention from Addie than he. In comparison, to King Lear by William Shakespeare, Edmund – the illegitimate son is jealous of the legitimate son – Edgar. Although the roles are switched in As I Lay Dying, both literary works convey the concept of deception to be the trigger of the tension between one and another. Lastly, this quote is connected to Darl’s knowledge of the unknown. This is evident because Darl makes a reference to Dewey Dell’s unmoral secret that nobody knows about and connects it to Addie’s secret about Jewel that hasn’t been revealed.

Lyrics for “Nothing Left” by As I Lay Dying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOLgBgnnUUE (<---music video)
This world was never worthy
But how can I call it unfaithful
Every promise was fulfilled
As decay crawled from it's throat
Like the dead rising from an open grave
Lips of splendor and tongue of deceit
All dying now as our fragile wrists hold only waste
Like those gasping for their last breath
We cannot hide there's nothing left
If All my sorrow has led me here
Then I would cry all of my tears
To have this chance again
And know there's more than this
And know there's more than you
Like those gasping for their last breath
We cannot hide there's nothing left

I chose this song because it is about a woman who is trying to hide the truth about her infection. By exposing herself to the world she had put her life in danger by being executed. Moreover, it illustrates how sinners face the consequences to their actions. In relation to the text, Addie has kept her secret about Jewel’s illegitimacy (her sin) in which she hadn’t revealed and passed away leaving the truth to be unknown. Furthermore, the lyrics expose how after Addie had passed, Darl seems to have “nothing left.” In addition it can be connected to both Dewey Dell’s and Addie’s acts of deception that cannot be hidden from Darl, who perceives the unknown within his family. Lastly, in the song it mentions the “tongue of deceit” for those individuals who haven’t confessed their sickness and mislead people into believing they don’t have an infection. Darl, however, finds out about the dishonesty occurring without any words from Addie and Dewey Dell’s “tongue’s of deceit.”

Tull pg 123-127

“ “Vernon can help them,” Jewel says, “And we can hitch his mule ahead of ourn.”
“You ain’t going to take my mule into that water,” I say. ”
Explanation: This quote is a good display of Tull’s relationship with the Bundren family. This suggestion by Jewel is said directly after he yells at Tull to “get to hell on back to your damn plowing!” for trying to assist them in a sensible way to cross the collapsed bridge. Jewel, Darl, Anse and Dewey Dell show contempt for Tull’s rational and guiding presence at the scene, clearly not wanting the voice of reason to ruin their unrealistic hopes. Tull’s mule is symbolic of the assistance he so generously offers the family, and the dangerous waters are representative of the limits of his charity. He offers all that he can advice-wise while the distressed, mildly ungrateful family disregards his wisdom, but will not go as far as sacrifice something as significant as his mule to help the family by exposing it to such a harsh and potentially dangerous element of their endeavors. This shows he will offer his good intentions to an extent, but not to one where he is being taken advantage of without redemption or thanks.
Lyrics:
“What you want, baby I got it
What you need? ‘Cause you know I got it
All I’m asking is for a little respect...
R-E-S-P-E-C-T,
Find out what it means to me”
Like timeless soul sensation Aretha Franklin, all Tull wants is a little respect! He is always doing little favors for the Bundrens, supplying them with work, and trying to help steer them on the right track. In return, they tend to question his generally good advice or straight-up disrespect his efforts; in the case of crossing the bridge, they are even outwardly rude to him. Perhaps he would be more willing to lend his metaphorical “mule” into their metaphorical “waters” if doing such a thing would yield a more significant helping of R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

http://earsucker.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/aretha_franklin.jpg

Cash~232-238

“It’s like some folks has the smooth, pretty boards to build a courthouse with and others don’t have no more than rough lumber fitten to build a chicken coop.  But it’s better to build a tight chicken coop than a shoddy courthouse, and when they both build shoddy or build well, neither because it’s one or tother is going to make a man feel the better nor the worse”( Faulkner234).

In this quote, Faulkner uses a simile appropriate for the narrator, Cash.  Because Cash is a carpenter using a comparison dealing with construction serves as characterization and highlights his obsession with carpentry.

In addition, this quote is basically preaching that a man should take what he has and make the best of it. Cash is explaining that Darl, born with “rough lumber,” should have built “a tight chicken coop” if he wanted to be happy.  Because of this, the reader understands that conversely, Darl is unhappy and quite messed up because he spent his life resenting the fact that he hadn’t been born with “smooth, pretty boards” and an opportunity to build a courthouse instead.

Image:

The picture below exemplifies Darl’s problem.  He felt burdened by the task Addie asked of the family and maybe irritated by her incompetence as a mother, so he attempted to dispose of her simply and quickly by burning her in a fire. Though he might have been annoyed, this certainly was not the right decision, as it destroyed a man’s house and put animals and Jewel at risk.  Life gave Darl lemons, and instead of making lemonade, he set a house on fire wanting to cremate his undying dead mom. 

