# Tull explained — As I Lay Dying

> Chapter companion for As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.

## What happens

Vernon Tull observes the Bundren household as Addie lies dying. He notes Anse's passive, worn-out demeanor and the family's strained preparations. Tull reflects on the community's resigned support for Anse, the impending rain, and the burden of Addie's wish to be buried in Jefferson. The chapter also introduces Vardaman's fish, which he wants to show his mother, and highlights the family's dynamics and the town's gossip about Jewel and the other children.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Grief

Addie's impending death permeates the chapter; Anse's stunned passivity and the family's preparations reflect the weight of mortality.

### Family Duty and Selfishness

Anse's reliance on others and his children's obligations highlight the tension between duty and personal desire.

### Suffering and Endurance

The Bundrens' hard life and Anse's long-suffering demeanor illustrate the theme of enduring hardship.

## Character check-ins

### Vernon Tull

Narrator and observer; reflects on Anse's helplessness and the community's role.

### Anse Bundren

Shows passive resignation and weariness; focused on Addie's wish to be buried in Jefferson.

### Cora Tull

Offers religious comfort and practical concern; critical of the family's situation.

### Vardaman Bundren

Brings a large fish to show his mother; ordered by Anse to clean it.

### Cash Bundren

Working on the coffin; focused on his carpentry.

### Kate

Makes cynical remarks about Anse remarrying and Jewel's prospects.

## Key lines

> His eyes look like pieces of burnt-out cinder fixed in his face, looking out over the land.

Anse's eyes are dull and lifeless, like cold ashes, as he stares blankly at the fields.

_Tull's description emphasizes Anse's exhaustion and emotional numbness._

> She kept him at work for thirty-odd years. I reckon she is tired.

Addie has driven Anse to labor for over three decades, and now she is weary from it.

_Tull reflects on the toll of their marriage and Addie's possible fatigue._

> I mind my mammy lived to be seventy and more. Worked every day, rain or shine; never a sick day since her last chap was born until one day she kind of looked around her and then she went and taken that lace-trimmed nightgown... and laid down on the bed and pulled the covers up and shut her eyes.

Tull recalls his mother who worked tirelessly until one day she simply chose to lie down and die.

_This anecdote contrasts with Addie's lingering illness and underscores the theme of endurance._

> It slides out of his hands, smearing wet dirt on to him, and flops down, dirtying itself again, gap-mouthed, goggle-eyed, hiding into the dust like it was ashamed of being dead.

The fish slips from Vardaman's grasp, getting muddy, and lies there with its mouth open and eyes bulging, as if embarrassed by its own death.

_The fish's awkward death mirrors the Bundrens' struggle with mortality and decay._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/as_i_lay_dying_se/chapters/tull
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/as_i_lay_dying_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/as_i_lay_dying_se/chapters