Metamorphosis William Faulkner in his book, As I Lay Dying, portrays a Mississippi family which goes through many hardships and struggles. Faulkner uses imagery to illustrate an array of central themes such as the conscious being or existence and poverty among many others. From the first monologue, you will find an indulgence of sensual appeal, a strong aspect of the novel. Each character grows stronger and stronger each passage. One of the themes in As I Lay Dying is a human's relations to nature. Faulkner uses imagery to produce a sense of relation between animals and humans. One of the central themes in As I Lay Dying is the attachment to nature. Darl relates, "the still surface of the water a round orifice in nothingness, where before I stirred it awake with the dipper I could see maybe a star or tow in the bucket, and maybe in the dipper a star or two before I drank"(455). His physical necessities are being met, which is another central theme in As I Lay Dying, translates to meeting your needs and surviving through out all the tragedies that occur. But here Faulkner shows that there is some progress, due to Darl finding a way to enhance the experience of drinking plain old water by drinking it out of a wooden bucket. The wooden bucket enriches the flavor of water, and connects you to nature through taste. Hence, Darl has found a better way to satisfy his needs. William Faulkner overwhelms his audience with the visual perceptions that the characters experience, making the reader feel utterly attached to nature and using imagery how a human out of despair can make accusations. "If I jump off the porch I will be where the fish was, and it all cut up into a not-fish now. I can hear the bed and her face and them and I can... ... middle of paper ... ... there is a direct correlation between Jewel's treatment of his horse and his ambitions. He is opposed to the family sitting by the bed and watching Addie die and cash sawing away at Anse' coffin. But at the same time he tells Darl to shut up when Darl raises an objection to the three dollar trip Addie tells them to make. Imagery is an integral part of any narrative. The multiple narratives and cross observations made in As I Lay Dying are complex and they consist of many spectrums. Imagery alone can be sufficient to give the reader a rich sense of emotion, but when it symbolizes the themes of the story and reflects on the characteristics of the narrator it is truly a master piece. Imagery has been used by William Faulkner to create parallels that strengthen the themes of the story. The imagery is used a tool to appeal to the reader to convey the authors purpose.
Yoknapatawpha County is a fictional county made up by William Faulkner in which As I Lay Dying takes place in; this is now the third novel to take place here. As I Lay Dying was one of the last novels written in the 1920’s by William Faulkner and within fifty-nine chapters, this novel features a unique narration of fifteen different first person narrators. Each chapter is written from that particular character’s perspective telling their version of what is happening in the novel, making this not only an interesting take on narration but a compelling read as well. Faulkner uses the characters use of language to help us identify and see glimpses into the lives of the Bundren family; through this we can understand the revenge and secrets from within the characters that is blind to the most if not all-remaining characters within the novel.
“As I Lay Dying, read as the dramatic confrontation of words and actions, presents Faulkner’s allegory of the limits of talent” (Jacobi). William Faulkner uses many different themes that make this novel a great book. Faulkner shows his talent by uses different scenarios, which makes the book not only comedic but informational on the human mind. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner is a great book that illustrates great themes and examples. Faulkner illustrates different character and theme dynamics throughout the entire novel, which makes the book a humorous yet emotional roller coaster. Faulkner illustrates the sense of identity, alienation, and the results of physical and mental death to show what he thinks of the human mind.
Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying. 1930. Edited by Noel Polk. New York: Vintage, 1985. Print.
“As I Lay Dying”, is a well known novel, written by William Faulkner, who tells a story about a dying mother and her one last dying wish. The Bundren family tries to attempt to grant the mother’s, Addie Bundren, last wish but each character had his or her selfish reasons for actually traveling to where Addie Bundren wished to be buried at. The journey to Jefferson burial grounds had the Bundren’s helping one another through the different situations that occurred, but also the Bundren family had many differences between each character that caused betrayal to one another.
