Well, I have to say, now that we have finished As I Lay Dying, I really like the book. It wasn’t very much fun to read, but the more we talk about it in class the more I like it. One of the characters that I find particularly interesting is Cash Bundren. Cash does not have very many chapters and he is often just a background character, but now that I look back, there is a lot more to Cash than I first realized.
First of all, Cash is very logical making him different from the rest of the family. While the other family members talk about their feelings and emotions, Cash is straightforward and he simply tells us what is happening. Cash’s first chapter in the book is a numbered list about the coffin. The way Cash builds the coffin also shows us that Cash likes things to be neat and in order. This is very different from the other children who tend to ramble in their chapters and stray far from the topic. Cash’s logic is most obviously seen when the family is crossing the river. Cash suggests that part of the family crosses ahead of the wagon. He says, “Dewey Dell and Vardaman and pa better walk across on the bridge” (pg. 126). This proves to be a very good idea because the wagon does not make it across the river very easily. Cash is also the one to point out that the coffin is not balanced on the wagon. However, the family does not pay attention to him and the coffin ends up falling into the river.
Another think about Cash is that he bears a lot and he does not complain. Throughout the family’s journey to Jefferson, Cash is the one that suffers the most. He breaks his leg while crossing the river, but he never complains. He always puts the family’s needs ahead of his own. Even after they have reached Jefferson Cash tells the family to bury Addie before taking him to the doctor. Cash also quietly bears the problems within the family. When he finds out about Jewel’s horse, he does not tell anyone and he seems to understand Jewel. Darl notices Cash looking at Jewel and he says, “…it was not a worried look; it was the kind of look I would see on him when I would find him doing some of Jewel’s work around the house” (pg. 133). Then when Addie becomes upset, Cash shows love for his mother instead of jealousy because of her love for Jewel.
One thing, though, that surprised me about Cash was the he let Darl be taken away at the end of the story. Cash seemed to be the one who cared the most about the family and I did not expect him to let Darl go so easily.
Overall, I have found Cash to be a very interesting character even though he has a small role in the book.
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Cash's perseverence could also be seen as a tragic flaw. He is too stubborn to admit that he is in in pain. He never wants to be waited upon and refuses to seem needy. However, due to this trait, he will likely never walk again, according to the outraged doctor. There's a lot of irony in this, because he will always be crippled and somewhat needy because of his refusal to appear so.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Cash's straight forwardness and duty towards his family might be seen as love, I think that it also proves that his stoic nature is applied to his blood as well; this probably explains why he let Jewel be taken away. He goes with the flow of whatever happens. Even when he believes that the coffin is not balanced, he does not make much of an effort to change that fact; he just lets it go.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Ihab said, that Cash's perseverence could be seen as a tragic flaw, and with what Eura said about Cash being stoic. Because of his stoicity(?), like how Katie pointed out when Cash is the only one to notice that the coffin is slipping, since he lacks the ability to speak loudly they could have lost their mom and the coffin.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Katie said, abut Cash being the only one to notice things. I think that Cash's main tragic flaw would not be his perseverance, but the hint of obsessive compulsive disorder he has. The way that the coffin being unbalanced bothers him, to the point where it is the only thing that he notices shows him to be mentally unstable. Also, I think that his mental state and distress because of his leg is what caused him not to take action when they took Darl away.
ReplyDeleteI feel the breaking of the leg seems to represent Cash's life. He takes the hardest hit of the family, yet the family takes little care in him as to the way he should be properly treated. He knows that cement will not work to fix his leg, but he does not say anything to stop it. Cash seems to know the right thing but never speaks his mind. Also, Cash gets a lecture from the doctor because he did allow the cement to be placed on his leg, making it worse. Again Cash does not stand up for himself to tell the doctor it was not his idea.
ReplyDeleteWhile Cash seems to be the most logical character of the story, his failure to speak his mind sets him up for bad things.
Has anyone ever thought that maybe Cash is autistic? I know it's kind of a random idea, but it he shows some of the same characteristics of people in the autism spectrum. He is very emotional, but he keeps most of his emotions to himself, like when Darl is taken away, as most autistic people do because they can't form all of their emotions into words. Cash also does tasks/chores the way they 'should' be done, at least in his mind. He's systematic in making his mother's casket, working much harder on that casket than anything else in the entire book. He passes off serious moments, like his leg being much worse off than before, as though they are unimportant, like he cannot gauge how serious his injury is. Maybe he has a mental condition--it wouldn't be strange in the Bundren family, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie. I honestly would have totally disregarded Cash in the story, and labeled him as a somewhat unimportant character, if we had not discussed him in class. It seems that Cash is the glue that holds the Bundren family together. He shows total support and love for everyone in the family. Even with a broken leg he never complains because he knows that it is very important for the family to get Addies body to its final resting place. His leadership and love towards his family make him seem like a better role model for the younger children than even his own father Anse, who seems to simply have a bitter attitude throughout the whole book
ReplyDeleteI think Cash is the character that's supposed to be sane one represented in the Bundren family. Maybe just by showing how logical and straightforward he is, the reader can connect easier, like Darl's chapters. I didn't really associate him with an important role, other than this one, because he has a limited output and few chapters.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jessica when she says that Cash holds the Bundren family together. I also think maybe Faulkner threw Cash in as the detached member of the family so we (the readers) could get a change of pace, since we're so used to the aspect of slightly overwhelming stream of conciousness. Cash may seem to not have much to say, but maybe the others just have too much to say. I do believe that Cash is the odd one out, but maybe it only seems that way in contrast to the others because they are all so similar. As far as what Meghann said, I think assuming that he has some sort of mental problem is a little deep. He's different, yes, but of course he'd seem a little off in contrast to the rest of his family.
ReplyDeleteEven though many people think that Cash's leg might have been the reason for him letting the people take Darl I like to think differently. Personally if I were Cash at the end of book I would just be sick and tired of everyone. He held strong all the way through the book and I'm sure it was mostly do to trying to acheive his mother wishes. So now that he has reached the end of his journey and everything is said and done i think he just gives up. Why try any more when your that tired and that worn out. I just don't think he had any physical or mental strength left to help Darl.
ReplyDeleteI know this might be a stretch, but is it possible that Cash's name is symbolic? Being the most logical and hard working character in the story, it seems that cash would be the one with the greatest possibility of, well, bringing in the cash. I don't know, maybe that's way off, just a thought.
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