In As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner, American writer and Nobel Prize laureate, criticized the traditional family system through the actions of the Bundrens. Faulkner 's innovative method of writing, where the reader observes through multiple characters ' minds, shows the hatred and detachment between each family member. For example, Addie says, "That was when I learned that words are no good; that words don 't ever fit even what they are trying to say at." Her loss of interest in life, shown by this quote, is a result of her hatred to Anse. To free herself from the rules of traditional marriage, she sought to have an affair which led to the Jewel’s bearing who is the only son that she loves and considers her own. This favoritism created hostility …show more content…
However, the Bundren family lacked these characteristics. The Bundrens abnormality is witnessed in Addie 's unfaithfulness where she had been part of a secret affair with the church 's minister, Whitefield, for a brief period. According to the survey of The National Health and Social Life, only 1% of married women have engaged in Adultery (Lalasz & Weigel, 2011).These statistics show how Addie only represents a small portion out of all women in traditional marriage. It is true that Faulkner 's novel is popular because most readers can relate to themes such as sibling rivalry and selfishness, but the examples in the novel are at a great level of extremity. For example, the sibling rivalry in the novel is noticed in the relationship between Darl and Jewel. This rivalry led Darl to take Jewel away to prevent him from seeing his mother during her last moments to break his heart. This example shows radical evilness that does not exist between most siblings. Rivalry in most families is a constructive rivalry that is used to encourage other family members to improve. It is true that most siblings tease each other, but it is not for an evil reason like that of Darl 's. It is also true that selfishness can be found in most families, but it is not at such a great deal as seen with the Bundrens. In the novel, Anse 's …show more content…
Marriage is important because it provides law and order and teaches each member of the family discipline. This is seen in the responsibility the parents have to take towards their children to provide for them a happy and secure life. This makes the parents better people and creates a good role model for the kid. Back in high school, the most successful kids where those who had a traditional family. This can be seen at my high school where I observed that the top 10 students ranked based on their GPA. An example to one of these students was the valedictorian whose name was Rachel Koh. Rachel was from a good family and she was extremely successful. She had a 4.7 GPA, ran cross country, and played the violin in many important school concerts. Her parents support in each of those events was her motivator. She would always go to them and hug them after every concert and race as a way of showing gratitude towards them. This great family support gave her a sense of security pushed her to do extremely well in school and in her hobbies since her mind was free from other distractions. Because of this ideological traditional family support, Rachel was admitted into Stanford following her older brothers ' steps. Rachel was a sample of the top students that had good families who represented the 9 Out of the top 10 students born and raised in traditional marriages. Those nine students were all involved
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.
Addie Bundren conjures up the central darkness derived from her death and directly or indirectly causes actions in which each Bundren character takes advantage of Addie. With the character's actions revolving around her death, William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying reveals the truth about the people who surround a person may take advantage of him or her. The death of Addie Bundren shapes all of the character's actions in life including Addie's final request before her death. Addie takes advantage of her death by using it for revenge and inflicting final pains upon some characters, while the other characters use her to get what they want for their personal needs.
In As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner comments on how death affects individuals differently and how sanity is not defined by a mental state but rather by a community of people. Varying viewpoints in narratives, allow the reader to gain insight into the character's thoughts. However, he uses perspectives outside of the Bundren family in order for the reader to create some sort of truth.
... there is a direct correlation between Jewel's treatment of his horse and his ambitions. He is opposed to the family sitting by the bed and watching Addie die and cash sawing away at Anse' coffin. But at the same time he tells Darl to shut up when Darl raises an objection to the three dollar trip Addie tells them to make.
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.
In the early 1900s, the American South had very distinctive social classes: African Americans, poor white farmers, townspeople, and wealthy aristocrats. This class system is reflected in William Faulkner’s novel, As I Lay Dying, where the Bundrens a poor, white family, are on a quest to bury their now deceased wife and mother, Addie in the town of Jefferson. Taking a Marxist criticism approach to As I Lay Dying, readers notice how Faulkner’s use of characterization reveals how country folk are looked down upon by the wealthy, upper class townspeople.
In As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner uses the characters Anse and Cash, and a motif/symbol in "My mother is a fish," to reveal the psychological and societal problems of the twenties and thirties. Written as soon as the panic surrounding the stock market in 1929 started, Faulkner is reported as having, “took one of these [onion] sheets, unscrewed the cap from his fountain pen, and wrote at the top in blue ink, 'As I Lay Dying.' Then he underlined it twice and wrote the date in the upper right-hand corner"(Atkinson 15) We must take care to recognize Faulkner not as a man of apathy, but one of great compassion and indignation at the collapse of the economic foundation of the U.S. This is central in appreciating the great care with which he describes the desolation and poor landscape of Yoknapatawpha County, which is where As I Lay Dying takes place.
Faulkner’s title phrase “As I Lay Dying” solicits many suspicions from potential readers of the novel. The phrase itself is not traditionally grammatical because it is not able to stand by itself. As a dependent clause, the phrase “As I Lay Dying” would typically serve as a noun, adjective, or adverb within the sentence and then be linked with a main clause. The absence of a main clause in the title causes the reader to speculate about the forthcoming plot of the novel.
Each of these characters have a self running personality and they feel real. Each of them react differently to the situation. What makes it interesting is there are perspectives the reader will and won’t agree with. After Addie dies the characters even become more complex and their actual concerns and needs become apparent after the fact. Faulkner was able to stem this tree of complexity all seeded with Addie’s death. Even Addie develops further like roots to the base before and after her death. That’s quite admirable to make the corpse of a character develop as the story continues.
Jewel, Addie's son by Whitfield, is 18 years old. Like Pearl, the product of Hester Prynne's adulterous affair in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, Jewel's name is a symbol of the value his mother places on him. The favoritism that Addie showed him is responsible for the antagonism between him and Darl. Jewel personifies Addie's preference for experience over words. He is always in motion. He expresses himself best through actions. When he verbalizes his love for Addie- in his single monologue- he does so with a violent fantasy about hurling down stones on outsiders. Elsewhere, he expresses his love for her through deeds, not words.
Anse Bundren is depicted as a selfish character who puts his own goals before his family’s. For example, Anse easily steals away money and the goals of his children. He steals the money that Cash had been saving in order to get a graphophone, and sells Jewel’s horse in order to buy mules that were, in actuality, unnecessary. Ironically enough, both the horse and the graphophone are symbols that represent each of the boys’ freedom. Jewel’s
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.
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.
Throughout Faulkner’s novel, As I Lay Dying, a prominent difference between the characters Anse and Addie appears in his/her contrasting depiction of word meaning. According to the mother, Addie, words are bad and do not signify their designated meaning. In comparison, her husband, Anse, continually stresses and believes in his spoken promise or word to bury Addie in Jefferson. Incidentally, the juxtaposition between the two character’s theories of word meaning emphasizes an alternative comical view toward the burial of Addie. Her burial is sacred to the family due to the promise of the father’s word and yet based on Addie’s meaningless attempt at revenge toward her husband.