As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner takes place in a country side in the 1920’s. Each chapter has a different narrator that is a part of the Bundren family or is a witness to their actions. Throughout the book it takes you through this southern family’s journey to bury their mother Addie Bundren in the town of Jefferson. Within the book As I Lay Dying, the theme of betrayal carries throughout. Certain characters especially bring this theme into the book. One of these highlighted characters is Dewey Dell. Dewey Dell is the daughter of Anse and Addie Bundren. She is about seventeen years old. In this novel, she has sex with a boy named Lafe and conceives a child. She does as much as she can to avoid her secret to escape along with trying to abort …show more content…
her baby. When Dewey Dell betrays her brother Darl because of her pregnancy along with her mother’s extreme influence on her life, she affects other characters throughout the rest of the novel. The first person that Dewey Dell betrays is her brother Darl. Dewey Dell and Darl were very close according to their brother Cash before Dewey Dell became pregnant. Cash says, “And then I always kind of had an idea that him and Dewey Dell kind of knowed things betwixt them”(Faulkner 237). Although Cash believes that they were close before, their relationship changed. Darl towards the end of the book burns Samson’s barn with his mother’s coffin in it. Dewey Dell knows that he did this. When they get to the town of Jefferson to bury their mother, Dewey Dell turns in her brother Darl to the police. “. . . but when them fellows told him what they wanted and that they had come to get him and he throwed back, she jumped on him like a wild cat . . .”(Faulkner 237). Dewey Dell not only turns Darl in, but she helps the police tackle him to the ground. This is a major relationship change from what Cash had expressed. She betrays Darl by telling the police. She could have kept it to herself and not told anyone, but instead she decides to notify the police of his wrong doings. Dewey Dell betrayed her brother because of her pregnancy. At the beginning of the book, Dewey Dell has sex with a boy named Lafe after picking berries in a field. “ . . . 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 27). Darl knew and Dewey Dell was aware. Later in the novel it is revealed to the reader through Dewey Dell’s narration that she had conceived Lafe’s child. Throughout the novel, Darl seems to have the ability of predicting the future and how people will act in certain situations. Dewey Dell is aware of this. The first time the reader is enlightened on Darl’s knowing of Dewey Dell’s pregnancy is when he talks about her appearance. “She sets the basket into the wagon and climbs in, her leg coming long from beneath her tightening dress: that lever which moves the world; one of that caliper which measures the length and breadth of life”(Faulkner 104). Darl seems to see the pregnancy affecting the shape of her body. Darl’s predictive mind and his knowing of her pregnancy made Dewey Dell feel threatened. This caused her to turn Darl into the police. Now she did not have to worry about her secret getting out. She did not want this information to get out because in the 1920’s, having a child out of wedlock was not seen as socially acceptable. Addie betrayed her husband Anse and this influenced Dewey Dell to tattle on her brother Darl.
Addie, within the only chapter that she has in the book describes why she betrayed her husband. She says, “But then I realised that I had been tricked by words older than Anse or love, and that same word had tricked Anse too, and that my revenge would never know I was taking revenge”(Faulkner 172-173). Addie wanted to betray her own husband as revenge because he gave her children. Dewey Dell betrayed her brother Darl. Addie could have influenced her to betray because Dewey Dell did not have another womanly figure in her life other than her mother. This is not the only instance that her mother influenced her. She also influenced her to not want a baby. In Addie’s chapter, she expressed how she did not want children, “And when I knew that I had Cash, I knew that living was terrible and that this was the answer to it”(Faulkner 171). Just as Addie did not want children, Dewey Dell did not want the child that she was carrying. Throughout the book, she takes many steps to try to abort her baby. For example, when she goes to see McGown in Jefferson and instead of getting treatment, she gets raped. Addie influenced Dewey Dell in many parts of this book and this could have contributed to why she betrayed …show more content…
Darl. When Dewey Dell betrays Darl, it affects not only Darl but Vardaman. After Dewey Dell turns in Darl for burning down the barn, he gets arrested and taken to a mental institution for being “crazy”. This affects Darl because now he has to be labeled as crazy and live within a mental institution. He might not be able to see his family again. Vardaman is also affected by Darl being taken away. In his chapter he seems very upset, “My brother he went crazy and he went to Jackson too. Jackson is further away than crazy” (Faulkner 252). Vardaman is trying to accept the fact that not only was his brother taken away, but he is labeled and seen as crazy. He repeats sentences like this all throughout the chapter. This reveals to the reader that Vardaman was affected by this act of betrayal that Dewey Dell executed. Dewey Dell used this act of betrayal as a way to make sure there were no complications to her plan of aborting her baby along with making sure no one found out.
This compares to an actual pregnancy. When a woman becomes pregnant, there are certain things that the woman must do so the chances of complications of the pregnancy are not high. Some of these things are no caffeine, no smoking, and no consuming drugs or alcohol. This relates to Dewey Dell’s situation. When she learns that she is pregnant, she decides that she wants to abort her baby. To do this with no complications, she has to make sure her secret does not get out by getting rid of the one person that knows. Just like how pregnant women must do certain things to make the chances of complications lower, Dewey Dell had to get rid of Darl to assure that her chances of her secret getting out would be
lower. Dewey Dell commits an act of betrayal that hurts not only Darl but her other brother Vardaman. She uses betrayal as a tool to get rid of a complication of getting rid of her baby and making sure her secret of being pregnant does not get out. She also is influenced by her mother who makes very similar choices to what she made. Betrayal was used by Dewey Dell against her brother Darl because of her pregnancy along with her mother’s great influence on her which created an affect on both Darl and Vardaman.
