Cora+Tull

Let's talk about Cora.

When I started reading this book, I came upon Cora's first chapter and thought, "Wow, here is someone sane in this huge mess." And I trusted her judgement. But as I progressed further, I realized that Cora was off, although I still can't decide just how far off she was. She seemed to be the only character who appreciated Darl, and I took that as a sign of good judgement. But then Cora talks about how Jewel doesn't love his mother: "...the one she so labored to bear and coddled and petted so... Not him to miss a chance to make that extra three dollars at the price of his mother's goodbye kidd. A Bundren through and thought, loving nobody, caring for nothing..." While I can tell that Cora sees something in the Bundrens that no one else can see, I almost feel as though her incredibly Christian perspective is, in some way, obstructing her view and keeping her from understanding the family in the truest sense. Her need to find forgiveness for everyone and eternal salvation keeps her from comprehending the truth in the Bundren family, and I feel that if we could get beyond and interpret her views of the Bundrens, we could learn useful insights into their identities.

So, what did you get out of Cora's chapters? 1203881894

To be quite honest, I could not stand Cora Tull. She was an exaggerator. I would trust almost all of the characters over her. At times it seemed like she was playing God--condemning people based on her perceptions which were usually wrong. She 'cared' for Addie not out of kindness, but because she felt it made her look good. Addie didn't even like her. Cora told Addie that she "was not a true mother" (173). Cora couldn't even cook, yet she was telling Addie that she was a bad parent. Cora didn't know her place and thought of herself as a step above everybody else. Cora reminded me of the gossipy neighbor who made everything her business even if it wasn't. She was quick to pick out flaws in others but never seemed to think that she had any herself. I found myself rolling my eyes at Cora every time she was mentioned. She thought of herself as the ultimate Christian, but in my eyes she was far from it. Cora annoyed me just as much as Anse did. Could anyone see Cora in a positive light? Because I couldn't. 1203891895

I definitely agree that Cora's severe faith and Christian attitude hinders her opinion about the Bundren's. Her perspective of right and wrong is solely based on her faith, a faith that she brings up nearly every time when she speaks. She clearly cares for the Bundren's but I can't help but wonder if some of this care isn't just her Christian necessity to save them, to save their souls. She may feel it is her duty to help them as a Christian, more than her duty to help them as a friend.

On another note, I had to pause when reading when I read this hypothetical statement by Cora on p. 167. She says when talking to Addie, "'Who are you, to say what is sin and what is not sin? It is the Lord's part to judge; ours to praise His mercy and His holy name in the hearing of our fellow mortals.'" Clearly she holds to her faith, but I found it a highly amusing statement from her since she tends to be so judgmental of others. Even later on in this passage, she basically accused Addie of sinning, while at the same time saying that we can not tell others what a sin is. Cora is very adamant about the proper places of individuals in a family, husband to wife, mother to children, etc., and expresses her opinions strongly judgment. What does everyone else think about this seemingly hypothetical statement? Is it hypothetical at all? What does this reveal about Cora's nature? 1203892101

With Cora, we again see the theme of misperception. She sees herself as the good Christian woman, when in actuality she is excesssively judgemental and thus hypocritical. With her flawed opinions of everyone else, we again see misperception. Is there a message of good in Cora's character. Absolutely. Faulkner tells us how to act by showing us how not to act. His portrayal of the hypocritical Christian woman shows that we need to live as Christ intends us to, not just pretend to. This is confirmed with MacGowan as well, who goes against God's rules and his vocation for having an affair with addie.1203898914

Cora Tull was humorous to me in that she was the typical Southern Church Lady. I just imagined he gasping and exclaiming, "Well I declare!" when she realized that Addie was not talking about Christ. Like the stereotypical church lady, she gossips about other people in the congregation and their sins, not realizing that she herself is in the wrong. What was interesting about her condemnations, though, were how they measuered up with Addie's comments about love. If love is but a word used by people who don't have it, then what of Cora Tull with her professed love for God? It is false; she doesn't really love God at all. She loves religion, yes, and judging people, yes, but not God. Any thoughts on this connection?1203989387

I agree with NVa. Cora Tull seems like she loves being socially correct, which means following religion, obeying its moral code, and trying to evangelize others with Jesus mumbo-gumbo. Its like she's doing it cause everyone else is. The truth is I don't really think she has a close relationship with God, but is it better to be like Cora or to be like Addie. Should she uphold the moral standards of society or is that wrong because she's sort of a phony? Well, I know that Cora is a lot of talk, but I think that somewhere deep inside of her there is some sense of sincerity. I mean who doesn't love to gossip, but at lest she's not cheating on her husband and having children with other men. Right? 1204073813

I admit that my first impression of Cora was a positive one. On page 22, she describes how she had been visiting Addie every time she could. She left her family because she wanted "somebody to be with [Addie] in her last moments and she would not have to face the Great Unknown without one familiar face to give her courage." Cora seemed to be of great help to Addie in her final days, and I greatly respected her for that at least.

Clearly Cora is a woman of strong faith in God (as she constantly refers to). At one point, Cora stated "If it is His will that some folks have different ideas of honesty from other folks, it is not my place to question His decree." Here, she isputting judgment solely in God's hands. However, she herself seems to be hypocritical; her relationships with others suffer from her criticism and judgment of others. Like NVa stated, she gossips and condemns others. I was frustrated when reading Cora's view of Addie's "sin": "loving Jewel, who didn't love her, and not loving Darl, who loved her" (167). Sure, Cora may have a point there, but what gives her the right to shake her head at how others choose to live their lives?

Even though I do not necessarily like Cora, she sure is a dynamic character! 1204245703

NVa is exactly right. Cora Tull is the quintessential church bitty. Of all of the characters, I know that people like her exist because you can't have a Protestant church wihtout one. She trumps up her faith and really uses it to make herself seem important. But just because these people exaggerate their faith does not necessarily mean that they "[don't] really love God at all." Consider the very first chapter. She is understanding: "the lady had changed her mind and was not going to have the party after all...'Well,' I say, 'I reckon she never had no use for them now.'" (7) She has some humility: "[These are] not like the cakes Addie used to bake." (8) And she does seem to pick up on Darl's true nature. She mentions these things to the reader, not to her friends who she must show off for. But at the same time, I have always felt that the narrators are writing editorials of their lives for us. She may be putting on for us as well. If that is the case, though, then we must question her credibility when speaking about Darl. If Cora is the only supporter of Darl, doesn't that prove that he does not really love his mother, and that he might really be crazy? After all, every good church hen must love the deeply troubled soul. 1204246305