As I Lay Dying by Mykele Hutchinson

Sydney Cummins

2023-11-08 16:09:58 UTC

The motherhood aspect of responsibility for Addie is very apparent throughout the story. She doesn't uphold any responsibility for the children or display the job of a good mother. She is too worried about dying to take care of her kids

Aiden

2023-11-08 16:10:02 UTC

The Coffin represents a burden that is put on the family, and when it's buried the burden is put to rest. A sense of normalcy returns afterwards. The family will more than likely return to there status quo in some way, shape, or form.

Sophie L.

sophielee13 — 2023-11-08 16:11:50 UTC

Family in As I Lay Dying is possibly the exact opposite to The Odyssey. In As I Lay Dying they all are at an expense to each other. However, in The Odyssey the family works together to defeat the problem. In AILD they are only adding to each other's internal problems and are working against each other more than they are working for each other.

Skyler Brumley

skylerbrumley — 2023-11-08 16:12:09 UTC

Men. Society

Emilea Moore

emileamoore — 2023-11-08 16:12:13 UTC

The family aspect is completely lacking throughout the whole book. The Bundren's do not act like a family should act towards each other.

Alexia Buford

2023-11-08 16:12:14 UTC

Cash and the son from the Odyssey in the beginning are opposites. It seemed the son was trying reluctant to taking the responsibility but Cash right off the bat is spending all his time outside building the casket so he is taking the responsibility.

Sydney Cummins

2023-11-08 16:12:52 UTC

The family theme is very chaotic in the story because of how diverse each part of the family is. The mother doesn't want to deal with the kids, the father is not really there. The kids are taking over the roles for the parents as well.

Lauren Honican

2023-11-08 16:12:53 UTC

Anse demonstrates the theme of greed and selfishness by only caring about his teeth. Throughout the book, all he wanted was to get new teeth. Addie was also very selfish because she was too focused on dying rather than being there for her kids and caring for them.

Aiden

2023-11-08 16:13:10 UTC

I think the book shows Family in its worst situation. A family that has horrible communication, and refuses to try and compromise with one another. Our family is meant to be those who we're closest with, but with As I lay dying it represents when they refuse to get along and have conflict with eachother.

kristina terrazas

kristinaterrazas — 2023-11-08 16:13:15 UTC

The theme of hospitality is brought out throughout the Bundren's journey. Every town they go to, they are welcomed into people's homes and well taken care of. They are given food and shelter. Even when Anse seems to reject the hospitality, the hosts insist.

Katherine Padron

2023-11-08 16:13:15 UTC

There was a sense of relief after they had buried addie. They had encountered all these troubles that after they had buried her they focused on themselves and getting what they want and need. It was their breath of fresh air.

Sophie G

2023-11-08 16:13:39 UTC

We talked a lot about greed in the Odyssey and I see a connection of the fathers in both of these stories. In the Odyssey, the father is greedy in that at every stop throughout his journey, he always does what's best for him, regardless of who it affects. We also see this in AILD because the father only does things that benefit him like going on this journey so that he can fix his teeth and find a new wife, even though his children are suffering from their loss, he does not even acknowledge what they need.

Kendall Corman

kendallcorman — 2023-11-08 16:13:41 UTC

Cash took on responsibility when his mother died and took on roles that Anse wouldn't. He built is mothers casket and stayed dedicated to the journey to respect his mother's wishes.

Lily Howard

lillianhoward2 — 2023-11-08 16:14:08 UTC

The lack of responsibility from both parents is apparent because of how all their children turned out. Since neither of the parents acted as parents, it led to the children taking on the responsibility of raising their siblings.

Abby Stappe

2023-11-08 16:14:22 UTC

Anse is very selfish about his teeth this is the only thing driving him Jefferson. Dewey Dell is also very greedy about getting to town about her abortion. This connects to the odyssey because Odysseus is only wanting to get back to his homeland to have power again but is using his family as an excuse.

Allison Coy

2023-11-08 16:14:24 UTC

The new woman most likely married Anse through his deception. He probably bragged about how during his family's journey, he sacrificed everything to keep his children safe and follow through with his promise to Addie. He also painted himself as a good Christian man who was a hard worker when in reality, it couldn't be further from the truth.

