Final answer:
Cash and Anse, characters created by William Faulkner, differ significantly in their personalities; Cash is depicted as diligent and precise, while Anse is characterized as lazy and manipulative.
Step-by-step explanation:
The major difference between the personalities of Cash and Anse, as portrayed by William Faulkner, lies in their contrasting attitudes, work ethic, and sense of responsibility. Cash is diligent and skilled, a carpenter who takes great care in the precise crafting of his mother's coffin in 'As I Lay Dying'. In contrast, Anse is portrayed as lazy, self-serving, and manipulative, using the death of his wife as an excuse to achieve his own ends.
Faulkner's writing often explores the human condition and the complexities of personality. Through characters like Cash and Anse, Faulkner delves into the 'problems of the human heart in conflict with itself', a theme he famously discussed in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. Faulkner's nuanced portrayals of these characters underscore his mastery of depicting internal conflict and his contribution to the Southern Renaissance in literature.