William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying tells the story of the poor Bundren family from rural Mississippi and their journey to bury their dying matriarch. Narrated from the perspective of each of the seven Bundrens, as well as several of their friends and acquaintances, Faulkner creates a multilayered account of the quest to lay their mother, wife, and friend to rest. But why all the fuss? Addie Bundren, the woman they aim to bury, was a selfish, hateful woman who always put the needs of herself above of those of her family. Addie’s moral hypocrisy and lack of regard for anything or anyone but herself causes her entire family needless suffering.
Faulkner only included one chapter from the perspective of Addie, but one chapter was certainly more
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than enough to speak volumes about Addie and her character. Addie’s chapter begins with a recollection of when she’d go down to the river after finishing her day as a schoolteacher and reflect on how much she hated the children. Addie remembers how she’d be excited whenever she got the chance to whip the children, thinking “Now you are aware of me! I… have marked your blood with my own forever” (Faulkner 170). So, immediately, we see Addie as hateful woman who enjoys beating on children, but it goes much deeper than that. Later, when reflecting on the children she’d had with Anse, she says “I gave Anse the children, I did not ask for them” (Faulkner 174). Then, when speaking on the children she had with Anse following her affair with Whitfield, she refers to them as if they’re objects and not real people, saying she “gave” Anse Dewey Dell to “negative” Jewel and Vardaman to “replace the child [she’d] robbed him of” (Faulkner 176). For someone who talks about how much she hates and enjoys hitting children, it’s odd to see her bring them into the world like it’s nothing. Addie’s decision to continue having children she knew she’d hate in order to balance out her wrongdoings makes little to no sense, but to someone as selfish and apathetic as Addie, it doesn’t matter to her at all. As Addie’s chapter goes on, she also proves herself to be morally hypocritical. When reflecting on her views on children, she not only makes the remark about “marking [their] blood with [her] own” (Faulkner 170), but when referring to her own children, she describes pregnancy as her “aloneness being violated” (Faulkner 172). In the grand scheme of things, Addie viewing her pregnancy as a violation of her body contradicts the part of her moral compass that felt it was okay to mark the blood of others with that of her own. Delving further into her moral hypocrisy regarding children, Addie says she hated her father for “having ever planted her” (Faulkner 170), and says he is selfish, yet does the same by planting five of her own children; furthermore, Addie gets the same self-serving gratification from feeling as though she owns the children she whips. Logically, if one is going to hate another for doing something to them, they wouldn’t do that same thing to someone else. But, Addie essentially creates an alternate reality in which her thoughts somehow line up with her actions when in reality, they contradict each other. Everything that that she does is inherently selfish but in her own brain, she justifies and makes excuses for it. Addie Bundren has an extremely detached perspective on life that makes her feel as though none of her actions matter, even though they that is clearly the opposite of the truth.
When remembering a conversation she had with Cora, Addie says she would “think how words go straight up into a thin line, quick and harmless” (Faulkner 173). To Addie, words mean nothing, just like her children, and ultimately her life. This flawed way of thinking falls in line with that of her father’s. Over the course of her chapter, Addie often refers to how her father once told her “the reason for living is getting ready to stay dead” (Faulkner 175), and it’s evident through this chapter that Addie spent the majority of her life doing just that. She married a man she didn’t particularly like, just to have children she knew she’d hate. Then, she had an affair with a man which resulted in her having more ornamental kids she didn’t want nor see as her own. In doing all of this, Addie completely ignores the effect that all of this would have on those surrounding her. Addie’s apathy towards her own life essentially leads her to make selfish and foolish decisions that anyone with any sort passion or feelings towards anything simply would not make. Additionally, Addie describes words as meaningless shapes used “to fill a lack” (Falkner 172) and the sheer fact that she can even say that something as powerful as words mean nothing to her and only exist to fill a void speaks volumes to the lack of regard she holds for life or anything it has to offer -- which, would have been fine had she not had five children. But Addie’s continuing to bring children into the world that she simply would and could not care for is an extremely irresponsible thing to do and further shows Addie’s disregard for life and her effect on
it. Addie’s indifference towards anyone and anything except herself profoundly affects everyone in her life. Had she not selfishly and unnecessarily requested to be buried in Jackson, this story would never had even occurred. If Addie hadn’t carelessly and hypocritically brought children she wouldn’t and couldn’t care for into the world, the children she did care about would likely have been better equipped to handle the perils of life. But, since Addie continually let her own wants and needs get the better of her, she and her entire family fell victim to the circumstance she created.