Cora Journal Entry

Dear Jesus,
I once thought Addie shared my love for you. However, I learned her cares are elsewhere. She told me that brat of hers, Jewel is her “cross”. How dare she say such a devilish thing? No wonder their children are so misbehaved. And that husband of hers! I see You are cursing them and I thank You. I can now live without feeling in her shadow. I always knew that I was Your favorite. Now I can bake my amazing pies in peace with no doubt that I am Your greatest companion. I mean I tried telling her that You are the only thing that matters and it is the Lord’s part to judge, but she wouldn’t listen. She went on how it’s her place to judge her sin. Was she so blind that she couldn’t see what’s right for her? If she had been aware, she could have just looked at me. I have opened my heart to you and you have seen my commitment to you and have rewarded me. I don’t understand these feelings I feel. I mean, I thought I would be glad that that woman is gone. She didn’t have the dedication to You as she should have, as I do. However, she was my only friend. We had so many differences and yet, we spent time together. I realize we didn’t like each other, but for some reason, I miss her company. Please explain this to me Lord. Is this Your way of telling me to forgive her? Should I remember in the good light and forgive her as You would? I prayed for that poor blind woman as I had never prayed for me and mine.

Cora

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.

Alexandra Villano-Darl

Alexandra Villano
Pages 97-99 Darl

Quote: pg. 98-99.... "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."

In this quote Faulkner uses a simile comparing the boys frustration moving the coffin to a wave in the ocean. I thought this was a very appropriate comparison because a wave is a very out of control and powerful force and when you are dealing with something so tragic as losing your mother, the only emotions you really can feel is like a wave is crashing down on you and everything is becoming a big mess. By using such an intense comparision allows the reader to see that though the characters aren't very good at showing direct emotion, they are all really feeling the pain of their mother's death.

I chose this picture of a wave because I think it is a very scary looking image that seems as if it could cause mass destruction the same way the death of Addie has destroyed the family which relates to the metaphor in the quote.

Cash 96

“It won’t balance. If you want it to tote and ride on a balance, we will have------”’

The quote begins with no quotations, but it does end with them, this shows that Cash was maybe in mid thought when he said this, or that he was saying something before in a previous chapter or conversation and this was the continued idea. This quote really describes and defines Cash and his characteristics. Cash is meticulous and requires everything to be perfect, all he ever thinks about in previous chapters is the casket he is building, and all that matters to him is that it is perfect. He keeps talking about balance and making the casket balanced, this shows that he is still obsessed with the perfection of the box and cannot think of anything else. Also, the sentence doesn’t really end, it leaves an open ending; this shows that what he wants to say is too hard to actually put in words, in his mind he wants to finish his thought, and he wants to speak about it, but in the end the notion is too much for him to handle so he lets it vanish. This quote also begins the chapter and ends it. Making this the beginning and the end shows that it is an important part of the situation, the emotion that Cash is feeling is really vital to his character and to the situation as a whole.

Darl 94-95

"Motionless, wooden backed, wooden faced, he shapes the horse in a rigid stoop like a hawk, hook winged. They are waiting for us, ready for the moving of it, waiting for him." pg.95

William Faulkner uses metaphor and imagery to describe Jewels reaction to the death of his mother. Describing Jewels features such as his back and face as wooden creates a stiff cold unfeeling image adding to Jewels already harsh angry characterization. The unmoving image of wood also creates a sense of shock and emptiness that can come with a loss. Wood also connects Jewel and Darl to their dead mother because wood is what her coffin is being made of and Addie will be buried on a wooden back. The "horse" is used as a metaphor for their mother. Jewel cares about his horse and caring for the horse can be easier to show then caring for another human being. Therefore Darl connects Jewels feelings toward the horse to their dead mother. Jewel is compared to a hawk circling and watching the events of his life unfold.

http://www.sculptures-by-bjh.com/images/Buckeye%20Hawk-right%20side1-840.jpg

This image is appropriate because like the quote it works to characterize Jewel who in many ways is like a Hawk on the outside the Hawk and Jewel are rough, menacing, eager for the hunt. However the hawk is considered one of the smartest birds. The Hawk also has amazing sight. Jewel shares this quality for he can see what none of his other family members seem to understand. That the building of the coffin right in front of his mother and planning her death is wrong and cruel.

Tull (pages 85-93)

“If it takes wet boards for folks to fall, it’s fixing to be lots of falling before this spell is done.
‘You couldn’t have holp it,’ I say.
I don’t mind the folks falling. It’s the cotton and corn I mind.
Neither does Peabody mind the folks falling. How ‘bout it, Doc?” (90)

This passage is interesting because as Tull describes his conversation with Cash, he interrupts his narration with his unspoken inner thoughts. These thoughts reveal much about his character that is not seen through his usual narration. On the surface, Tull is trying to make Cash feel better about his fall, but inside he reveals that he doesn’t care how the stormy weather hurts other people, as long as his crops are okay. He also implies that Peabody won’t mind if anyone gets hurt because it’ll bring him more business. Together, these two statements characterize Tull as being selfish, insincere, and cynical. Additionally, Tull’s constant repetition of the same words (“mind,” “folks,” “falling”) along with his short, simple syntax shows that he is uneducated because his language is so poor. When you compare his dull, repetitive speech to Darl’s more vivid, colorful language, you can tell that there’s a huge difference in the intelligence and education of the two men.

