I will start with Anse. I have seen multiple blog posts and comments dedicated to the fact that Anse loves his wife, and that he has taken this journey to please her “soul” and “death-wish”. While I understand that most of these postings were done before the reading of the ending, some people still insist that he isn't all that bad. I would like to counter that argument.
It is true that Anse did not travel all the way to Jefferson for a new wife, but that fact that he asks a new woman to marry just hours after burying his own wife tells me something about Anse’s nature. He didn't actually care for Addie. She was just an excuse that he could make so that he could go to Jefferson with the help of his entire family, steal (not exactly, but kind of) his children’s money and get them fake teeth. And while he was at it, he also took a wife and a gramophone. Anse got golden because of this journey. Whenever he comes back, he’s come back with some new teeth, respected the “dying wish of his ex-wife”, has a brand new wife, and, the best part, he did it all without breaking a sweat. Of course, it came with its cost. Dewey Dell’s situation on her pregnancy just went from bad to worse. Cash is disabled for the rest of his life and he can no longer work around the house (but, at least he can listen to that gramophone). Darl is sent to a mental institution (and I wrote this on a comment somewhere: think about the fact that this family has no money. So if they don’t, how can they afford to send Darl to a good institution? They can’t. Which means that wherever Darl is going, he’s going to grow more insane than ever, because the facility will be a piece of s***) and is probably not going to see his family anymore. Vardaman has been exposed, as I have mentioned a lot of places, to acts of violence and tragedy which he shouldn't be at this age. All of this happens because of who? Anse Burden, the man to go to if you want a burden.
Now it’s Addie’s turn. I must confess, until her narration towards the end of the book, I had no qualms about Addie. After her own narration, however, my opinion towards her just flipped completely. Many of the things which happen with the Bundren family could have very easily not happened, had Addie been a nice mother. After admitting that she enjoyed to beat the snot out of the children she used to teach (and presumably her own children as well), I lost a faith I had in Addie. But what shook me the most was that she had an affair with Whitfield and Jewel was a result of that (it’s a betrayal of trust, my trust as a reader in her), and even after all this, Jewel is the one she is most pleased with, and the one she cuddles the most. To the people that say she should be pitied I say no. How can Addie be pitied? She chose this path herself. She had an option to say no, but due to “social norms” she decided to marry Anse. That’s some real bs. You don’t just go out and marry someone you despise of from the beginning just to “fit in”. And fine, even after you have done that, you can’t just go out and have an affair, especially with a priest (that was truly ironic).
Thursday, October 16
This has got to be one of the best posts I have read in response to the ending of the book. Let me start off by saying that I COMPLETELY agree with all your points about Addie. I understand your frustrations with Anse, and let me make clear that I hold no respect whatsoever for the man. I do not, however think he is as bad as you might portray him. Remember that Anse Bundren always had luck against him. He may not have been the smartest of men, or even at all rational, but that is something we need to accept in some people. The decision to go bury his wife was not a very good one, but really he did not really hurt his family until the river crossing. Sure, he should have turned around, but Anse is not smart. Once he crosses the river, most of his actions are justifiable. He has to buy a new team. What choice does he have? He can't simply leave the wagon and all the stuff. Once he gets to town, his actions become a bit more difficult to justify. He takes Dewey Dell's money, but he didn't know she was pregnant. He almost certainly blames Addie for his troubles both before and after the journey. Perhaps he believes he deserves some compensation for his troubles. If nothing else, it at least justifies his acquisition of a new wife. Anse definitely does not come across as malicious. We get no such sense from his narration. Sure, Anse is not the brightest of men. Sure, Anse can be somewhat inconsiderate of his family's needs. Sure, he made some bad decisions. Sure, he could have been a better husband. He just does not seem to me like as bad as a character as you portrayed him.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading the ending, I was one of those people who totally sympathized with Anse, etc etc. Honestly I still sympathize with him, but I think that's because I have trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that he just found this new woman and remarried. Like, what? Though I have to say I believe he did, at least at one point, care for Addie. Maybe not at the ending, or maybe just not enough to stop him from marrying the new Mrs. Bundren. I feel as though he wanted to be a good husband, and "fulfill this duty" as a husband, but not completely for Addie's sake. Ultimately, I see him as a human being who's neither totally lovable or detestable.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I dislike Anse and am annoyed by him, I don't think its fair to say that he never cared about Addie at all and that the reason for the journey is not actually about burying her. Throughout the entire trip most of the stupid decisions he makes are because "Addie would've wanted it that way." He keeps telling his kids to be respectful of her. He has a very emotional moment right after she passes away. There are definitely signs that he cared for her to some degree.
ReplyDeleteThis is just another reason that Anse can be seen as a despicable character who attempts to deal with life in a noble way. He believes he is on a noble quest to bury his wife, yet he makes horrible decisions that change our views on him, thus we dislike him for how he behaves with his children and others, although his ideas may be heroic.
ReplyDeleteHoly sh*t this is my thoughts exactly. By the end of the book it almost feels like Anse is a con-artist and Addie is a psychopath. Anse uses everyone else's good will and charity to presumably help the family, but he actually just ends up making himself feel better and royally screws up the rest of his family. He basically made a bridge out of his children so that he could get out of the pit he was in, and in the process hurt them all. None of his kids will be the same and he doesn't seem to care. Addie was totally ruined for me after he narration, which made he seem nuttier than a payday bar. She enjoys beating children, knows she was a terrible mother and didn't care enough to change, had an affair which resulted in a kid then took the kid in and never told her husband on her death bed? Honestly at this point the only people that I still like in this story are Vardaman, Cash, and Jewel.
ReplyDelete