Dewey Dell a character in William Faulkner's novel, As I lay dying, takes place in Mississippi in the 1920s and is about the Bundren family dealing with Addie’s death.. Dewey Dell has significantly changed as the novel reached its end but some of her main aspects from her personality did not change .She has changed in the novel, she went from seeming innocent and being with her mother in her death-bed to her getting pregnant and trying to get rid of Darl. Dewey Dell's personality was affected by events and the notable changes in Dewey are noticeable in multiple parts from her first chapter to her last two chapter. The noticeable changes are displayed when reading the chapter where Dewey gets pregnant and the last two chapters where Dewey Dell turned
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.
In her final letter to her mother, Eliza admits her wrong doings. She tells her mother she ignored all the things she was told. All their advice fell on her deaf ears. She explains that she had fallen victim to her own indiscretion. She had become the latest conquest of “a designing libertine,” (Foster 894). She knew about Sanford’s reputation, she knew his intentions, and she knew that he was married, yet she still started a relationship with him. And her blatant disregard for facts and common sense caused her unwed pregnancy and premature demise. Eliza Wharton had nobody to blame for her situation but herself. She ignored warnings, advice, common sense, and other options available to her. She chose her ill fated path and had to suffer the consequences.
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.
In William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, Moseley provides the reader an escape from the delusional world of the Bundrens and a glimpse of society, as it should be. Appearing only once in the novel, the elderly pharmacist is essential in emphasizing Faulkner's theme of moral values over self-seeking voracity in that he defends what he knows is right at all costs. Moseley is introduced in the small town of Mottson, where Dewey Dell wanders into his drugstore store with ten dollars from Lafe, and the intention of eliminating "the female trouble." (200) After much confusion, it is made clear that Dewey Dell wants an abortion, treatment that Moseley repeatedly refuses, despite her persistency. Discouraged, Dewey Dell eventually leaves, after a stern lecture from Moseley and advice to take the money and buy a marriage license. Moseley's morals, contrasting to the other characters' in the novel, may provide support for Faulkner's religious beliefs while adding a sense of righteousness to a world of iniquity.
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. Similarly, he knew Dewey Dell was pregnant because he had seen her with Lafe, and he also knew that Jewel was illegitimate. Nevertheless, he was regarded as strange. Cora Tull says, he was "the one that folks says is queer, lazy, pottering about the place no better than Anse." Out of jealousy, he constantly taunted Jewel, Addie's favorite child. Except for Jewel, he alone among the Bundrens had no hidden motive for wanting to go to Jefferson.
Dewey Dell is the fourth child, and the only daughter, of Anse and Addie Bundren in As I Lay Dying. “Dewey Dell monologues are characterized with unarticulated wishes, powerful but poorly misunderstood emotions, and weakness.” From the dialogue, Darl said to Dewel Dell that Addie is going to die and she will die before they get back from the lumber job. Based on the story As I Lay Dying, does Dewey Dell hates Darl or she doesn’t? If yes, what is the reason? This paper will discuss how Dewey Dell’s attitude towards Darl is continuous with her weird dreams.
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.
“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.
Anse Bundren is one of the most exceptional characters in “As I Lay Dying”. He was the husband of Addie Bunden. In the Story, he portrayed himself as being a very selfish individual.
Early in the book, Faulkner Throughout the novel As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, the reader views Jewel as the most aggressive of Addie Bundren’s children. He is constantly arguing with his brothers, sister and father as they make their journey to Jefferson to bury his mother Addie, and he nearly gets in a knife fight when they reach town. Because of his angry responses and bad language it can be hard to recognize the significant impact Jewel has on his family. Jewel is courageous and sacrifices for his family even if the other Bundrens do not acknowledge or honor him for his actions. Jewel may not the most balanced son in the world, but neither are his siblings, and he shows throughout the forty-mile trip to his mother’s hometown of Jefferson that he wants to honor his mother’s wishes. Addie wanted to be buried in Jefferson, and without Jewel this would not have happened. In terms of his actions, Jewel shows that he loved his mother the most out of all her children. Cora argues that Jewel is the worst of the Bundren children though Addie also treated him as her favorite:
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.
Addie Bundren of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying has often been characterized as an unnatural, loveless, cold mother whose demands drive her family on a miserable trek to bury her body in Jefferson. For a feminist understanding of Addie, we have to move outside the traditional patriarchal definitions of "womanhood" or "motherhood" that demand selflessness from others, blame mothers for all familial dysfunction, and only lead to negative readings of Addie. She also has been characterized as yet another Faulkner character who is unable to express herself using language. This modernist view of the inexpressiblility of the creative spirit does not apply to Addie simply because she is not an artist; she is a woman and a mother, a person who feminist theorists would desribe as "traditionally mute." To characterize her using universalizing, humanist terms erases the way that her character is marked by her biological sex and by the gender roles she is forced to play. Addie is not a representative of humankind, or even of womankind, but an individual woman trapped in a partriarchal world that represses her desires and silences her; a woman who longs to find an identity of her own that is outside patriarchal constructions and not always definable in relation to the men and the children in her life. Most importantly, Addie is a character who is acutely aware of the linguistic and social oppression that traps her into a life she does not want.
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.