In this passage, Tull reminds me of the character of Lori Trager from the show Kyle XY. Like Tull, Lori’s character is generous and caring, but can be very selfish at times. Lori is there for her family and friends even though she often hates people, which is similar to the way Tull is willing to help out the Bundrens despite his apparent dislike for them. Lori is also very cynical and expects everyone to have selfish or negative intentions, which is much like Tull’s very cynical statement in the passage above. Despite their similarities, however, the two characters are almost complete opposites. Lori appears to be selfish and cynical on the outside but is really caring and well intentioned, while Tull appears more generous on the outside but is secretly quite selfish and cynical.

Vardaman Page 84

“My mother is a fish.” (pg. 84)

Vardaman uses a metaphor to connect his mother to a fish. He is directly saying that his mother is a fish, which plays a double effect as it disconnects him from her, but at the same time connects him to her. This confused diction conveys Vardaman’s confused feelings. By saying his mother is a fish, although it seems to be more towards the disconnection, he’s connecting to her. He’s using something that he knows to try and understand a confusing situation. He keeps thinking about the fish that he caught and cut. Earlier, Vardaman said, “It was not her because it was laying right yonder in the dirt. And it’s all chopped up. I chopped it up… And tomorrow it will be cooked and et and she will be him and pa and Cash and Dewey Dell and there won’t be anything in the box and so she can breathe.” This quote along with his direct statement on pg. 84 reveals that Vardaman associates his mother as the fish that he caught. Therefore, he is blaming himself for his mother’s death.

When I look at this picture, I see a child looking at the world and having the overwhelming feeling that everything around him that’s wrong is his fault. Vardaman’s character is a microcosm for how all children react to their surrounding environment. Because Vardaman is seeing everything at once, his overwhelming feeling is causing him to group things together. His grouping of his mother’s death and the catching of the fish is Vardaman breaking down and allowing his world around him to enclose and giving him fault where he doesn’t deserve it.

Cash 82-83

Quote

“8. Animal Magnetism.
9. The animal magnetism of a dead body makes the stress come slanting, so the seams and joints of a coffin are made on the bevel (83).”

In this quote, Cash personifies the dead body by giving it “animal magnetism” -the power to attract others through one's physical presence, bearing, energy, etc (dictionary.com). By doing this, Cash is denying the fact that his mother is truly dead. This is further supported by the fact that Cash speaks in numbered steps. This shows that he is viewing this entire situation from only a carpenter’s viewpoint, as opposed to the supposed favorite of a dead mother. By giving reason to his building besides the fact that his mother is dead, and by separating these reasons from one another, Cash does not have to focus on the whole truth. Cash speaks so mechanically and matter-of-factly about the “dead body” and why a coffin is built the way it is, but nowhere does he mention his mother. It seems as though he is trying to escape from the effects of death by trying to control this one aspect of it.



























In this chapter, Cash reminds me of Dr. House. Dr. House is known for his horrible bedside manner with his patients, and lack of interaction with them. When House gets a case, they become a list of symptoms on a white board that need to be explained. House does not see the person who is sick, but instead sees a problem that he needs to figure out for his own satisfaction. House is characterized as lonely and detached, which is why he works this way. This is how Cash acts during the situation of his mother’s death. While he does seem to be building it in order to make her happy, Cash uses building the coffin as a way to not focus on the real reason he needs to build it – his mother is dying.

DARL

Darl pgs 75-81
“Below the sky sheet-lightening slumbers lightly; against it the trees, motionless, are ruffled out to the last twig, swollen, increased as though quick and young.” Pg 76

Darl is still on his delivery with Jewel but is still able to see what is happening far away at his home. He sees Cash and Anse working on the coffin as it begins to rain. This quote adds to the unique and unrealistic characteristics of Darl. The outhors choice of diction uses alliteration: sky sheet-lightening slumbers, and personification to describe the trees and weather. This also adds to Darl’s random intellect and shows how well spoken and mature he is.

http://www.robandlauren.ca/media/photos/2008/08/18/sized/lightening3_jpg_930x700_q85.jpg
I chose this picture because it captures the lightening bolt in the moment of time and it feels like time has frozen. This reminds me of Darl because he seems to have this ability to see things deeper for what they really are. He describes every detail of the lightening in the quote I chose in a beautiful, descriptive manner and this picture reflected that image he described.

Tull 68-74

“Now and then a fellow gets to thinking. About all the sorrow and afflictions in this world; how it’s liable to strike anywhere, like lightening. I reckon it does take a powerful trust in the Lord to guard a fellow..(Pg. 71).

