Who is Anse Bundren?

Initially, I thought I knew the answer to this question when we first began “As I Lay Dying”, but now I’m not so sure.  Throughout the book, Anse Bundren has definitely evolved as a character, and has effectively confused me in the process.  

When we first discussed the character of Anse Bundren in class, we came to a consensus that he was just an “Anse”: a predictable man who stayed at home and always seemed to attract unfortunate outcomes, as was the general consensus of the neighbors of the Bundrens.  But, as the book comes to an end, and the Bundrens have completed their journey, Anse begins to not act like a typical “Anse.”  First, he takes this journey, which is well out of his comfort zone.  In the beginning of the book, before Addie has even died, Anse states: “When He aims for something to be always a-moving, He makes it long ways, like a road or a horse or a wagon, but when He aims for something to stay put, he makes it up-and-down ways, like a tree or a man.  And so He never aimed for folks to live on a road” (Faulkner 36).  In this, Anse says that people are supposed to stay put.  That there’s no need for traveling to places because we are built upright, like a tree, and we need to be rooted down and work, not move around. This idea totally contradicts the whole journey of taking Addie to Jefferson.  Not only has Anse decided to get up and move, but he has chosen a very difficult journey to do so.  Since no Anse situation is a fortunate situation, the Bundrens face multiple obstacles they must overcome.  There is no smooth sailing when it comes to Anse Bundren.  

Another surprising act by Anse appears at the end of the book.  Surprisingly, this last chapter is narrated by Cash Bundren, not Anse, but I’m not even gonna try and explain why that is.  What I’ve chosen to focus on, is the fact that Anse disappears into this house to return the shovels the Bundren's used to bury Addie, their dead mother, and then he comes back out the house with a woman by his side, along with a new set of false teeth and a gramophone.  He proceeds introduce his children to this mystery woman, and then ends the book by saying “meet Mrs. Bundren” (Faulkner 261)....WHAT?? Anse has just completed this journey, for Addie, and now he has replaced her.  He literally just returned the shovels he used to bury his wife into the ground, and he felt that that was the best time to remarry.  I can’t even begin to explain why he would do this, but all I can say is that Anse Bundren has definitely changed. For better or for worse, I haven’t decided yet.