The novel, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, tells the story of the Bundren family making their way across Mississippi to put their mother and wife of Anse Bundren to rest. Cash Bundren, one of the main characters, is the oldest of the siblings and is most certainly the quietest of the bunch. He is often the one to be thrown under the bus, to fall off things, to break bones, and never complain about any of it. For these are the reasons I feel the most sympathy for him.
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.
William Faulkner, a Nobel Prize winning author, wrote the novel "As I Lay Dying" in six weeks without changing a word. Considering the story's intricate plot, not changing a single word seems like it would take a literary genius to complete. Many people agree that Faulkner could very well be a genius due to the organization of this story. 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 his or her opinion about different characters and issues. Since some narrators are unreliable for different reasons, it could be confusing to form opinions. One character that is easily understood is Dewey Dell Bundren. She is the only daughter in the Bundren family and ends up being the only woman in the family. "As I Lay Dying", the story of a family's journey to bury their mother and wife, is also the story of Dewey Dell's journey toward maturity. Along their journey to bury their mother, the characters, like Dewey Dell, seem to evolve through their encounters with other people. Faulkner depicts Dewey Dell as a very monotonous person in the beginning of the book. In the beginning, Dewey Dell is seen fanning her mother, picking cotton, or milking cows. However, towards the end of the book, her repetitiveness is lost. Towards the end of the novel, Faulkner specifically shows Dewey Dell in numerous situations becoming a mature individual.
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.
This blues poem discusses an incredibly sensitive topic: the death of Trethewey’s mother, who was murdered by her ex-husband when Trethewey was nineteen. Many of her poetry was inspired by the emotions following this event, and recounting memories made thereafter. “Graveyard Blues” details the funeral for Trethewey’s mother, a somber scene. The flowing words and repetition in the poem allow the reader to move quickly, the three-line stanzas grouping together moments. The poem begins with heavy lament, and the immediate movement of the dead away from the living, “Death stops the body’s work, the soul’s a journeyman [author emphasis]” (Tretheway 8, line 6). Like the epitaph from Wayfaring Stranger, Trethewey indicates that the dead depart the world of the living to some place mysterious, undefined. The living remain, and undertake a different journey, “The road going home was pocked with holes,/ That home-going road’s always full of holes” (Trethewey 8, line 10-11). Trethewey indicates that the mourning is incredibly difficult or “full of holes”, as she leaves the funeral and her mother to return home. ‘Home’ in this poem has become indicative of that which is not Trethewey’s mother, or that which is familiar and comfortable, in vast contrast to the definition of home implied in the
Darl Darl, the second child of Anse and Addie Bundren is the most prolific voice in the novel As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner. Darl Bundren, the next eldest of the Bundren children, delivers the largest number of interior monologues in the novel. An extremely sensitive and articulate young man, he is heartbroken by the death of his mother and the plight of his family's burial journey. Darl seemed to possess a gift of clairvoyance, which allowed him to narrate; for instance, the scene of Addie's death. Even though he and Jewel were away at the time.
Instead of functioning as an antidote to death, childbirth seems an introduction to it. For both Addie and Dewey Dell, giving birth is a phenomenon that kills the people closest to it, even if they are still physically alive. Birth becomes for Addie a final obligation, and she sees both Dewey Dell and Vardaman as reparations for the affair that led to Jewel’s conception, the last debts she must pay before preparing herself for death. Which is nature playing a big role of life and death. Dewey Dell’s feelings about pregnancy are no more positive, her condition becomes a constant concern, it causes her to view all men as potential sexual predators, and transforms her entire world, as she says in an early section, into a “tub full of guts.” Dewey Dell and Darl mentally communicated about their mothers death new her mother was going to die,” He said he knew without the words like he told me that ma is going to die without words, and I knew he knew because if he had said he knew with the words I would not have believed that he had been there and saw us”(Faulkner 96). Birth seems to spell out a prescribed death for women and, by proxy, the metaphorical deaths of their entire
Addie is actually the perfect character to try and describe the lack or void of words and meanings. The very fact that she is dead and is talking about this void from the dead is important. In a way she is speaking from a void between life and death. Morna Flaum expresses this idea in her article, “Elucidating Addie Bundren in As I Lay Dying.” “Her condition of deadness, speaking from the void between is and not-is makes her the perfect vehicle for Faulkner to describe the indescribable, approach the unapproachable, express the inexpressible, as he so gracefully does, does-not. The placement of Addie’s chapter in the middle of her long journey from deathbed to grave is also significant.” Flaum goes on to say that this placement of Addie’s chapter
“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.