Tull is an extremely Christian man, furthermore emphasizing on one of the themes in this novel; ignorance is bliss. He states how a man should not waste his time thinking of all the sorrow in this world, for it’s the Lord’s will and power to strike pain and misfortune anywhere he pleases. He uses a simile to compare the Lord’s strength against man kind with lightning. Lightning has the ability to destroy anything in its way and is utterly unpredictable. Tull and his wife both fear the Lord but refuse to challenge Him by questioning such destruction. His english reflects on the way he believes a man should think, for it is not as sophisticated as one may want. Thus Tull is not as educated in the language he speaks, nor the religion he follows.

I compared this passage to one of my favorite songs of all time; “The News,” by Jack Johnson. In this song Jack Johnson talks about all the destruction in our world. He notes how you can see all this misfortune through the news, yet you don’t see people getting upset by it or even effected. His mama tries to calm him down by making him think the news is fiction. This all relates back to the common theme; ignorance is bliss. Without knowing or thinking about how disturbed our world is, very day citizens can live their lives as happy as ever. Their lack of knowledge allows them to be completely self-obsessed and ignorant.

Who's the one to decide that it would be alright
To put the music behind the news tonight
Well mama said
You can't believe everything you hear
The diagetic world is so unclear
So baby close your ears
On the news tonight
On the news tonight

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

Dewey Dell pgs 58-64

Dewey Dell
Pgs 58-64

“It’s like everything in the world for me is inside a tub of guts, so that you wonder how there can be any room in it for anything else very important. He is a big tub of guts and I am a little tub of guts and if there’s not any room for anything else important in a big tub of guys how can it be room in a little tub of guts…It’s because I am alone. If I could just feel it, it would be different, because I would not be alone…” pgs 58-59

Literary Devices- Throughout this passage Dewey Dell continues to repeat the words guts and alone. Faulkner uses those two words to characterize Dewey Dell as a very childish one dimensional character. During this passage the reader can also infer that she is a typical woman of the time period and wants a man to be by her side to take care of her. The repetition of the word “alone” makes the reader infer that she needs a man by her side to complete her. The syntactical arrangement of this passage is very simple and child-like. The arrangement of the passage can let the reader infer that Dewey Dell is throwing a temper-tantrum. This simple language is used to let the reader feel how Dewey Dell feels about what is going on around her.

I think that Dewey Dell and Dorothy from the “Wizard of Oz” are very similar. Dorothy is very ignorant and thrives on the fact that she wants to go home because she feels alone in Oz. Although Dorothy tries to handle her situation on her own, she always has people guiding her along the way. If it wasn’t for Glinda and Auntie Em, Dorothy would never have found her way home. Like Dorothy, throughout the chapter, Dewey Dell keeps repeating this young man’s name because she wants to be guided through her tough time and to her "home", with Addie.

Vardaman page 53

“Then I begin to run. I run toward the back and come to the edge of the porch and stop. Then I begin to cry. I can feel where the fish was in the dust. It is cut up into pieces of not-fish now, not-blood on my hands and overalls. Then it wasn’t so. It hadn’t happened then. And now she is getting so far ahead I cannot catch her.” (page 53)
In this quote, the fish that Vardaman caught is a metaphor for his mother. He talks about the fish as it is no longer living, and emphasizes its lifelessness by adding “not” before all the traits that describe life. The fish is used to represent his mother because it is something he was proud of, and this is shown when he tried to show his father the big fish he discovered and was shot down by his father who seemed unimpressed. This is much like his mother, for whom his father feels little affection for, and doesn’t show any compassion towards. Also, the fish was something Vardaman was proud of, not necessarily cared for, which shows the hollowness in the love in this family. They don’t really love Addie, they just admire her for all the things she was good at. Because of this, the fish metaphor depicts how the family doesn’t truly care about her, but rather what she did for them. The metaphor of the fish resembling his mother is tied in the last line, where he makes reference to his mother dying, saying he can no longer catch her, because she has gone off to heaven.
Much like Vardaman is Will Smith in the movie I Am Legend. In the movie, he has a dog Sam which to him represents his family which dies, but also it represents his sanity because after the dog dies, he finds it hard to grasp reality. The dog is kind of a false sense of security, much like the fish was for Vardaman, but once he loses it he realizes things aren’t as they seem. He can’t hold it together once the dog dies, much like Vardaman after the situation with the fish and his mothers death occurs.

