As I Lay Dying, characterizing Vardaman...

As I lay Dying is very unlike other novels. It not only starts without a normal introduction for the reader to get the gist of the book and its plot, but the chapters go by characters, giving each character in the novel a chance to tell his or her own little story. Vardaman, although the youngest of the Bundren family, plays a key role as a character in the novel. He helps develop the rest of the characters with his journal entries. His diction immediately shows how Vardaman is young at heart, especially when he characterizes his dying mother to a fish. Vardaman's mentality is very unlike the other characters, despite the fact that he is the youngest, Vardaman brings a whole new perspective to the situation at hand. Vardaman is the only child that can't comprehend the concept of death and his mother dying. He relates his mom to a fish because that is the only way he can comprehend her death. He also makes references to other animals like buzzards and horses.
Vardaman is a unique character in the novel because he is the most misunderstaning about what's going on in the family. His mother is dying yet he doesn't understand how that is possible. Darl, his bigger brother is seen as one of his role models because he follows in a lot of his footsteps. However, when the family crosses the river and the coffin falls into the water, Vardaman is very dissapointed by the fact that Darl wasn't able to catch the coffin his mother is in. Although he is the youngest, it seems as though he is the lost one in the family- no one is there to help him figure out or understand the concept of death, eventhough Vardaman pokes holes into his mother's coffin to help her breathe and mutilated her face. They watch while he roams around lost and confused. Darl, near the end of the novel is taken away for mental issues and this may have a connection between Darl and Vardaman because Vardaman mimics in many things Darl has, maybe showing some mental problems with Vardaman as well.
Through the lack of support of the situation that Vardaman is going through with his mother's death and his misunderstanding of the concept of death, Vardaman creates his own interpretation and continues with this image of death, and because of this misconception, Vardaman is left alone. This characterization relates to his name which refers to an "under-age orphan". This reference shows it's true identity because Vardaman is alone in thought and age difference in the family and he sort of becomes an orphan when he loses his mother. Also the last name, Bundren means league or confederacy and in this case is very contradictory because the family is very disconnected and tries hard to become a confederacy or close-knit group but fail in the end.
Overall, Vardaman creates a key part in the novel because he helps develop the other characters. Eventhough he has a very imaginative and childish mentality, the reader is helped by understanding a different aspect about Addies death and view of the other characters. Without the inclusion of Vardaman, we may not be able to understand the characters and plot in the novel at a simplistic level. Vardaman is lost and confused and he helps show how the family is as well with his characteristics because eventhough they travel to town to bury Addie as their main purpose, all family members go for hidden reasons of their own.