I guess one of the big questions at this point in As I Lay Dying is: Is the Bundren journey heroic?
I'm not really sure if I consider this a heroic journey for Anse. Not so much because he keeps talking about how he wants teeth (which I really don't think is a big deal because everyone wants something from town, so whatever), but more so because he's not really doing anything.
He's not carrying the coffin, his life isn't put in danger. Meanwhile, Darl, Jewel, and Cash are made to cross a dangerous river and Cash breaks his leg in the process and loses some of his tools. Even Vardaman is taking a role in this, and he's 6 or something like that.
Something we talked about yesterday was if Anse is a hero because he's doing all of this for Addie, who made this request just to spite him, as she hated her life and cheated on him. This makes sense, since Anse isn't interested in moving at all, but insists on burying her where she wants to be buried.
(Side note: At the beginning of the book I really felt bad for Addie because.. well she was dying. Reading her chapter has definitely changed my thoughts about that.)
Then following that idea, it makes the Bundren children even more heroic as well. I think going to Jefferson is a heroic journey for the kids, who are spending their time going on a dangerous journey to bury their mother, who didn't really love them anyways (except Jewel). Yeah, I think it's nice that Anse is doing this for Addie, but making the decision doesn't really mean anything because all he's doing now is ordering his children to complete the task while he watches (and spending all their money too). The situation with Addie makes me sympathize with Anse a lot more, but just making the decision isn't enough for me to think of Anse as a hero.
I don't know, I feel bad for Anse and all, but I'm not really seeing him as heroic. To me, the heroes of this story are the Bundren children.
Do you see Anse as a hero?
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