On the surface, Yoknapatawpha County appears to be a close-knit community that provides a support system for the Bundrens in the wake of Addie's murder Bundren. While this is technically true, the picture is not as rosy as Blackman's comment that the goodwill displayed in the novel "reflects a certain faith in humanity" implies that their goodwill is genuine. It is. Almost every character in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying gains some physical or emotional reward by helping others. This incentive, combined with a strong sense of duty, drives them to help out, not a sense of community. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Bundren are in a desperate state throughout the novel. They have almost no money and are taking a long and unknown path. in order to bring matriarch Addie Bundren to Jefferson for burial. Due to the sheer insanity of the quest, Anse's lack of leadership as a father, and the division between different members of the family, they are constantly in need. For this reason, the people they meet along the way tend to feel obligated to do whatever they can to make their journey smoother. However, it is not just for the sake of their hearts, but because they feel a responsibility – as Christians and Southerners – to do what they can to help. One person who exemplifies this mindset is Armstid, a neighbor who offers the Bundrens food and shelter after their disastrous ordeal crossing the river. Armstid, like Samson's family earlier in the novel, would actually prefer not to offer the Bundrens the help they desire – in this case the use of his mules – but he is forced to do so by the rules of Southern hospitality and Christian duty. When Anse initially mentions that he needs a team and implies, in his usual self-centered way, that Armstid should allow him to use his mules in response, Armstid hesitates. Then Anse, when considering an exchange with Snopes, says: "He is a close man to exchange with... But I think I can talk to him... A man will always help a man in a difficult situation, if he has before a drop of Christian blood. in him” (185). Anse shamelessly uses the tenets of Christianity to manipulate the already generous man into lending him even more. He knows it's an asset that will surely get him what he wants when all else fails. Armstid is also aware of this, as evidenced by the fact that immediately after Anse's remark, he offers to his team of mules: "'Sure, you're welcome to use mine,' I said, knowing how much he believed it was reason” (185). Any generosity shown out of pure obligation cannot be considered genuine and is therefore less indicative of a strong sense of community than of the extent to which traditional values ​​dominate Southern life. Likewise, Cora only helps the Bundreds to reaffirm her own piety and morality. character. In reality, she doesn't care about the Bundren or their fate and never hesitates to denigrate them. Despite this, she does not hesitate to come to their aid as soon as she suspects that Addie is dead, even if Tull wants to wait for someone to bring them. “It is my Christian duty,” she says on page 69, “Will you [Tull] come between me and my Christian duty? She wants everyone to know that she tried to "live correctly in the eyes of God and men" (23) by always being the first to help the Bundren when they needed it.need. This allows her to play the role of the archetypal Good Samaritan in her eyes, in the eyes of her neighbors, and in the eyes of God (or so she seems to think). For Tull, on the other hand, it has simply become a habit that is difficult to break. He says on p. 33, "Like most people here, I've already helped him so much that I can't [sic] stop now." While he also sometimes criticizes his strange neighbors (especially Anse), he does not feel obliged to assist them by the laws of Christianity, and does not hesitate to refuse to do so when he considers that they are asking too much. This is illustrated by the fact that he does not let Anse use his mules to cross the river, knowing that trying to cross the river is a foolish endeavor in the first place. Tull is perhaps the only person in the novel who acts out of pure decency. The characters in As I Lay Dying only serve others to fulfill themselves in one way or another; they want to feel or appear better or more “Christian.” The Bundren themselves are no exception to the phenomenon of selfish altruism, and in fact their attitudes are nowhere near as dignified. Even when carrying out the final wishes of their own wife/mother, the real reason each Bundren leaves is to gain something for themselves. Ralph Waldo Emerson said in his essay “Compensation” that “It is one of the finest compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself…”. The Bundren are classic examples of this theory. With the exception of Jewel, every member of the Bundren family has ulterior motives for getting to Jefferson. Cash is looking for a gramophone, Anse wants to buy false teeth (and may already be considering remarrying), Dewey-Dell is looking for an abortion, and Vardaman wants bananas and a toy train. Outwardly, everyone claims that they are embarking on this quest because Addie wanted to, but it is obvious that they are only doing it for profit. The most egregious example is Anse's reaction to Addie's death, p. 52: “'God will be done,' he said [Anse]. “Now I can give them teeth.” Immediately, his mind focuses on his own selfish desires rather than the death of his wife or the emotional well-being of his children. Most children have a similar attitude, and that is the real reason for their trip to Jefferson. Darl is the only one who considers the journey senseless and expresses his displeasure by playing with his siblings' heads throughout the novel. Since the motivation behind the journey is inherently selfish, conflict between the siblings builds up as they progress through the journey. Although the Bundren are meant to be a family unit, they lack cohesion, as each member has a very different personality from the others. This, along with their varying goals, puts many family members at odds with each other. Darl in particular is a divisive character. His jealousy of Jewel's position as their mother's favorite child leads him to deliberately antagonize him. An example of this is how he drags Jewel on the lumber delivery trip, so that he misses Addie's death. Dewey-Dell possesses a vitriolic hatred for Darl due to his ability to read his mind and know his every thought and action. She feels violated by this mental investigation and is bitter that she cannot keep any secrets from him; she even imagines killing him one day. Meanwhile, Vardaman, already a troubled child, is constantly led astray by the nonsense Darl plants in his head. Darl, maybe just trying to bother his little brother (like older brothers are wont to do), or maybe.