Evens Medical Center

The absence of is physician advised due to illness on .

This note certifies that was seen by this office for this medical issue. Please read the information in its entirety and excuse him/her from the following physical restraints and if any school/work is missed (if any):

On 2 October 2011was admitted to my office, for post-traumatic stress disorder. She has been placed on medication and will soon be done with it as long as things go according to plan. On October 3-14 2011 she attended my facilities NEW CHANGE program, and I am under the impression that she missed classes/work. Please excuse her; I will make it my goal to make sure this won't happen again.

Sincerely

James Omenel M.D

Evens Medical Center

Office N198 Center Hall

1000 Johnson Bridge, Evans Georgia

Vardaman's next section continues his struggle with his mother's death. It is at this moment when he begins to logically compensate for the loss of this loved one. Vardaman believes that his mother "went away when the other one laid down in her bed and drew the quilt up". He refuses to associate his mother with the body in the bed. He doesn't fully understand where she went, but he knows that she is not there. It is at this time that Vardaman begins to create the image of his mother as a fish. He begins to recall the fish that his father had him chop up. He recognizes that there was a time when the fish went from being a fish, to being a not-fish. He begins to equate this with his mother; there was a time when she was and now she is not. He articulates this with, "Then it wasn't and she was, and now it is and she wasn't". Vardaman's chiastic description begins to define, for himself, his idea of death.

It is at this point in the novel that another thing begins to take place - Vardaman's character becomes more important with his equation to Darl, the protagonist. Darl is an important factor in establishing Vardaman's importance in the novel. Vardaman is allotted ten chapters within the book, whereas Darl is the only character to have more chapters (nineteen). But the comparison of the two goes deeper than mere quantity of sections or the fact of the juxtaposition of seven chapters narrated by the two characters which takes up twenty-seven pages. The comparison can be found in the section in which Darl and Vardaman are talking about Addie's death. Darl begins the conversation, "Jewel's mother is a horse". Rooks claims this to be a Vardaman-like statement .

Vardaman shows his depth and his many dimensions through his human emotions. Vardaman Bundren is undoubtedly one of the most important characters in As I Lay Dying and is the only character