From Vardaman’s accusation of Peabody to Vardaman’s statement
that his mother is a fish
Vardaman
Vardaman runs out of the house and begins to cry. He sees
the spot on the ground where he first laid the fish he caught, and
thinks about how the fish is now chopped up into little pieces of
“not-fish” and “not-blood.” Vardaman reasons that Peabody is responsible
for Addie’s death and curses him for it. He jumps off the porch
and runs into the barn. Still crying, Vardaman picks up a stick
and begins beating Peabody’s horses, cursing them and blaming them
for Addie’s death, until they run off. He shoos away a cow that
wants milking, and returns to the barn to cry quietly. Cash passes
by and Dewey Dell calls out, but Vardaman continues to cry in the
dark.
Dewey Dell
Dewey Dell is again thinking of her union with Lafe and
of the pregnancy that has resulted. She thinks, with some bitterness,
of how much Peabody could do for her, if only he would. Outside,
Cash continues sawing the wood to make Addie’s coffin. Dewey Dell begins
to prepare a supper of greens and bread, but does not have time
to cook the fish that Vardaman has caught. Cash enters the kitchen,
announcing that Peabody’s team of horses has gotten loose. Anse,
Cash, and Peabody begin eating. They invite Dewey Dell to eat with
him, but she leaves to look for Vardaman, who is missing. Dewey
Dell runs up to the barn, where the cow needs to be milked, but
she tells it to wait. Dewey Dell walks among the stalls, repeating Lafe’s
name to herself. She finds Vardaman hiding in a stall and accuses
him of trying to spy on her. Dewey Dell shakes Vardaman violently
before sending him away, then returns to her thoughts of Peabody,
and how he may be able to help her.
Vardaman
Vardaman stares at the coffin. He is disturbed by the
thought that Addie is going to be nailed shut inside of it.
Tull
Tull remembers how he and Cora found out Addie was dead
when Peabody’s team of horses showed up at his door. It is raining
when Tull goes to sleep, and the storm is getting worse when he
is woken up by a knock at the door. He finds Vardaman there, soaking
wet and covered in mud. Vardaman talks incoherently of the fish
that he caught earlier. Tull goes out to harness the team, and returns
to find Cora and Vardaman sitting in the kitchen. Vardaman is still
speaking about his fish. Cora, Tull, and Vardaman make the journey
back to the Bundren house, and Tull helps Cash finish building the
coffin. Just before daybreak, they place Addie in the coffin and
nail it shut. The next morning, they find the coffin bored full
of holes and Vardaman asleep next to it. Inadvertently, Vardaman
has bored two of the holes through his mother’s face. Throughout
the chapter, Tull notes that Vardaman’s inexplicable behavior is
God’s judgment upon Anse’s failures as a father and husband. At
dawn, Cora and Tull return home.
Darl
Darl, still away on the delivery with Jewel, is able to
see what is happening far away at his home. He sees Cash and Anse
working to complete the coffin. It begins to rain. Cash, though
soaked, continues working. Cora and Tull arrive. Cash sends Anse
away, and Cash and Tull make a push to complete the coffin. Just
before dawn, Cash finally finishes his task. Anse, Cash, Peabody,
and Tull carry the coffin inside. As Darl watches this scene, he
reflects that he does not know whether he “is” or not, whereas Jewel
knows that he “is” because he does not question his own existence.
Cash
Cash very precisely lists the logic behind his decision
to make the coffin on a bevel, or a slight slant.
