We decided to study Vardaman's namesake. His name is derived from Senator/ Governor of Mississippi, James K Vardaman, who was an extreme white supremacist with an imposing presence who died of poisoning. Vardaman from As I Lay Dying is the only Bundren in the novel to be named after another person, rather than a symbol. To a certain extent this speaks largely to Addie's opinion of Vardaman. Vardaman was one of the kids she "gave" to Anse, along with Darl and Dewey Dell, but more on that later. Vardaman the senator was an extreme white supremacist, riding on the the tide of white supremacy of the time especially as the beginnings of the Great Depression took hold on the south. But Vardaman was extremely complex, fighting hard against African Americans, but he was not anti-semantic nor was he opposed to suffrage for women. So what does this make him? He is representative of the characters in As I Lay Dying, being complex, neither right nor wrong, good nor bad.
Also Vardaman is one the most innocent characters in the book, whereas the Senator is not. Is this to represent what people come to be? Did Addie aspire for Vardaman to become as renowned as Vardaman the Senator?
Also Vardaman is one the most innocent characters in the book, whereas the Senator is not. Is this to represent what people come to be? Did Addie aspire for Vardaman to become as renowned as Vardaman the Senator?