Mitchell Dawson

mitchell_dawson — 2023-11-08 16:14:27 UTC

Faulkner uses the theme of family to push the narrative that modern families are dysfunctional and that some families have different family dynamics and relational strength, but they all fit together (somehow).

2023-11-08 16:14:35 UTC

Anse faced no consequences for his actions towards his family even tho he was such a bad father and the worst person ever, which shows how mens societal roles were privileged!!!!!!!

Mac Kosin

2023-11-08 16:14:46 UTC

This connects to modern times because most people in today's time don't take responsibility for their actions. This is seen by both men and women in modern times.

Byonia

byoniajackson2 — 2023-11-08 16:14:50 UTC

In both the Odyssey and As I Lay Dying, a character had to have a lot of responsibility placed on them to get through the journey. In the Odyssey, Telemachus had to step up in Odysseus' role in order to keep things under control (even though he didn't do well). In As I Lay Dying, Cash, Darl, and Jewel were the responsible ones that helped the family make it to Jefferson. Cash built the actual coffin and saved the coffin in the river while the adults just left them stranded and Darl had to be the level headed one in the beginning and made the decisions.

Sydney Cummins

2023-11-08 16:15:13 UTC

When the kids symbolize Addie as an animal, it helps them grasp the idea of why it's happening as well as compare them to animals they can reference to. Kids at a young age don't fully understand why things happen so its much easier for them to compare it to something simpler

Lauren Honican

2023-11-08 16:15:38 UTC

Dewey Dell took on the role of being the mother her siblings didn't have due to Addie not being responsible and taking care of them. Anse was also known to not be a good father either so Cash stepped up and took that role.

Emilea Moore

emileamoore — 2023-11-08 16:16:10 UTC

I think the children used animals to symbolize Addie because it was what was familiar to them. Addie was not a good mother to her children and therefore they lacked a good mother figure. Animals made them feel comfortable and helped them to replace the feeling that should be there for Addie.

Amanda Barrett

2023-11-08 16:16:36 UTC

I believe Darl's family barely reacts to his admission to the psych ward as a way to numb themselves to the feeling of actually losing him the way they are. There is many examples, especially with Cash, of the family convincing themselves they are doing the right thing and it's all for Darl when in reality they don't have a choice with the threat of being sued for the barn. So, i think the little reaction is because the family is numb and is still trying to convince themselves on the inside that they're doing the right thing.

Kendall Corman

kendallcorman — 2023-11-08 16:16:39 UTC

Anse showed lots of selfishness throughout the book. When his wife was dying he was only worried about his own desires. His children were grieving the loss of their mother and he wasn't there for them during that time, nor was he grieving the loss of his wife.

Mitchell Dawson

mitchell_dawson — 2023-11-08 16:16:54 UTC

coffin represents death. pretty straightforward. the coffin is just a holding place for someone who is dead. while the person is covered up by the top of the coffin, it's meant to represent how they have rid their memories of her and how they are trying to move on and grow from that rather than keeping her around. I think addie's chapter is meant to be an explanation about she represents death as her view on society and her chapter is just a dull, gloomy chapter about the meaninglessness of life.

Sydney Cummins

2023-11-08 16:17:20 UTC

I think Anse deceived the woman into thinking that his family did all they could to support one another and a bunch of other lies. This was all to make her think that he was something that he definitely was not

kristina terrazas

kristinaterrazas — 2023-11-08 16:17:55 UTC

Animals seem to be a sense of peace to the Bundren's and about the only thing of innocence. Jewel's connection with his horse is the only thing that he cherishes because he worked for it. The horse gives him a sense of pride. Vardaman constantly refers to his mother as a fish in comparison to a dead one that he saw. Even though he doesn't seem to understand the concept of his mother's death, he can compare it to a dead fish. This is his way of understanding.

Aiden

2023-11-08 16:17:56 UTC

Some of the family members like Anse are the definition of selfishness. He only take the coffin to its final resting place for his own benefit; however, Jewel was overall pretty selfless in his journey to bury his mother.

Sophie L

sophielee13 — 2023-11-08 16:18:00 UTC

In the Odyssey Greed and Selfishness is very apparent for Odysseus. He is seen as a character whose only goal is really himself. However he at least has reasoning for his greed and pride. For people like Anse his Greed and Pride stems from nothing. While Odysseus is morally gray, Anse is someone who is obviously wrong in his ethics.

