Cash+Bundren

Cash Bundren is the eldest son of Anse and Addie Bundren in William Faulkner’s novel // As I Lay Dying //. He is the older brother of Darl, Jewel, Dewey Dell and Vardaman. Cash is most likely in his late twenties at the time of the action of the novel.

Out of the fifty-nine chapters in //As I Lay Dying//, Cash’s voice is heard a mere five times, with the first instance not occurring until after his mother has already died. Therefore, the readers’ first impression of Cash is sculpted solely by the voices of those around him. However, even though his voice goes unheard, the presence of Cash is overwhelming everywhere in the beginning sections of the novel. Cash is a skilled carpenter whose trade is an important asset for the Bundren family. His work is the primary way their money is acquired. Since Cash is a skilled carpenter he is given the task of building the coffin for his dying mother. During many of the opening chapters, the sounds of Cash’s work echo throughout the Bundren property. “We can hear Cash a-hammering and sawing beyond the corner” (Faulkner, 30). It is the role of carpenter and coffin builder that defines Cash and it is how he remains identified until the end of the novel.

The opposite of his father, Cash is characterized by his strong, solid work ethic. He builds his mother’s coffin with meticulous care directly outside the room where she lies dying in bed. “What makes this care in the building of the coffin that much more remarkable is that a coffin is simply a box used to contain a dead body, which will soon be laid in the ground…and allowed to rot…yet Cash works on it with all the infinite care that he has…” (Potter, 55). In a somewhat darkly humorous way, Cash finds it necessary on several occasions to show his mother the wooden boards that will soon become her resting place for eternity. “He drops the saw and lifts the board for her to see… He drags a second plank into position and slants the two of them into their final juxtaposition, gesturing towards the ones yet on the ground, shaping with his empty hand in pantomime the finished box” (Faulkner, 48). At first glance, this action appears insensitive and slightly grotesque, however as the novel progresses it is discovered that this is very much a part of who Cash is and that it is more a way for him to make peace with his dying mother. In his article, “Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying,” author Poland describes Cash as, “A man of action…he is unable to frame any tribute or farewell to his dying mother other than by the care with which he builds Addie’s coffin, seeking her approval of his work at each step of the construction. His sole means of expression is through his carpentry skills” (118). The coffin represents Cash’s goodbye.

As stated previously, Cash’s voice is heard only five times throughout the novel. In addition to being a rather absent voice, Cash’s concise narrations tend to lack expression and emotion. His voice is strikingly different from that of his siblings. And as expected, they always revolve around his cherished coffin, even after the assembly has been completed. “…his monologues are the most terse and mechanical of the family, composed largely of lists and construction records” (Poland, 118). Cash’s first narration in the novel is exactly that – a list. The first narration is a direct and straightforward justification of why he built the coffin on a bevel.

Cash’s second narration occurs shortly after the first, when he and other members of the Bundren family are attempting to move Addie’s coffin onto the wagon. This second entry is even shorter than the first and consists of Cash’s attempt at explaining to his brothers how to properly balance the coffin. However, Cash’s voice is completely overshadowed by the other men, particularly Jewel, performing the task in their own manner. This section alludes to the idea that Cash is slightly unappreciated by his family. What also becomes clear in this section is Cash’s overwhelming obsession with the coffin. These narrations are meant to show the inner mind of a character and it appears that Cash’s mind revolves solely around this object.

Cash’s third narration takes place after the climactic river crossing scene wherein the Bundren family almost loses the coffin and Cash is seriously injured. This monologue is less than two lines long and seems to come from Cash’s subconscious as he lies unresponsive on the ground. Darl describes the scene, “Cash lies on his back on the earth, his head raised on a rolled garment. His eyes are closed, his face is gray…His face appears sunken a little…He lies pole-thin in his wet clothes, a little pool of vomit at his head and a thread of it running from the corner of his mouth and down his cheek…” (156-157). While Cash lies motionless and mute on the ground, the rest of the Bundren family and Tull race through the river in an attempt to collect all of Cash’s tools that may be missing. There is such a sense of urgency for even Cash’s family members recognize his obsession with his tools and carpentry. Cash’s identity is somehow lost with the loss of these objects. “With the near loss of his tools comes the near loss of Cash’s identity, the tenuous, relative identity that is the chief commodity in which the Bundren family trades” (Poland, 118). Only with the reunion of his tools is Cash able to find his voice and give the readers his third narration (Poland, 119).