evident that Jewel knows that Anse is not his father. This is illustrated in the
Although Jewel is most commonly referred to as the owner and caretaker of the horse, the horse projects the characteristics of Addie. On Page 101 Vardaman says “Jewel’s mother is a horse.” It is implied that Jewel’s horse is a representation of his mother. Because Jewel is the result of a secret affair between Addie and Whitfield, Jewel is characterized as a very intense and violent character, reinforced by his violent imagery throughout the story, as well as his “tough love” with his horse. Jewel learns to tame the horse on page 12 “Then Jewel is enclosed by a glittering maze of hooves...With the other patting the horse’s neck in short strokes myriad and caressing, cursing the horse with obscene profanity.” This explains the relationship between Addie and Jewel because after Addie had Jewel, it forced her to cut ties with Whitfield and begin to settle down to live a life with Anse. As Jewel does with the horse, he forces Addie to give up her unsuitable personality and become a mature parent. While Jewel’s actions with the horse symbolize the love he has for his mother, the horse also represents his freedom from the Bundren family by working secretly to get enough money to buy the horse. While Jewel is sneaking out at night to make money Addie doesn’t tell anyone why he is doing it. This identifies the loyalty and power of Addie when it comes to her family. Loyalty and power are both archetypes of the
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.
William Faulkner won the nobel prize for his novel, As I Lay Dying, Faulkner uses fifteen different characters to narrate and allow the reader to analyze each of their point of views. Through the confessions of each character, the reader is able to form their opinion about different characters and issues, without being directly told by the author what each character was thinking or feeling, the novel is open to quite a bit of interpretation by the reader. Since some of the narrators are unreliable for different reasons, it can be difficult and confusing to follow the story or interpret things at times. One character that is easily understood is Dewey Dell Bundren. She is the fourth child and only daughter of Anse and Addie Bundren and ends up being the only female in her family once her mother dies. As I Lay Dying is the story of a
In As I Lay Dying (1930), Faulkner creates the deceitful, insensitive character, Anse Bundren, who will do anything to get what he wants, even if it means stealing and injuring his own children, symbolizing the avarice and apathy that can result from a world of non education, poverty, and overall suffering.
Judgement from an outside perspective tends to lead to misconceptions about the individual. However, the way others perceived can be a direct reflection of who they actually are. In William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying, the Bundren family travels to Jefferson to bury the recently deceased Addie and fulfill her dying wish. Along their journey, the Bundrens fight to cross a river without a bridge, battle with personal issues, and learn to cope with death in various ways. The character traits of Dewey Dell, Darl, and Jewel Bundren are developed through their distinct thoughts and actions along with the opinions of others.
“The structural metaphor in As I Lay Dying is a journey through life to death and through death to life” (Jefferson to World). William Faulkner’s renowned work, As I Lay Dying, conveys the adventure of a poor Mississippi family, the Bundrens. In their selfishness and ignorance the family tries to give their mother, Addie, her dying wish of being buried next to her family in Jefferson. Faulkner organizes the novel in a sequence of short chapters from different perspectives of each family member: husband, daughter, and four sons. Each character tells of how they feel about their mother’s death as well as their self-conflicts. “Faulkner demonstrates how a group of people can band together in times of adversity and tragedy yet can criticize and
Have you ever sat and wondered what really goes through the mind of an individual when they lose someone whom they consider to be very close to them? There are many answers to this question that can be found in english literature. William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying is an adventurous, cynical tale that analyzes the reactions of a family upon the death of their mother and wife, Addie Bundren. It follows their reactions and all of the things that they may or may not be willing to do and go through for her even after she has passed away.
Imagery is used by many authors as a crucial element of character development. These authors draw parallels between the imagery in their stories and the main characters' thoughts and feelings. Through intense imagery, non-human elements such as the natural environment, animals, and inanimate objects are brought to life with characteristics that match those of the characters involved.
Hewson, Marc. "'My Children Were Of Me Alone': Maternal Influence In Faulkner's As I Lay
William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying is a novel about how the conflicting agendas within a family tear it apart. Every member of the family is to a degree responsible for what goes wrong, but none more than Anse. Anse's laziness and selfishness are the underlying factors to every disaster in the book. Anse is loaded with faults and vices.