Stephen Chbosky's As I Lay Dying

Stephen Chbosky, author of Perks of Being a Wallflower, once said: "Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight." This is a completely accurate statement. The banning of books is an act of ignorance in many societies. The only sensible conclusion that can be drawn from doing so is that people in power fear what the written word can do, and how it can shape people’s minds. High school students are impressionable, yes, but they are the future of the world we live in today and deserve the chance to make choices for themselves while being provided the best possible information to go off of when doing so. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner is a highly controversial

Yes it tells a story of death, but in this it includes examples of people with different types of personalities and lifestyles and their reactions to this death. This would provide students who per chance are going through a similar situation to have a reference or guide for their emotions. A book such as this could be just the type of validation a particular student is looking for to be contented with themselves and the tragic losses of which they are being plagued. As I Lay Dying provides many different reactions through individual characters, such as: a religious outlook (Cora), a resigned but emotional point of view (Darl), and the view from a childlike perspective (Vardaman). Cora consistently references God or the bible when speaking about the death of Addie Bundren, making observations such as, “But the eternal and the everlasting salvation and grace is not upon her” (8). This type of reminder in a book has the potential of touching a student’s heart with a reminder of their preferred religion and aiding them in their grief and loss. Vardaman, in a much different tone, reacts with innocent disbelief. Asking questions like, “Are you going to nail her up in it, Cash?” (65) If it so happened that a student who decides to check out this book from the library is dealing with a loss, the validation and emotional support gained from reading about a character who is

Students are often taught to look deeper into things, and to question, not only themselves, but everything around them that they formerly called truth. With a book written in the way that As I Lay Dying was written, there is no room for doubt or pondering. Each character, though differing in overall personality, provides the reader with the exact emotion intended by Faulkner. At one point in the book a doctor (Peabody) comes to see Addie Bundren before she passes away. The father (Anse) had waited much too long before calling him and it was obvious that nothing could be done for her. Upon viewing her though, he observes that, “Her eyes look like lamps blaring up just before the oil is gone” (45). The way this remark is stated is almost insensitive, while at the same time provoking a feeling of loss from the reader as if they are the ones dealing with the death. The imagery provided is of a scene that anyone could imagine, and that relates to all. It is a sharp burst of reality for the reader, as they imagine how the same type of event would unfold in front of them personally. Another instance where the bluntness provided by Faulkner can be noted is after the death of Addie, when