As I Lay Dying · Chapter
Vardaman explained
Vardaman Bundren, reeling from his mother Addie's death, experiences a fragmented and emotional breakdown.
What happens
Vardaman Bundren, reeling from his mother Addie's death, experiences a fragmented and emotional breakdown. He runs through the farm, strikes the horses in a rage, blaming them for killing his mother, and then seeks solace in the barn. His thoughts blur the line between his mother and the fish he caught earlier, as he grapples with grief and confusion.
Themes in this chapter
Death and Grief
Vardaman's raw, chaotic grief over his mother's death dominates the chapter, as he struggles to process her loss through violent outbursts and confused thoughts.
Language and Communication
Vardaman's fragmented narration and inability to articulate his feelings highlight the breakdown of language in the face of trauma, as he repeats phrases like 'Cooked and et' and 'He kilt her.'
Suffering and Endurance
Vardaman endures emotional suffering, crying and vomiting, while also physically enduring the aftermath of his mother's death and his own violent actions.
Characters to notice
- Vardaman Bundren
Vardaman is the focal point of the chapter, experiencing intense grief and confusion after his mother's death. He runs, cries, and lashes out at the horses, blaming them for killing his mother.
- Cash Bundren
Cash appears briefly, limping up the hill after falling off a church. He comments on the broken hitch-rein and hopes the others have passed Tull's, showing his practical concern.
- Jewel Bundren
Jewel is referenced indirectly through Vardaman's cursing of the cow 'like Jewel does,' indicating Jewel's characteristic behavior.
- Dewey Dell Bundren
Dewey Dell calls out to Vardaman from the hill, trying to get his attention, but he remains unresponsive.
- Addie Bundren
Addie is the deceased mother whose death Vardaman mourns. He conflates her with the fish he caught, saying 'Cooked and et. Cooked and et.'
Key passages
“It is as though the dark were resolving him out of his integrity, into an unrelated scattering of components—snuffings and stampings; smells of cooling flesh and ammoniac hair; an illusion of a coordinated whole of splotched hide and strong bones within which, detached and secret and familiar, an is different from my is.”
The darkness seems to break the horse apart into separate pieces—its sounds, smells, and body parts—creating a sense that its existence is separate from Vardaman's own.
Vardaman's perception of the horse dissolves, reflecting his fragmented mental state and his struggle to understand identity and existence after his mother's death.
“Cooked and et. Cooked and et.”
Cooked and eaten. Cooked and eaten.
Vardaman repeats this phrase obsessively, conflating his mother's death with the fish he caught, which was cut up and prepared for eating.
“He kilt her. He kilt her.”
He killed her. He killed her.
Vardaman blames the horses for his mother's death, striking them in a misguided attempt to avenge her.