Personality Change In William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying

Many people struggle to find an environment that makes them feel accepted for who they are. It is especially difficult when personalities are forever changing due to distressing experiences that occur in an individual's life. In As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner describes how trauma degrades a person’s sense of identity, making it difficult to find comfort in society.

When people act differently than what is socially acceptable, their placement in society changes. This is a concept Faulkner covers heavily by describing Darl from opposing views. The reader first begins to develop a sense of endearment toward Darl as Cora describes him as “the only one of them that… ha[s] any natural affection” (Faulkner 21). By having Cora say something so positive

In creating a personality shift within Darl, the reader begins to believe he does not fit in with society. This belief stems from the changes in Darl being introverted and observant, to being more extroverted and outspoken. By becoming more extroverted, Darl begins to create a situation for himself, which makes him fit in less with society. This is seen as Darl “begun to laugh...with his dead ma laying in her coffin at his feet” (Faulkner 105). By partaking in this sort of behavior, a sense of unease arises in the reader’s opinion of Darl. This shows how society is quick to judge others by how they react in traumatic situations, if their reaction does not fit in with what is deemed to be “normal.” However, instead of diminishing this feeling of unease, he decides to further amplify it by describing how Darl burns down a barn in an attempt to get rid of his mother’s body. In having Darl do this, Faulkner confirms that Darl is not sane and therefore is not the person the reader once thought he was. The Bundren family and townsfolk see this shift too, thus causing Faulkner to show what negative effects can arise from having such a major change in

Faulkner covers the concept of mental instability occurring due to a shift in personality as he describes how Darl goes to a mental institution after burning down the barn. By having Darl get taken away, Faulkner shows how society will ostracize people if they do not abide by social normalities. Faulkner also shows how being unaccepted by society can cause a person to lose sense of themselves by showing Darl’s thought processes after he was taken. Darl’s thoughts consist of inquiries toward himself, asking, “[w]hy do you laugh?” repeatedly and not knowing the answer (Faulkner 254). These ways of thinking show how trauma has such a prominent role in altering the way a person behaves. Because if Darl was his usual self, he would be able to find meaning in his behavior. Rationalizing his behavior is a characteristic Darl proved to be capable of when convincing Anse to allow him to make the three dollars at the beginning of the novel. This further shows how negative experiences can impact the way a person behaves by making them lose sight of