As I Lay Dying Analysis

William Faulkner's portrayal of women in As I lay dying presents an interesting look into gender roles of the south in the 1930s. Women are to follow social expectations such as the importance of marriage, motherhood, and limitations. The importance of marriage only applies to Addie even though her presence for most of the story is a corpse. Motherhood is evoked in the novel by both Dewey Dell and Addie. Dewey Dell is the only daughter of Addie and is evident she is too young to be a mother, but through her sexual desires she breaks southern ideologies and engages in sex before marriage which results in an unwanted pregnancy. Limitations also reflects the 1930s era by viewing women as incapable of certain responsibilities and being inferior to men. The basic roles of women in the south during Faulkner's time period ensured females to follow the

Addie breaks social laws in a myriad of ways, for one she is sexually independent, longing for a sexual partner, and a man. Second, she rejects that women should be satisfied by her husband and her kids, and is occasional isolated. However, Addie attempts to fulfill traditional roles and the duty of family by marrying Anse. She found no happiness in her marriage and it illustrates she hates him. When Addie explained why she wanted to be buried in Jackson it was to vengefully escape him in the afterlife. When she became pregnant she realized that “life is terrible” and that “words are no good; that words don’t ever fit even what they are trying to say at” (Faulkner 171). Additionally she says, “motherhood, fear, pride, and love” were all “just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn’t need a word for that” (Faulkner 172). The violence of Addie towards the children in this chapter along with the affair mentioned reveals she is separated from the usual role of southern women and mother at the