Anse (110-111)

In the novel, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, Anse addresses many important topics and conflicts he endures presently within the story. While addressing these issues he describes a very interesting scene of the river near Samson’s house. Faulkner uses syntax to draw attention to this line and help emphasize the importance of this scene to the novel as a whole. The author also includes biblical references to magnify the impact of this scene to the readers. By using both biblical references and syntactical devices, William Faulkner helps create the proper mood and gives the reader necessary knowledge for the novel.
One of the narrators of the novel, As I Lay Dying, is Anse Bundren who believes himself to be a very unlucky man. Earlier in the passage, Anse claims he works hard to one day be rewarded in Heaven, as he keeps his faith in God. In the statement in question, Anse illustrates the properties of the river and its unusual height. “There was old men that hadn’t never see nor hear of it being so in the memory of man,” this sentence is particularly interesting because of the syntactical structure of the thought. Faulkner first accommodates the image of the old men talking to the reader in the first half of the sentence, however, the end of the sentence contains “in the memory of man.” This statement is very important because it not only dramatizes the scene but it initiates a specific time frame for the reader. When someone says “the memory of man,” a person will automatically think back to what we believe was the first appearance of man. This term could also refer to a biblical reference in B.C. time. The imagery of the river rising to amazing heights could be referring to the Great Flood when God destroyed all on the earth that was bad. The connotation of water is pure and healing which can therefore justify the thesis of this statement having biblical background.
Hence, the novel by William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying, includes several key terms and concepts. Faulkner represents these concepts by incorporating both literary and rhetorical devices within the text. All of these techniques contribute to the novel either through enhancing mood or triggering the grasp of intense ideas. Faulkner inserts such devices to give the reader a better understanding of the work.






I chose the picture of the Great Flood and Noah’s Ark because the quote includes a biblical allusion to this event. The quote has qualities which foreshadow a similar event where “sinners” and all bad things will be washed away and healed. The picture is a perfect visual image of the process described. The waters near the bottom of the picture are rough and treacherous which indicate the difficult and unbearable emotions and occasions that are destined to occur. The waters near the ark however, are calm and serene which illustrate how after harsh difficulties or “storms,” a person will find peace.

Darl (p47-52)

“He looks up at the gaunt face framed by the window in the twilight. It is a composite picture of all time since he was a child. He drops the saw and lifts the board for her to see, watching the window in which the face has not moved. He drags a second plank into position and slants the two of them into their final juxtaposition gesturing toward the ones yet on the ground, shaping with his empty hand in pantomime the finished box. For a while still she looks down at him from the composite picture, neither with censure nor approbation. Then the face disappears (48)”.

This quote highlights the relationship between Cash and Addie. Faulkner sets up a sad and lingering undertone by using the word “twilight” in the first sentence. It is not completely dark, yet not completely light. This represents Addie’s state. She is not dead, but she is as close to it as possible. This suspense creates frustration for the reader as the setting seems unbalanced, titled. When Addie dies, it seems to relieve the tension that has been built up. Furthermore, the idea of the face is in window and the saw represents Cash’s character. The “face framed” (alliteration) by the window shows that Cash is always being watched; he is always being judged. He is not only judged by Addie, but he is also the easiest character to wrongly judge. He is making a coffin for his mother that is not dead yet. The reader immediately feels that Cash is pathetic and depressed. Furthermore, this asserts the idea that Cash is always living to please others. In addition, the saw is symbolic for Cash. Making this coffin has become his identity. This is supported when Addie dies—he doesn’t even say anything. Also, his hand is described as being empty. This can relate to his life because Cash has isolated himself with his obsession. His mind is consumed with finishing the coffin. There is also heavy foreshadowing within this passage. First, the fact that he is actually assembling the coffin indicates that it will be in use soon. Then, the use of the word “final” and “finished” can relate to the alliteration used in the first line for “face framed”. Therefore, the “final” and “finished” can be seen to describe Addie’s last moments. The description of Addie as a composite picture is also foreshadowing. This can be interpreted in two ways. One—when someone dies, it is common to have their picture somewhere in the house. Or two—she is so still that she looks like a picture. She is dead still. Finally, the biggest clue to Addie’s death was the last sentence. The face is Addie’s face consistently looking down at Cash as he makes the coffin. The face disappearing and the completion of the coffin foreshadows that Addie is dead.



I related Cash to Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I think that these characters have an ironic connection. Both are obsessive over something that isolates them from society. Cash is obsessed with the construction of the coffin like Frankenstein is obsessed with creating the creature. The completion of both goals, however, has deathly effects. For example, when Cash completed the coffin, Addie died. When Frankenstein created the creature, Frankenstein’s gloomy fate was sealed. The irony stems in what each character’s motive was. Cash was building the coffin in preparation for death while Frankenstein was building the creature to personify death. One was working towards death; one was working away from death. Both works focused on death.

Peabody (pages 41-46)

Peabody
Literary Devices: Through the chapter, Peabody represents a thought pattern and ideology thats starkly contrasts with the Bundren family. It effectively makes Peabody a symbol of intellectualism, and in some ways, the North. Though Peabody is by no means a happy man, he is relatively well off compared to the Bundrens, and is shocked upon hearing Anse’s reasoning for not calling him sooner. Though Peabody cares for Addie, she asks him to leave her room, not wanting him there when she dies. Peabody’s unrequited care for the general well-being of the family points out that most of them are caricatures of actual human beings, and do not care about the fact that their matriarch is dying. This parallels in a way, the attitude of Southerner’s, and possibly Faulkner, toward the better off North during the aftermath of the Civil War, and in a more accurate time portrayal, the Dust Bowl.

