In the novel, As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner tells a story of a family (the Bundrens) trying to fulfill the dying wish of a family member. The family is made up of Dewey Dell the only daughter, Vardaman the youngest, Anse the father, and Addie the dead mother. Darl and Jewel are the oldest in the family. Along with Cash who is a handy man and is seen as the normal one in the family who tries to compromise. Cash tries to keep the family together. Anse is a father that throughout the book is focused on Addie’s dying wish he puts his family at risk a lot. He has given up his children’s health, his family’s home, and crew of horses for Addie’s dying wish. Addie is the dead mother that is remembered as a loving and caring mother, but it is later
Later the family learned that Darl was the person who set fire to the barn. The owners of the barn were going to get Darl arrested unless he was taken to a metal institute. The family quickly jumped to taking him to a mental hospital and moved on from him. With the exception of Cash who did not want to take Darl to the mental hospital. Ironically, the family moved on from Darl comically quickly, but couldn’t do so with Addie. Darl realizes this and as he is being taken away he is laughing and repeatedly says “yes yes yes” (253). He is aware that the family finally did what he wanted but it was to him instead. He laughs and says “yes” because the family finally did what he wanted them to do. As Darl is being transported to a mental institute he continues to laugh. It seems he is losing his mind. He mentions other voices in his head talking which show some signs of multiple personality disorder. There are many ways someone can get multiple personality disorder. Some ways are stress, life threatening events. It could be possible he can have something like multiple personality disorder. His stress can be connected with being stuck with holding onto Addie. It is also mentioned that he was in the war. So that can also be connected with having life threatening events in his life. Darl is an example of the long term affects of not being able to move on from a loved
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.
He has treated his family poorly, because he puts himself first. Examples include Dewey Dell’s abortion money being stolen and Jewel’s horse being bargained. Anse’s attitude toward life is terrible. He wakes up everyday wanting to have a better life, then pities about the life he has now. He bases his decision with living the life he has, on God. He expects a reward in Heaven, in return for the life he has now. His relationship with his wife is very interesting. Normally, when a wife is dying in bed, the husband goes out of his way to be with her and pray maybe. But Anse on the other hand has been with her, and pretended that he was sad, but in his mind, is glad that she is passing away. The fact that he had found another wife by the end of the story tells me that he has gotten over her. The biggest problem that Anse really has is his selfishness. He puts himself first over anything and everyone. He wants new teeth, but in order to get them, Addie must be dead. He must also steal money because he doesn’t want to earn any for himself. Since he didn’t work, the family lives in a lower status house, giving them all the reputation of being hillbillies. Unfortunately, Anse really doesn’t change throughout the novel. He starts off as selfish and lazy, and ends selfish and lazy. Not only that, he finds a new wife, and introduces her to the family. According to Anse’s mind, he deserves Heaven, but I don’t believe it will be easy for him to get there because of all the things he has done. The point of living is to do things for the common good, but that is not displayed in Anse. He does not live out his life, but somewhat lives out his life as “dead.” Being dead is not trying in life. Anse doesn’t try to do anything for others, but only himself. His view on working is going to come back to bite him. He may have a vision in his mind that he’s going to Heaven but in true reality, he will find out that it may take a
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.
Spending time with each other, having strong morals and giving a lot of love are a few of the things that give families hope and happiness. In the novel A Death in the Family (1938) by James Agee, a family has to use these advantages in order to make it through a very difficult time. During the middle of one night in 1915, the husband, Jay, and his wife, Mary, receive a phone call saying that Jay's father is dying. Ralph, the person who called, is Jay's brother, and he happens to be drunk. Jay doesn't know if he can trust Ralph in saying that their father is dying, but he doesn't want to take the chance of never seeing his father again, so he decides to go see his father. He kisses his wife goodbye and tells her he might be back for dinner the next day, but not to wait up for him. Dinner comes and goes, but he never arrives. That night, Mary gets awakened by a caller saying that Jay has been in a serious auto accident. She later finds out that he died. The rest of the novel is about Mary and her family's reactions to the death. This experience for Mary and her family is something that changes their lives forever, but it doesn't ruin them. If someone has a close person to them decease, he or she feel as if they cannot go on, but because of the close family ties that Mary, Jay, and their children shared, they know that they will be able to continue on after Jays death.
... 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.
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.
“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.
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.
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
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, 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.
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.