A second example of dysfunctionality is Jewel's apparent hatred for most of his family. The only person he seems to care for is his mother. At least he seems to have some compassion for her, unlike the rest of the family. He certainly has a problem with Cash as he has vehement commentary about his casket building in front of his mother's window. He dislikes Dewey Dell as he disapproves of her haphazard fanning of their mother. He and Darl seem to be in a fued over who is the most loved by their mother and also seem to be locked in a typical battle of similarly aged brothers. Anse, well, no one seems to like him and Jewel is no exception. The lazy Anse has forced Jewel to do a lot of work over the years and Jewel seems to hate him for that. If one member of the family hates all the other members except one, bingo! Red flag! That is a dysfunctional family.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
The Dysfunctional Bundrens
Wow! What to say about this family. They have a dying mother, a lazy father and rambunctious fueding siblings. They live in poverty surrounded by neighbors that are nosy and judgmental. To say the least, it is a rough situation. There are several fascinating examples of dysfunction throughout the beginning section of the novel. The first is Addie Bundren, condemned to death, surrounded by nosy neighbors, a husband that has driven her to this state while being forced to watch her own casket being built. The best word to describe this is horrible. It is simply horrible, that Ms. Bundren has to die this way. One point that was brought up in class that her death feels rushed by the other family members, almost like they are happy to see her go. I do find it a bit strange that her casket is being hastily built before her death by her own family. I don't know that customs of the south of the depression era, but this seems a bit abnormal. Even if it is normal, it still is insensitive of the family to treat life and death in such a casual, haphazard manner. One would expect some compassion to be shown by the family to their mother or husband in Anse's case, but this seems relatively absent. The lack of compassion is best seen in the fact that the sons don't even seem to go into the room where she is lying. That is reserved for Dewey Dell who is fanning her mother and the smattering of nosy neighbors. Addie's situation is quite unfortunate and is a perfect example that defines the dysfunctionality of the Bundren family.
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Ryan,
ReplyDeleteAs I read your commentary, the craziness of the Bundren family hit me. While reading AILD, it is hard to keep in mind the relationships between characters and how they act towards each other. However, when every crazy thing about the family is all together, the dysfunction of the Bundren family hits an all-time high. Regarding Addie’s impending death, I completely agree with you in how Anse and the children seem to be rushing it. Personally, I feel as though they are rushing Addie’s death for ulterior motives. We already know that Anse wants a new set of teeth, Cash wants to leave the family farm, and Jewel most definetly has a secret for insisting on taking his mother’s body to her hometown. One of the other major issues between Anse and his children is that there is no respect between them. This is a major recipe for disaster. Because of this, they are all completely self centered, and only do things that benefit them and no one else.