As I Lay Running...??

       One of the things that struck me while reading about Smithy and his various encounters with people who instantly judge him, is how much Smithy reminds me, in a few ways, of Dewey Dell from As I Lay Dying. To begin with, The Memory of Running and AILD have some similarities in that the main character(s) embark on a seemingly ridiculous and pointless journey to honor someone who has died, and along the way they encounter a lot of people who are critical of them, have to overcome severe setbacks, lose almost everything (I guess in AILD this would be all the kids, not Anse), and come home with something other than what they set out for. In Smithy's case, this would be a relationship with and love for Norma, and for Anse it was a new wife (although it appears he did set out with this in mind, he just never shared it with the reader until the end). Both stories are also much more about the ridiculous journey to get there than they are about the destination. Burying Addie is supposed to be this hugely important and meaningful thing and yet it's done in a few sentences, with a majority of the character development (Cash stepping up as a leader, Darl going insane, etc.) happening over the arduous trip to Jefferson. Likewise, Smithy's visit with Bethany's body is brief compared to the weeks he spends biking to see her, because the real journey for him happens on the road as he learns to let go of the past and embrace a new future with Norma and people, who he has discovered aren't so bad.

       But Smithy reminds me much more of Dewey Dell than of Anse. While Smithy is certainly a much easier narrator to comprehend, both he and Dewey Dell are kind of "lost" characters at the beginning of their respective journeys, with Dewey Dell unable to ask for help and Smithy unable to express his emotions other than drinking and smoking. Neither seem particularly mentally astute, with Dewey Dell's nonsensical narrative voice and emotional connection to a cow, and Smithy constantly telling us how awkward and stupid he is (his conversational skills being limited to "It's raining"). Yet I think both McLarty and Faulkner mean for the reader to feel a sense of attachment or endearment to these characters, instead of judging them as pathetic. After following their stories and their mindsets, we get to know Smithy and his background, and we understand the dilemma Dewey Dell faces and the difficulty of her situation, so to us their actions seem normal and justifiable; we forget what they look like to other people. Even with Smithy constantly reminding us that he's fat, we forget how crazy he looks until he gets beat up by a police officer and shot. We get so concerned with Dewey Dell's safety that we forget she is a poor country girl who doesn't know much of anything, until she's judged and taken advantage of by multiple shop owners. In both cases I found myself feeling very defensive of those characters; I was angered when Smithy is beat up when he was the one hit by a car, and I was upset when Mosely and MacGowan ridicule Dewey Dell for walking barefoot and not knowing exactly what she wanted. As a reader I have a relationship with both of these clueless characters that can't be understood by the outside world.

        Dewey Dell and Smithy have some obvious differences as well, but their simplicity in the face of intense emotional trauma and inner turmoil makes them relatable in my mind.