Cash The True Patriarch Essay Research Paper

Cash: The True Patriarch Essay, Research Paper

In reading the novel As I Lay Dying, many questions arose in my mind. However, the one that plagued me was the question that I could not pin down. All of the characters in the book have a personality and play a certain role in the tale. However, the one character who fascinated me, yet I could not explain was Cash. Is Cash a bigger player in the novel than it appears on the surface. I believe he is. Cash is the cog in the family that keeps the others from spinning away. Cash becomes, throughout the course of the novel, the patriarchal figure in the novel. He is thrust in to this position through his words, actions, and Anse s total lack of leadership. Cash becomes that patriarch.

Diligence. Definition: ” Close application, perseverance.” “We can hear the sawing on the board. It sounds like snoring,” (9). This quotation is a summation of Cash working on the coffin. Quotations such as these are thick in the beginning of the story. In fact, his work provides a backdrop the turmoil of the action which precedes the Burdens departure. His work is constant through Jewel and Darl going for wood, Addie s actual death, and the search for a wagon to name a few problems. We are constantly reminded of the droning saw in the back ground. Additionally, we are also told of Cash s attention to the details. He is totally focused on his work. The work on the coffin is a metaphor for Cash s diligence throughout the novel. It becomes a template for many of Cash s actions throughout the story. Cash is the one member of the family who has something to do and does it well. In his words, “It is better to build a tight chicken coop, than a shoddy courthouse,” (234). By this he means that it is better to do a good job on all projects than to neglect those that seem insignificant. He has a focus that seems to radiate into the family and earns him a level of respect which seems to me normally reserved for the head of a family. Diligence is valuable to any family. It is necessary for progress; and just like the universe, if we are not moving forward we are collapsing. I think this hold true in a family as well. Diligence props up a family and allows for growth. Cash keeps the Bundren s moving forward.

Pragmatism. Definition: “Steady and thoughtful accomplishment of a task, involving truth.” The perfect example of Cash s pragmatism is the chapter in which Cash lays out his list. He describes out the forces and considerations it takes to build a coffin. He explains all the angles that are necessary in making the thing tight and remain together. “I made it on a bevel. 1,2,3, etc. . .”(82). His entire chapter is dedicated to explaining how to properly put a coffin together. I believe it is a metaphor for his holding the family together. Another example of his pragmatic ways is the talk of balance, and its importance: “It wasn t on balance. I told them that if they wanted it to tote and ride on a balance, they would have to. . .” (165). He orders things, this is evidence of his pragmatic style of thought. This is clear when we look at the coffin as a metaphor for the balance in Cash s life. Do the job steadily and in order, I think that would be a good slogan for Cash. Pragmatism keeps the family on a level plane. His pragmatic behavior enables the family to avoid the giant losses. It lends consistency to an inconsistent family. This family is certainly not the Cleaver s, and I think without Cash s virtue of pragmatism it would quickly erode.

Courage. I don t think one must look very far to see Cash demonstrate his courage. If wee look to the scene where the family wrecks the wagon in the river, we see man who has balls of steel when it appears that all will be lost. He gives the orders to make the crossing as easy as possible; however, when events deteriorate , Cash stand firm. When the wagon becomes unsteady, Darl jumps. Cash on the other hand tries to hold the coffin in place and save the wagon. He holds on until the wagon goes almost completely under. We never hear him scream or curse or act afraid in any way. Rather, he keeps his calm in the face of disaster. A second example of Cash s courage is when he finally emerges from the river with a broken leg. All the while he remind the other members of the family that, “I can last it, it ain t but one more day. It ain t no bother to speak of, ” (207). Cash shows real guts with that broken leg, courage most of us would not have (I know, I have broken my leg and I can tell you it is the most painful thing I have ever experienced!). The courage is compounded when Cash has concrete poured on his leg as a makeshift cast (208). I believe that Cash knows what the cement will do to his leg, but submits in order to keep moving. While Cash s pragmatism and diligence may offer a combination that enables they family to function; it is Cash s courage that makes people take a look at him, and follow his lead. Courage is the force that every family must have in order to gain legitimacy. He becomes someone they can follow and look too.

I suppose know I am to the point where it becomes necessary to tie my description to my initial claim: “because of the aforementioned qualities Cash is the patriarchal center of the novel.” I think it is important to keep in mind the type of people that are involved in the novel, especially Anse. He is a man of terrible character (that is assuming he even has characte