Cash’s second to last narration is strikingly longer than his previous ones, lasting several pages in length. This section brings forward a voice of Cash that is completely new for the reader. Not only is the content of the chapter not focused on the coffin, but the writing is far less mechanical and somewhat emotional at times – a side of Cash we have yet to see. At one point in the narration, when describing Darl leaving for Jackson, Cash states, “A fellow that’s going to spend the rest of his life locked up, he ought to be let to have what pleasure he can have before he goes” (233). This is a very different Cash from the one introduced many chapters ago. It is also in this narration that Cash refuses to go to the doctor before burying Addie. In the river-crossing scene, Cash’s leg becomes broken – luckily it is the same leg he had broken once before – and the family attempts to reset it and then covers it with cement. Cash is in insurmountable pain and yet, never once complains. A side of his bravery is shown.

The final section belonging to Cash is interestingly also the final chapter of the novel. Like his previous narration, this chapter finds Cash’s voice to be far more fluid and objective. It does not return to the choppy and “mechanical” voice that is heard earlier in the novel. There appears to be a growth in Cash or possibly an emergence of a new man. As Anse selfishly concerns himself with his own needs – the false teeth and new bride – Cash puts the needs of his family before his own. He is on the verge of possibly losing his leg, yet insists on his mother’s burial prior to going to the doctor. So, with his voice ending the novel there seems to be a new role for him. It is as if, Cash becomes more of a respected patriarch of the family. With Addie gone, Darl locked up and Anse preoccupied by a seemingly new life, Cash must step into the role of being the head of the Bundren family.

It may be safe to say that Cash is a brushed aside child of the Bundren family. In the beginning of the novel, there is debate over who is more loved by Addie – Darl or Jewel. Cash is never brought up in any such discussion as a possibility. Additionally, no one seems to take much of his advice when it comes to dealing with and maneuvering Addie’s coffin. Other characters are quick to cut him off and disregard most of his contributions. However, even though throughout much of the novel Cash is more “unnoticed” than other family members, Faulkner gives him a powerful role by being the builder of his mother’s coffin and he has a strong development through the journey to Jefferson. In his essay, “Death, Grief, Analogous Form: //As I Lay Dying//,” author Sundquist offers a striking connection between Cash, the carpenter of a coffin and Faulkner, the carpenter of a novel. As he explains, “Faulkner’s many references in letters and interviews to himself as a craftsman, as a user of ‘tools’ and materials and a virtual builder of tales, makes the analogy unavoidable…bringing into focus the relationships between…coffin and book, as objects of extraordinary fragility and devotion” (301). It is evident that there is a connection between Cash and Faulkner, and while we as readers may be quick to brush Cash aside, it is clear that he is an integral character and contributes greatly to the Bundren family and their quest across Mississippi.
 * Faulkner and Cash**

–Greta Bowers

WORKS CITED Faulkner, William. //As I Lay Dying//. New York: Vintage International, 1985. Print.

Poland, T. "Faulkner's As I Lay Dying." //Explicator// 49.2 (1991): 118-20. //Academic Search Complete//. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Potter, A. M. "The Role of 'Cash' Within the Religious Structure of William Faulkner's 'As I Lay Dying'" //Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory// 65 (1985): 49-64. //Jstor//. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Sundquist, Eric. "Death, Grief, Analogous Form: As I Lay Dying." //William Faulkner: As I Lay Dying//. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2010. 286-304. Print.