Mac Kosin

2023-11-08 16:18:17 UTC

Cash is a great character that shows what responsibility is. He instantly took charge of the family after he was building the coffin for his mother. Even when his leg was broken and he needed medical attention he still said that they should bury his mother first.

Lauren Honican

2023-11-08 16:18:44 UTC

I think the kids used the animals as references to Addie and her death to help them understand what was happening since they were so young and they couldn't fully comprehend what was going on.

Alexia Buford

2023-11-08 16:18:49 UTC

I think the children used animals to conceptualize Addies death because that is probably the only death they have seen. The animals also helped the youngest Vardaman to understand the death.

Mac Kosin

2023-11-08 16:18:58 UTC

He got his new teeth and used his charm to get her.

Lily Howard

lillianhoward2 — 2023-11-08 16:18:58 UTC

I believe the coffin represents the fact that they are carrying the weight literally and figuratively of her death

Allison Coy

2023-11-08 16:19:00 UTC

What stood out to me the most in the end of the book is how NONE of the characters except Anse benefitted from the journey to Jefferson even though they all had other motives for being there besides Addie's burial. Anse got his teeth, got a new wife, and was able to rid himself of Addie. Anse was the only one who displayed greed and selfishness which is what led the family to the wild outcome in Jefferson.

Skyler B

skylerbrumley — 2023-11-08 16:19:00 UTC

The theme of Family in As I Lay Dying is meant to symbolize how family does not have to mean a collection of love, as shown in the book with the lack of love. The Bundren's show that Family can be loveless and hopeless but you must suffer with them

Mitchell Dawson

mitchell_dawson — 2023-11-08 16:19:08 UTC

cuz he crazy like Kanye and they silenced him like the media did Ye. They silenced Darl because his opinions differ from his families just like they silenced Ye because of how the media hates him and doesn't agree with his stance on literally anything.

Emilea Moore

emileamoore — 2023-11-08 16:19:10 UTC

The ending is crappy because it just continues to show Anse's selfishness that has shown throughout the whole book. I don't think the trip was for Addie at all. It was really for Anse to get on with his life and forget Addie.

Abby Stappe

2023-11-08 16:19:21 UTC

Animals and nature was one of the only things that were very familiar to them. The children used animals to represent death because it was the only thing they saw that actually had dies, their mother was the closest person to them who had died

Sophie G

2023-11-08 16:20:03 UTC

I think the Bundren family barely reacts to Darl's admission to the psych ward because they have already seen how crazy Darl really is if he is not under control and they know that the psych ward will be the only thing to help him. After this journey, the family has already gone through a lot to handle and they have learned that sometimes things just happen without any control so I think they have just accepted the path Darl has gone down and understand it's what's needed.

Jackson Jones

2023-11-08 16:20:08 UTC

Similar phenomena can be observed in capitalist economies, where the capital owners are detached individuals who take advantage of workers for their own benefit, yet face no consequences while causing workers to suffer.

Sophie L

sophielee13 — 2023-11-08 16:20:49 UTC

I think that the family reacts to Darl's admission to the psych ward as another thing that benefits them. Dewey Dell knows that Darl knows about her pregnancy so she is all for Darl being admitted and even pushes his insanity just to buy herself a little bit more time. For Jewel, he is aware about the animosity between them and it allows him to get rid of that thorn in his side. As for Anse, it is another thing that gets him closer to getting his teeth.

Byonia

byoniajackson2 — 2023-11-08 16:21:04 UTC

The way that Anse led the children into suffering but was the only one who gained something in the end relates to the way most exchanged in our society happen. Usually the people in businesses who work the most end up getting paid the least. Similar in healthcare how the nurses who are more hands on get paid less than the doctors who see their patients for like 10 minutes. The children did more labor than Anse did, but Anse was the one who got "rewarded" in the end.

Alexia Buford

2023-11-08 16:21:19 UTC

This book shows that familys can suck! This family is so selfish and mostly despise each other.

Katherine padron

2023-11-08 16:21:34 UTC

Within both of the texts "As I Lay Dying" and "The Odyssey" we see the family of the character the book revolves around gaining a sense of responsibility when the plot heads south. In "As i LAy Dying" we see the bundren family pack up and leave their town to go to jefferson to fulfill addies wish while overcoming all of these obstacles that hinder their journey. In the odyssey we see telemachus take over the lead of being king while his father is missing on his journey home. We also see the theme of homecoming in both of these stories portrayed byt he characters embarking on a long journey.

