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Vickery Essay

In The Dimensions of Consciousness, Olga Vickery explores how each member of the Bundren family in As I Lay Dying experienced a different relationship with Addie Bundren and was affected by her death in unique ways. Anse had little real connection with Addie and was unaffected by her death. Cash found meaning through his actions building Addie's coffin. Darl was the most aware but became detached from reality. Jewel focused all his emotions on Addie, transferring them to his horse after her death. Dewey Dell cared more about hiding her pregnancy than Addie's passing. Vardaman couldn't comprehend death and related Addie to a fish. The work examines how each character's thoughts

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362 views2 pages

Vickery Essay

In The Dimensions of Consciousness, Olga Vickery explores how each member of the Bundren family in As I Lay Dying experienced a different relationship with Addie Bundren and was affected by her death in unique ways. Anse had little real connection with Addie and was unaffected by her death. Cash found meaning through his actions building Addie's coffin. Darl was the most aware but became detached from reality. Jewel focused all his emotions on Addie, transferring them to his horse after her death. Dewey Dell cared more about hiding her pregnancy than Addie's passing. Vardaman couldn't comprehend death and related Addie to a fish. The work examines how each character's thoughts

Uploaded by

Anthony Orr
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Patel 1

Sohil Patel
Mr. Kitchings
AP English F1
1 December 2015
Summary on Vickerys The Dimensions of Consciousness
In The Dimensions of Consciousness, Olga Vickery explores the private worlds of each
family member of Addie Bundren in As I Lay Dying. By pointing out the different thought
processes and different modes of consciousness each character possesses, Vickery is able to show
the relationship each character had with Addie Bundren. For Anse, his relationship with Addie
was nothing but words. The two were husband and wife by name, but did not have the personal
relationship similar to a married couple. Thus, because Anse lives by words alone, rather than
both words and actions, the desires and requests of Addie do not compel Anse to do anything. In
fact, even though Anse says he is taking Addie to Jefferson as it was her last wish, he is actually
just making the long trip to Jefferson to get a new set of teeth. Furthermore, although Anse gives
a heartwarming funeral oration, he refuses to buy a shovel to dig Addies grave and even finds
himself a new wife after shortly arriving in Jefferson. While Anse is not affected by Addies
funeral, Cash does undergo a transformation. Cash, unlike Anse, places actions over words. He
uses actions instead of words to express his feelings towards his mother. For example, he builds
the coffin out of his love for Addie. As Vickery argues, the pain that Cash experiences throughout
the novel gives Cash increasing awareness and sensitivity towards questionable acts. For
example, Cash understands why Darl burned the barn down, and thus he takes the blame for
Darl. As a result, because Cash has finally merged words and actions together with his new

Patel 2

perception, Cash is able to gain the humane and moral qualities that some of his other family
members are lacking. Darl, who did not receive any of Addies affections, is much more
knowledgeable than the other Bundrens. As a result, he tries to define reality, resulting in his
separation from reality. Because of this separation, Darl goes mad. Jewel, who was most loved
by Addie, focuses all his emotions onto Addie. As Vickery states, he tries to take exclusive
possession of Addie, which intensifies as she nears death. At this point, Jewel looks to his horse
as a representation of Addie. Only he is allowed to feed, care for, and touch it. To Jewel, the
horse is Addie. Dewey Dell, who had a very impersonal and unemotional relationship with her
mother, does not seem very concerened about Addies death. In fact, she cares more about people
finding about her pregnancy, which is why she first dreams of killing Darl, who knows her
secret, and then later violently assists in having him sent to Jackson. Vardaman, the youngest
child, does not yet understand the meaning of death. Thus, Vardaman creates analogies and
relates his dead mother to a dead fish. Because Vardaman has absolutely nothing to guide him
towards his beliefs of death, Vardaman develops a distorted concept of death. Just like all the
Bundrens interpret and are affected by Addies death in different fashions, the other characters in
the novel too respond differently, showing the range of possible social reactions to adversities.
While McGowan and Moseley refuse to see where Dewey Dell is coming from, Samson
Armstid, Doctor Peabody, and Tull try to help the Bundrens out as much as possible. However,
not until Addie has died and all the members have come to terms with what Addie means to them
can the Bundrens get rid of this tension evident throughout the novel.

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