Relating: The song “The Day the World Went Away” by Nine Inch Nails eerily mirrors the events at Addie’s bedside, from her perspective, while Peabody is visiting in a lyrical and auditory way. The first line of the song, “I'd listen to the words he'd say but in his voice I heard decay”, is Addie judging Peabody by his elderly look, and his inability to comprehend how the Bundren’s would allow her to get in that condition without calling him, thereby losing faith in humanity in general, hence the decay. The second line, “the plastic face forced to portray all the insides left cold and gray”, would make the most sense referring to Anse, who has neglected Addie and forced his inner turmoils and misery to not show outwardly, metaphorically rotting him from the inside out. The most fitting compliment to As I Lay Dying occurs in the final line of the song, “the sweetest price he'll have to pay the day the whole world went away”, where Addie would direct such a comment again to her husband, who firstly sent the only two children that seem to honestly care about her on a mission for a $3 reward, and is also lamenting the fact that his wife is making the family travel 40 miles to bury her where she wants to be buried. The line also expresses the hardship and difficult journey that will begin when Addie dies, which would be in her perspective, the day the world went away.

Lyrics
I'd listen to the words he'd say
but in his voice I heard decay
the plastic face forced to portray
all the insides left cold and gray
there is a place that still remains
it eats the fear it eats the pain
the sweetest price he'll have to pay
the day the whole world went away

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUjKt-LB_iU

I found a video containing the entire song, but its not an official music video, and is just a tad bit ridiculous.

Darl Pages 39-40

Darl Pages 39-40

"Jewel', I say, 'Do you know that Addie Bundren is going to die? Addie Bundren is going to die.'"

This excerpt uses repetition in order to covey and emphasize Darls sense of confusion, numbness and disbelief. By repeating the statement, he is almost admitting the truth out loud to himself for the first time and is therefore taking the unspoken, worst fear of his entire family and accepting its inevitability.

I would connect this line with the opening stanza's of the song 'Lighthouse' by the Hush sound because both seem to need guidance and a safe place to avoid the troubles of the world. Darl is clearly trying to avoid the near future while simultaneously accepting its arrival, leaving him conflicted, just as the tone of 'Lighthouse' is both comforting and foreboding. Both use a soft tone to convey meanings that hold a great weight in them.

Take what you need while there's time
The city will be earth in a short while
If I'm not mistaken it's been in flames
You and I will escape to the seaside

There is a storm in the distance
The wind breathing warning of its imminence
There is a lighthouse five hundred yards down
You and I will be safe there

Anse (pg.35-38)

Anse (pg. 35-38)
“Putting it where every bad luck prowling can find it and come straight to my door, charging me taxes on top of it.” (pg.36)

This quote personifies bad luck by giving it the ability to sneak and find Anse at his home. This emphasizes how Anse believes that God doesn’t seem to aid him in any way except by providing a road for the bad luck to travel straight to him. Therefore, Anse says “I am not religious” due to the bad luck he attains that had caused him to lose faith. Moreover, the repetition of “making me pay for it” and “that road” not only illustrates his disappointment of his lack of wealth but asserts the impact his wife’s illness has on him. He thinks that his bad luck had constructed new road for his wife’s death. Therefore, some of his children dislike him because he comes off as a heartless and selfish individual and even Anse senses this when he says “but I just can’t seem to get no heart into it.”

I chose to have a picture of a three leaf clover to exemplify a lack of luck that Anse possess. In comparison to a four leaf clover, when found, an individual acquires good luck – which is what Anse is need of. This three leaf clover is a mere representation of Anse’s belief of his unlucky fortune. Although, many of these clovers exist in the world it reflects normality and acceptance of the fortunate (wealth, happiness, etc) and unfortunate (illness, death) events that exist in life. Moreover, it is difficult to seize a four a leaf clover due to its rarity and therefore, it would be challenging for Anse to acquire “good luck.” So in essence, rather than putting faith in luck, he should become religious and “let the Lord comfort” (pg. 33) him.

Tull

“They all looked like Jewel might have give him his old ones. Not Jewel, though. He’s long-armed, even if he is spindling. Except for the lack of sweat. You could tell they aint been nobody else’s but Anse’s that way without no mistake.” Pg 32

The diction and syntax used in this quote shows Tull’s background and displays his level of education. His grammar is poor (“you can tell they aint been no one else’s”), and he speaks in incomplete sentences (i.e. “Except for the lack of sweat”). Using this broken language such as “might have give him” shows that Tull probably is uneducated and has probably spent his whole life on the farm. This quote also shows that Tull is a very observant person and clearly is very knowledgeable about the ways of everyone around him, determining who an old shirt belongs to based on the length of the arms and lack of sweat stains. He is a quiet observer.

