As I Lay Dying: Darl Tragic Hero

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In his novel, As I Lay Dying, Faulkner embodies the ideal tragic hero through Darl, the central protagonist and narrator. Throughout the story, the characters are constantly confronted by misfortune and struggle; the trek to Jefferson for the Bundren family is rife with mistakes and misjudgements. Despite Darl’s determination to free his family from this struggle, his dedication to his family leads to nothing but a fruitless endeavor. Furthermore, his actions ultimately result in his mental downfall. Darl functions as one of the main instruments of the suffering of his family members. From the very first scene in the book, it is evident that Darl is omniscient. His poetic narration style and speech is very different from the other narrators, …show more content…

Faulkner establishes Darl as a poetic, intelligent character to show his superiority over the other characters of the novel, setting him up as the tragic hero of the plot. Furthermore, Darl is capable of clairvoyancy; he knows the surrounding situation, even if he hasn’t witnessed it. He is the ultimately the character who narrates Addie’s death, as shown when he perspicaciously comments to Jewel that “she is dead, Jewel. Addie Bundren is dead” (52). Darl’s omniscience primarily emphasizes Faulkner's method of narration and his characterization of Darl. The intuitive and perceptive abilities of Darl allow him to visualize a scene even though he might be miles away from it. Darl knows exactly how his father, his brother, Dewey Dell, and other members of the family will react to the death scene even though he is not present at the scene. Darl’s exceptional perceptive ability allows him to sense her death even though he is not present. This ability contributes to the suggestion that Darl is, if not mad, at least different from the other

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