Emilea Moore

emileamoore — 2023-11-08 16:21:39 UTC

Yes Anse is greedy but another character that is greedy is Dewey Dell. She wants the journey to end so she can get her abortion. She see's the journey as an inconvience to her and her goals.

Aiden

2023-11-08 16:22:15 UTC

I think that this quote is meant to convey that mental health is something that is constantly changing. How we view specific mental illnesses changes over time as society changes. In comparison to this time period mental illnesses would have you sent away with no help in sight, but in the modern day our perspective has changed. Now we try and help people with these conditions in far more humane ways.

Amanda Barrett

2023-11-08 16:22:23 UTC

Responsibility is present in a lot of characters in As I Lay Dying. For example, Jewel feels a heavy amount of responsibility to make sure Addie gets buried in Jefferson and makes a ton of self-sacrifices to do so. Similarly, Cash feels a large amount of responsibility to finish Addie's coffin to give her a proper item to be buried in. On the other hand, Darl feels responsibility to end Addie's long journey and give her an honorable cremation as shown in burning the barn down. This relates to the story, The Odyssey, since just as the characters in As I Lay Dying felt responsible to get Addie to Jefferson, Odysseus felt responsible for getting him and his crew home safely to his family.

kristina terrazas

kristinaterrazas — 2023-11-08 16:22:27 UTC

The coffin itself can also be seen as a burden. When someone dies, the act of putting one in a coffin is in between the death of the person and the actual act of putting that person into the ground. During this time it is still difficult to accept the death of that person and for some people in the family, this applies. Jewel constantly saves the coffin because he wants to save Addie. Cash is obsessed with the image of the coffin since he made it. Vardaman constantly states how Addie can't breathe in the coffin because he doesn't know she is dead. Overall, the coffin is a symbol for the family in different ways. Its not yet the end, but they are getting close to being free from her.

Sophie L

sophielee13 — 2023-11-08 16:22:56 UTC

The coffin represents death forever following them. It is this dead weight that they are unable to get rid of. So no matter how much time has passed the concept of death is still what is driving this family and causing all of the overall problems.

Mac Kosin

2023-11-08 16:23:00 UTC

Yes because after they buried Addie Cash finally got the medical treatment he needed. As well Anse got a new bride right after they buried Addie.

Kendall Corman

kendallcorman — 2023-11-08 16:23:08 UTC

The Burden children used animals to symbolize Addie because it brought them peace. They were familiar with them. Addie was not a good mother and they lacked a mother figure in their lives. When she passed, animals were the easy thing for the children to associate her with to feel at peace.

Skyler B

skylerbrumley — 2023-11-08 16:23:21 UTC

Everyone wanted something for themselves never putting others first. The only character that might have put his selfish needs aside is.

sophia s

2023-11-08 16:23:29 UTC

Responsibility within the parents is not present. The parents are not parenting and depending on their children to provide and care for the other children. The eldest son, Cash and only female, Dewey Dell took on the role of being a parent figures.

Allison Coy

2023-11-08 16:24:13 UTC

In my opinion, this book was definitely better than The Odyssey but it both had characters that I absolutely hated. At one point, I believed Darl would end up being the one we hated and Anse would be the one we loved, but first impressions are everything and they both turned out to be how they presented themselves to be in the first place.

Mac Kosin

2023-11-08 16:24:13 UTC

The ending was bad because it just ends off with Anse introducing his new bride to his children.

Byonia

byoniajackson2 — 2023-11-08 16:24:52 UTC

I believe that Cash's quote represents societal's view on mental health because a mental illness is usually determined by the way people view it. You aren't deemed insanse based on your own terms, but because other's view you as abnormal. You are only considered ill because you are acting differently than the majority of society, therefore you are mentally ill.

kristina terrazas

kristinaterrazas — 2023-11-08 16:24:53 UTC

Just like in the Odyssey, each place that the Bundrens go to, they are welcomed with open arms. In the Odyssey, both Odysseus and Telemachus are given great hospitality during their journey.

