Need Cash Now?!

Ah, Cash. First of all, let me start off by saying that there is something odd about that name in the first place. In fact, all of the characters in this book tend to have rather unusual names. Take Dewey Dell and Jewel as examples. Their names are contradictory, for Jewel, a seemingly masculine character has a feminine name, while Dewey Dell, a panicked pregnant teen, has a masculine name. I haven't been able to figure out the rest-yes-that includes Cash- I can't see how the name ties in to the character, so if someone could help me via a nice comment, I'd appreciate it. Anyway, I'd like to begin with the easiest part: the symbol. Its pretty obvious that the saw/tools serve as the symbols for Cash-he's a very calculating, precise, "measure twice, cut once" type of carpenter. I did have a little extra thought on that, though. We connect tools to the
creation of something beneficial or constructive-something solid and reliable. In a way, that is the essence of Cash-especially when building the coffin, we see how his action is constant, reliable, solid-even mechanical, and all of these terms can be associated with tools, for they are needed to construct a reliable structure. That being said, it is pretty clear from Cash's entries that he's a very precise, calculating character. We see how he doesn't go deep into thought or emotion, or even religion. I don't believe he's known for talking about God or fate at all. His entries show up in the form of numbered lists in which he explains and rationalizes his actions in the process of building the coffin. In fact, we see how he really seems to care about his mother-he makes sure that every detail of her casket is good enough-AND he explains why he's doing what he's doing in technical terms. He also fell off the church steeple, which is interesting. When we also notice that he is a carpenter, like Christ and Joseph of the Bible, an odd contrast is notable. ( I'm a bit uneasy with the word "contrast", but I just noticed this weird thing!) Look! He fell from the church-the symbol of religion YET he is a carpenter, which is attached to biblical characters. Its odd, though: he doesn't go on and on about God the way that other characters (think Cora)do. I look forward to a whole lotta comments, cause I'm still in need of reading the novel a second time for clarification,etc.