Thursday, October 16, 2014
Cash: The man's man
While reading William Faulkners amazing tale of the Bundrens I have quickly come to relate to the eldest of the family, Cash. He is the one who will work through rain, night, the death of his mother, hell, he'll break his leg again just to save his mothers coffin. This guy is just down right respectable. I guess one of the things I enjoy about him so much is the fact that I'm almost positive this is exactly who my father wants to be. My dad has always tried to instill a work ethic of a machine in me. I remember just a few years ago staining my deck twice in 90 degree weather because he thought 6 months was the allotted time for stain to last (it is 5 years). Cash just embodies what I imagine almost any father would want in a son. A man that gets done what he needs to get done and doesn't complain. He doesn't seek any recognition it is just what he thinks needs to get done. When Cash makes the coffin on the bevel it takes quite a bit of extra time. It isn't needed but he does it because it is just logical. If you're going to do something might as well do it right. He even asks to bring his tools on the trip just so on the way back he can work on Tull's roof. Towards the end of the novel he loses his leg. A man whose sole purpose is to work will have that inhibited due to his fathers (still thoughtful) stupidity. You would think he would be upset but he is not in the least. the only time I think I saw Cash convey any sort of emotion was when he heard the gramaphone and realized he would not be able to buy it due to his father taking his money. It was almost one of defeat. Fortunately, in the end Cash was able to get his gramaphone and at least his mission was a successful one.
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After I realized Darl was crazy, Cash becomes the most reliable narrator. He not only just does what needs to be done, but he says what is real, without any sugarcoat. I do agree with you that Cash is what a father would normally want in a son, but Cash has more responsibilities than that of a son normally would. The situation in which a father wants his son to be a hard-working, "get it done right" kind of person is when the father embodies the work hard, blue-collar life, and the father wants the son to work hard to he is like him as much as he wants him to work hard for the sake of working hard. However, with the Bundrens, Cash does not at all embody his father in any way, shape, or form. Because of this, it feels to me like the attitude that Cash has for life goes completely unnoticed by Anse
ReplyDeleteThe entire time Cash's leg is broken he keeps saying that it doesn't bother him when its obvious from the description of his leg that it has to be hurting a lot. Any remotely sensitive person would sense that Cash is just trying to put the family first, stay strong, and not cause anyone extra trouble and that his leg really is bad, but Anse just blows it off and takes Cash's claims at face value. He is totally oblivious and inconsiderate about how selfless and hardworking Cash is.
DeleteYes, I commented on Isaak's comment, but I also want to comment on the post so double comments sorry.
ReplyDeleteBeing honest, at the beginning and for a good portion of the novel my favorite character was Jewel. I liked how he didn't put up with his family's bullshit and he seemed like the strong seemingly ambivalent and angry type who actually really cares on the inside. I also liked his relationship with the horse a lot and it made me really mad when Anse traded it. But, as the novel progressed I definitely started favoring Cash. I really admire how he just takes everything that's shoved in his face without complaint and I don't understand how he does it so calmly without going crazy. The entire thing with his leg really made me sympathize with him. At first I thought Jewel was the best one of the family, most sane, least annoying, etc, but now I realize it's definitely Cash.
In my opinion, Cash is what keeps this novel so grounded. Without him, everyone is just running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Vardaman is too young to be really helpful, Dewey Dell has her own problems, Darl is a little creepy, and Anse is just Anse. But Cash is there to keep everything logical and save the rest of his family. Jewel is very different than Cash, but in a way he does the same thing also.
ReplyDeleteWhat's striking to me about Cash is how, at the end of the novel, he takes on a kind of moral authority that's maybe connected to his strong work ethic, but also represents something new from him--as if he's taking over from Darl's role as "primary narrator," but also raising deep questions about the nature of sanity and insanity and who's to judge. All in his plainspoken, highly rational voice. But though we see him early on as a kind of sawing machine, and later as a guy with an incredible capacity for suffering stoically, I also love the glimmer of an aesthete Cash that emerges--a fellow who could find some enjoyment in a bit of music at the end of the day.
ReplyDelete