Mr. Feeny is somewhat similar to Tull because they are helpful, observant, and slightly critical neighbors. On boy meets world, Mr. Feeny serves as a mentor who offers advice to the Matthews when they need it, but often criticizes their ridiculous and troublesome behavior. Regardless, he goes out of his way for them, although they do not fully show their appreciation. Tull is a slightly wealthier neighbor who hires the Bundrens to do work for them and is helpful in a few ways. He tries to assure Anse that Darl will be alright on his trip home and dodge the rain. Although he helps the family, he still has some lingering pessimism about their ways, but genuinely seems to care about them.

Dewey Dell~26-28

Dewey Dell~26-28

And so it was because I could not help it. It was then, and then I saw Darl and he knew. He said he knew without the words like he told me that ma is going to die without words, and I knew he knew because if he had said he knew with the words I would not have believed that he had been there and saw us. But he said he did know and I said “Are you going to tell pa are you going to kill him?” without the words I said it and he said “Why?” without the words. And that’s why I can talk to him with knowing with hating because he knows (Faulkner 27).

In this passage, Faulkner utilizes an incoherent and excessively informal syntactical structure to characterize the speaker, Dewey Dell. By throwing in unnecessary words and phrases in awkward spots, Faulkner effectively mimics an addled and poorly educated child who fails at speaking intelligibly. Comprehension requires the context of the entire passage because each sentence makes very little sense on its own. The upside to this is that the reader gains something special from this very child-like attempt at speaking. For example, the repeated idea of “knowing without words” is such an awed way of looking at Darl’s faked ignorance. The amateur language draws the reader into Dewey Dell’s world and allows the reader to appreciate the things that are awesome in her world.

Video-Blood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9WmKre5O2I&feature=related
I chose this clip because my reaction to the video reminded me of my reaction to this passage. Just like the child in the video repeats the word “blood” over and over, Dewey Dell repeats the word “knew.” Both children are very incoherent. I think they focus so much on their respective words that other words come only grudgingly. This is why, at first, I could understand neither of the children, but after replaying or rereading the words enough times, I started to get the point despite their inabilities to speak properly. Also just like the child in the video takes the “blood” on his brother seriously, Dewey Dell takes her brother’s “knowing without words” seriously. I feel frustrated with the child in the video because he’s worried about his brother and no one is taking him seriously just like I understood the significance of knowing without words because Dewey Dell took it so seriously.

Cora

“She lived, a lonely woman, lonely with her pride, trying to make folks believe different, hiding the fact that they just suffered her, because she was not cold in the coffin before they were carting her forty miles away to bury her, flouting the will of God to do it.” pg 22

The author uses repetition of the word lonely. From this repetition we can infer that although her life was filled with many people seeing as how many sons she had, she wasn’t the happiest person. She ended up living a very lonely life. We can also tell from the soft diction when talking about Addie, that Cora really truly cares about Addie. Also from the harsh diction when she is talking about the men making the coffin, one can infer that she does agree with this, and she is disgusted by what they are doing. Another thing that I noticed was the referring to God, when she didn’t agree with it. Cora doesn’t agree with what they are doing, because it isn’t what God wishes. They are going against God.


I thought that Cora reminded me of a sunflower. She is the one who is always doing the right thing and she seems like she tries to bring happiness to them. When I think of a sunflower, I think of happiness and the sun. These represent life and happiness to me so that is why I chose a sunflower.

Darl (16-20)

Darl (16-20)
“A feather dropped near the front door will rise and brush along the ceiling, slanting backward, until it reaches the down-turning current at the back door: so with voices.”
In the novel, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, Darl describes a brief scene of a feather that he unintentionally takes notice of. The imagery Faulkner uses to describe the exhibit benefits the character development of Darl because he notices something so insignificant which most people would not even see. The “downward-turning motion” indicated in the statement is a common motion seen in everyday life, not many people, however, will notice an event like this. Darl can therefore be characterized as a person who observes more detail than others, which can foreshadow an important role for Darl and his perception of the world around him.
An incredibly important aspect of the sentence is the syntax used including the colon and the proceeding contribution. The addition of the colon into the sentence breaks up the line into two different thoughts. One thought is the obvious imagery of the feather while the other idea is of a much more interesting literary device. The seemingly incomplete “so with voices” implies that the wind, carrying the feather, also carried the voices from a conversation in another part of the room. The literary device used to describe the winds actions is known as personification which further adds to the sentence and chapter as a whole. The syntax of this additional inspection of the scene helps the sentence demonstrate Darl’s observational process which further aids the reader understand both the scene and character.
The various literary and syntactical devices used in this sentence help the reader comprehend and foreshadow events involving Darl. This observation indicates that Darl is a person who takes notice to the smaller things and who can appreciate the elements. The sentence in question will eventually contribute to the novel as a whole through its quantity of important literary and rhetorical devices.



Darl;
ob-ser-va-tion-al Spelled Pronunciation [ob-zur-vey-shuh-nl]
–adjective
Of, pertaining to, or founded on observation, esp. founded on observation rather than experiment.

