This may be in part because Anse firmly believes, "A man'll always help a fellow in a tight, if he's got ere a drop of Christian blood in him"(Faulkner 185).
Sethe and her family try to transition into Cincinnati's community, it doesn't go well. Not long after their arrival, Schoolteacher learns of their whereabouts, and comes to collect Sethe. The community, however, doesn't do anything to warn 124's residents of Schoolteacher's approach. As soon as Sethe "recognized the schoolteacher's hat" "She just flew" (Morrison 192), because she had time to do nothing else. Ultimately, "being outside the community leaves Sethe and her family open to assault by the enforcers of the system of oppression that created the situation" (Jesser 1).
As the Bundrens continued their venture in As I Lay Dying, the empathy the community had for the family begins to wear off. While people appealed to the circumstances, they began to lose charisma for the cause, even calling it an "Outrage to decency"(Faulkner 122). The community sees starts to see their odyssey as a "series of bizarre acts by the Bundrens. Since we have seen, the effect of the grotesque" in contrast "with the ideal or normative, we should think first about what a funeral and funeral cortege ought to be." (Gillum 1) Despite the horrible odor of the decaying body people stayed true to their values, and offered them continued assistance in their journey. Mostly in part, because the people of the community knew that was their job as a Christian, and as a functioning member of that community.
At first the people of Cincinnati were hostile towards Sethe and her family, but as the novel progresses to the end the community begins to help the residents of 124 where they hadn't before. A major reason for the community's hostility was the family's isolation. The residents of 124 relied solely on themselves to fix their imperfections, but as Denver began to transition into the normal societal role for a girl her age, she was treated exponentially better and became accepted by society.