Katherine Padron

2023-11-08 16:25:02 UTC

Personally i think the coffin represents a burden as well as the obstacles they have gone through. This family is doing everything to bring the coffin from point A to Point B, the coffin has had holes drilled in it, almost taken away by water and close to being engulfed in flames yet in every situation their main goal is to save the coffin. The family is so worn out that at this point they're just trying to get it in the ground

Jordan Black

jordanblack21 — 2023-11-08 16:25:15 UTC

Through out I lay dying we see a responsibility take many different form from motherhood because of addie taking care of the childern even through she didnt want them to the responsibility taken on in the household by cash stepping up when his father isnt

Lauren Honican

2023-11-08 16:25:17 UTC

They probably didn't react much because they know how crazy he is and think it's what would benefit him the most and hopefully help his insanity.

Sophie G

2023-11-08 16:27:07 UTC

Oftentimes, parents, especially fathers are the reason behind what their children's lives become. Believe it or not, we often see this in Christian families. Parents force children to believe what they believe without letting them have their own opinions. The overuse of control causes children to spin out when they become older and begin to hate what their parents force them to believe.

Sophia S

2023-11-08 16:27:24 UTC

Greed and selfishness is very recognizable with Anse, He only cares about himself and his teeth. Cash on the other hand, is the complete opposite. All he wanted to do was make sure his mother had a safe and secure casket. Even after Cash broke his leg, all he wanted to do was make sure the casket was complete.

Kendall Corman

kendallcorman — 2023-11-08 16:27:24 UTC

After they buried Addie the children felt a sense of relief. They went through a lot throughout the journey and when she was buried they were able to move on. They could finally be at peace and live their lives.

Amanda Barrett

2023-11-08 16:27:56 UTC

The theme of greed and selfishness is shown largely throughout characters in As I Lay Dying. For example, Anse is a heavily selfish character who immediately is relived he will be able to get some teeth when Addie is gone and continues to think about getting those teeth throughout the journey. Dewey Dell is also going on this journey that is supposed to be for her mother for selfish reasons. She is more concerned about her pregnancy and asking doctors on the way to give her an abortion rather than laying her mother to rest. In the same way, Odysseus in As I Lay Dying showed his greed and selfishness in a variety of ways. He often seemed like he was using the journey he was on to make himself seem like a hero and made it known even when it put others' life at risk.

Sophia S

2023-11-08 16:30:01 UTC

The Bundren children use animals to symbolize the death of their mother, because that is one way they know how accept her death. Vardamen sees Addie as a dead fish because that is the only way he can understand and accept her death, since he is at such a young age.

Jackson Jones

2023-11-08 16:32:04 UTC

Throughout history, people's perceptions and interpretations of behavior have varied wildly with respect to mental health; people have viewed it as anything from demonic possession to the illness that we see it as today. Further, most of what is common sense in modern society was staunchly contested at their introduction due to contemporary societal dogmas.

Lily Howard

lillianhoward2 — 2023-11-08 16:32:37 UTC

This shows that family will not always be full of people you can rely on. In this book the family takes a trip together for their mother, but they all really had their own motivations. People can always use the excuse of "being family" to get what they want.

Sophia

2023-11-08 16:33:01 UTC

He probably gas lighted her, showed his teeth, and flat out lied about who he was. He might of told her information that made him seem like a good man, which we all know he is not.

Jackson Jones

2023-11-08 16:35:40 UTC

I think Cash is the most appropriate incarnation of responsibility in this story. He assumes familial responsibilities that he would not traditionally be obliged to, and puts the group above himself and his well-being.

Lily Howard

lillianhoward2 — 2023-11-08 16:37:36 UTC

I believe this can be seen in modern times because more often than not, your parents are what determines how you are. Sometimes parents will use their kids, but since their children love them unconditionally, they will let it go. Parents will take advantage of their power as parents which puts their kids at a disadvantage when they grow up. Since they are older when the effects of this can be seen, it is put on the children, rather than the parents.

Skyler Brumley

skylerbrumley — 2023-11-08 16:40:17 UTC

I think that they use animals to symbolize addie because it helped them cope with her death. Also, because of Addies neglect, she might just mean as little to her children as animals they used to describe her

Jordan Black

jordanblack21 — 2023-11-08 16:44:34 UTC

Cash statement perfectly reflect society view on mental health. because mental health effect everyone it not just for one gender or person. But with social norm and how people view it in the pass. men don't have mental health there ment to stand tall just push throught it they can't show any vulnerablty or weakness. so just keep letting there mental health get worse to a point they end it all and we see this in suicide statistics