For example, Sethe’s love would cause her to act out in grotesque ways and therefore cause her children to become isolated and fearful. In contrast, Addie’s love is shown without words but it is still very strong to her children. Her love is so strong that once she dies her children struggle identifying who they are without
One of the main themes in As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner is the concept of isolation and loneliness of not just the characters in the book, but humanity itself. Each character is essentially isolated from all the others, as the plot is told through each of the characters’ perspectives through stream of consciousness. As a result of Faulkner’s use of multiple narratives, the reader does not attain an objective third person viewpoint of everything that occurs. The closest the reader gets to an omniscient narrator is Darl Bundren as he is able to relate events that occur while not having been present at the time. Although the Bundrens live together as well as make the journey to Jefferson, it is through their inherent isolation and loneliness that they cannot effectively communicate with each other which ultimately leads to Darl’s fateful actions.
Common among classic literature, the theme of mortality engages readers on a quest of coping with one of the certainties of life. Katherine Anne Porter masterfully embraces the theme of mortality both directly and indirectly in her story, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.” Understanding that all mankind ultimately becomes subject to death unleashes feelings of dread and anxiety in most people; however, Granny Weatherall transitions from rushing to meet her demise in her sixties to completely denying she is on her deathbed when she is eighty. Readers have seen this theme of mortality reverberated over and over in literature, but what makes this story stand the test of time is the author’s complexity. In Katherine Anne Porter’s
Ah, love. Love is so often a theme in many a well-read novel. In the story, As I Lay Dying, one very important underlying theme is not simply love, but the power to love. Some of the characters have this ability; some can only talk about it. Perhaps more than anyone, Addie and Jewel have this power- one which Jewel, by saving his mother twice, merges with his power to act. As the Bible would have it, he does "not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).
In William Faulkner's novel "As I lay Dying" the reader learns about each character through the eyes of that person so to speak. Most of the important characters minds are revealed through the unique personalities and idiosyncrasies of the Bundren family, and those they encountered. One of the characters is Addie Bundren, the matriarch of the clan, and the person who's death this story moves upon. Although Addie is dead for most of the book, Faulkner still shows Addie's feelings and attitude in a chapter in which she seemingly speaks from the dead. From this scene we learn about Addie's personality. As a whole Addie is a pessimistic and unfulfilled woman, who marries the ignorant Anse Bundren on a whim. Addie also admits for caring for only two of her children, the rest she labels "Anse's children", who are born out of an obligation. This obligation to Anse spawned from the fact that she had a son borne out of an affair with the priest Whitfield to bear her second child Jewel. As stated before Addie is a bitter woman and believes Anse is to blame for many of her shortcomings. These shortcomings started namely with her unwanted birth to her second child Darl.
Many mothers, regardless of age or situation, share sympathetic life ideals. They all share the common goal of raising their children wholesome; they want to create an environment of love, nurture, and support for their children as well. A mother’s effort to implant good values in her children is perpetual; they remain optimistic and hope that their children would eventually become prosperous. However, some women were not fit to be mothers. Thus, two different roles of a mother are portrayed in As I Lay Dying written by William Faulkner. Faulkner uses the literary technique of first person narrative with alternating perspectives. By doing so, Faulkner adds authenticity and the ability to relate (for some) to the two characters Addie Bundren and Cora Tull. The first person narrative acts as an important literary technique because it allows the reader to experience the opposing views of Addie and Cora; they are both mothers who act as foils to each other because of their diverse opinions and outlooks on motherhood, religion and life.