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Brooke Morin
lay Dying, Cash Bundren uses carpentry to cope with feeling out of
Cash created this coping tool as a defense mechanism to deal with his
he lacks over other aspects of his life. Cash has no control over his
on the type of wood used, the size of the casket, the shape of the
mother. Instead of getting upset, Cash throws himself deep into his
work. He knows he cant control the weather or the fact that his mother
passed; instead, he covers the lantern that is lighting the night sky
enough for him to continue building. When his father comes outside
and is of no help to him or the rest of the family, he ignores his father
and continues to focus on the task at hand. Working so diligently and
with so much focus leaves little time for Cash to ponder the workings
avoid thinking about things that would make him upset. Carpentry also
consequences.
the midst of all the chaos, not once does Cash have his emotions in the
time.
The chapter before Cashs, Darl is the narrator and his chapter is about
watching cash and the rest of his family. Darl contemplates the
his mother is a fish. Every other character during this time is reflecting
upon the incidents that have recently occurred with their mother,
Now, when Addie dies, the family is adamant about getting her
a river that had no bridge. While this turned out to be a huge event in
When Addie and the coffin fall into the river, Jewels instinctive reaction
is to jump in and save it. There is once again chaos surrounding the
family. Cash had fallen off the wagon into the water, and broke a leg.
horse. Readers experience this through the eyes of Tull and Darl.
His eyes are closed. His face is grey. His hair plastered in a
his head and a thread of it running from the corner of his mouth
and down his cheek where he couldnt turn his head quick or far
enough, until Dewey Dell stoops and wipes it away with the hem
The rest of the family then gathers the mules and the tools and the
rest of the family. Cash lies on the ground, soundless. The next chapter
sentences are all Cash has at the forefront of his mind during this
traumatic event.
The text from Tull and Darls chapters show that Cash is in physical and
emotional distress. Yet the chapter that Faulkner provides from Cashs
Freud, this event was so painful that Cash suppressed his thoughts and
action and therefore a defense mechanism and not a coping skill. If the
family let Cash put the casket on a balance, Cash would have
control eases Cashs mind. He doesnt know it, but this is Cashs bodys
way of protecting him from the harsh realities of the world. Since
control over things in his life. Anses selfishness, Addies death, the
lack of education and wealth surrounding the family, the lack of love
and acceptance from the family and the pressures of the world are so
situations. Frued believed that some of the worlds best creations were
Darl and Jewel, Cash was able to find a healthy outlet to direct his
Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying: The Corrected Text. New York: Vintage, 1990.
Print.