Jewel pg 14-15

Jewel pg 14-15

“It’s because he stays out there, right under the window, hammering and sawing on the goddamn box. Where she’s got to see him. Where every breath she draws is full of his knocking and sawing where she can see him saying See. See what a good one I am making for you. I told him to go somewhere else. I said Good God do you want to see her in it. “ (pg 14)

This passage is the opening to Jewel’s chapter of this novel. He is speaking for the first time and it is difficult to tell whom Jewel is referencing. “He” in this passage is Cash, and “she” is Jewel’s mother Addie. Cash is building Addie’s coffin outside her window and is making a lot of noise. She is not dead yet, but she is sitting alone quietly watching him build her coffin. Anaphora is used, as well as other forms of repetition. “Where she’s got to see him. Where every breath…where she can see him…” is an example of anaphora. The repetition of the word “sawing,” emphasizes the sound of the saw, and how loud it is for the entire town to hear. Jewel’s true feelings towards his mother come out. He has such a problem with Cash sawing outside her room, which proves that he cares more for his mother than Cash. He’s tried everything to make Cash stop because he truly wants his mother to die in peace, and he would like to be at her bedside

Jewel is a difficult character to compare too, especially in the beginning of the story, when not much is known about him. However, I feel like he is comparable to Troy Bolton in High School Musical. Troy loves to sing, and has a problem when people make fun of him for that. However, he is too afraid to stand up for what he wants. Jewel loves his mother, and knows that he is the favorite, but similar to Troy, Cash is not brave enough to force Cash to stop building the coffin. He asked Cash to stop, and gave up when Cash didn’t listen. Troy told his friends about his singing, but wanted to quit when they didn’t agree with him. At this point in the story, I think that Jewel is going to allow his brother to ignore his wishes, but in the end, I predict that Jewel will end up letting his true feelings known, like Troy.

Darl
pp. 10-13
Quote: “And at night it is better still. I used to lie on the pallet in the hall, waiting until I could hear them all asleep, so I could get up and go back to the bucket. It would be black, the shelf black, the still surface of the water a round orifice in nothingness, where before I stirred it awake with the dipper I could see maybe a star or two in the bucket, and maybe in the dipper a star or two before I drank.” p. 11

The main rhetorical device used is personification. Darl personifies the water when he says “where before I stirred it awake”. A bucket of water, symbolically, seems pretty simple (a reflection of Darl). The water, however, is filled with water, which is, throughout literature, viewed as a way of purifying. Darl repeats the word “black”, to emphasize the darkness of the scene (imagery), which is a reflection of the night sky, with the “star or two”. The acknowledgement of the stars in the water expresses the connection Darl has with nature. By drinking the water, he is drinking the reflection of the stars-- he is intertwined with nature.

Darl’s narration and point of view entails an immense amount of descriptive language. Darl, a typical southerner, is slow when speaking, which is emphasized by all the adjective use, which physically slows the reader down. Darl’s narration is so descriptive that the reader inevitably imagines the sight of the water Darl is drinking. The picture not only depicts the way Darl describes the water, but also, the bead of water, I feel, exemplifies Darl’s world within the water. He continually talks about the water, and how he waits for everyone to be asleep, I feel as though the water serves to not only make Darl happy, but also to let him escape reality.

Cora, pages 6-9

QUOTE: "So I baked yesterday, more careful than I ever baked in my life, and the cakes turned out right well...'But not like the cakes Addie used to bake.'
-pages 7-8
EXPLANATION: Cora's narration of the conflict presented is not completely comprised of melancholy imagery. It is, instead, contrasted by a happy image: cakes. By setting up a somewhat awkward comparision, Faulkner can show the sadness Cora (and the rest of the characters) are dealing with because of the "loss" of Addie. With this, and the choppy, confusing narration, the reader can understand Cora's current mental state.
IMAGE:

I chose this picture because I thought it represented the conflict in...The one thing the characters loved was fading away. Once the candles are extinguished, they will only be surrounded by darkness.

Darl 3-5

“A good carpenter. Addie Bundren could not want a better one, a better box to lie in” (pg. 4-5).

This quote uses repetition of the forms of the word “good”. This is ironic, because Darl knows that his mother is dying and nothing out of this situation can be described as good. By using that word so many times in such a small space, Darl is showing his desire to distance himself from the sadness and tragedy of the situation and instead focus on small, individual aspects that can be thought of separately from his mother’s death. He describes Addie’s eventual coffin almost as if it were a bed so he is still in denial of her fate.

I am comparing this quote to fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium). This is the first plant to appear after a forest fire, and its petals are beautiful and hard to ignore. It is the sole sign of beauty in a wasteland of horror and destruction. This idea relates to Darl’s attitude toward his mother’s death and her coffin. He is focusing only on the quality of the coffin and not on the fact that soon his mother will be dead. He also refers to her as “lying in” the coffin, as if she were asleep, so his words are gentle. He isn’t harsh, like a cactus, but instead emotional. It can also grow up to 8 feet high, showing the triumph of beauty over barren lands. This could represent Darl reaching the cottonhouse before Jewel, who is generally shown to be less gentle than his brother.