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As i lay dying analysis essay
As i lay dying analysis essay
As i lay dying analysis essay
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William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying takes place in the fictional town of Yaknapatawpha, Mississippi in the 1920’s. It is set in the summertime in the ‘deep south’, which had continual dry and hot conditions. The novel tells of the quest of the Bundren family to bury Addie Bundren in Jefferson, where her family was buried. The Bundren family goes through many unexpected trials on this journey, but still manages to bury Addie where she requested. Among her children, were two of her four sons, Darl and Vardaman. They both had different perspectives and ways of understanding people and Addie’s death. Darl and Vardaman’s perspectives differed widely because of the age difference and maturity levels. Throughout the novel, Vardaman struggles with understanding the events that transpire. One of the most important things that he has to go through is seeing the death of his mother. Vardaman is a young boy, around the age of seven. This immediately creates a problem for him because at such a young age he would have no experience with death. Vardaman was out fishing the day that his mother died, and caught a large fish. He was proud of his catch so he brought it back to show the family. He seemed vaguely aware of what was going on in the house with Addie being near death. Shortly after bringing the fish back, Addie died. This caused Vardaman to relate her death to the death of the fish. Therefore, in his mind, his mother must be a fish. Vardaman’s shortest chapter in the book consists of only one sentence, “My mother is a fish” (84). It is evident to the readers at this point that Vardaman cannot apprehend the idea of death, and demonstrates the dull awareness of the eternal aspect he has upon it. Vardaman shares the thoughts of Addie... ... middle of paper ... ...ve different opinions and recognition of the situations that take place. Darl holds much understanding about death, and about the secrets of his family. Vardaman, however, possesses very little understanding throughout the novel because of his age and inexperience with death. In As I Lay Dying, Faulkner makes good use of contrasting these two characters. He makes it clear what the most significant things about Vardaman and Darl are in relation to the family, and Addie’s death. Works Cited Faulkner William, As I Lay Dying. New York: Vintage International, 1990. Print. Willis, Clarissa A. “The Grieving Process in Children: Strategies for Understanding, Educating and Reconciling Children’s Perceptions of Death”. Early Childhood Education Journal. Vol. 29, No. 4. (2002) 221-224. Print.
... seeing and feeling it’s renewed sense of spring due to all the work she has done, she was not renewed, there she lies died and reader’s find the child basking in her last act of domestication. “Look, Mommy is sleeping, said the boy. She’s tired from doing all out things again. He dawdled in a stream of the last sun for that day and watched his father roll tenderly back her eyelids, lay his ear softly to her breast, test the delicate bones of her wrist. The father put down his face into her fresh-washed hair” (Meyer 43). They both choose death for the life style that they could no longer endure. They both could not look forward to another day leading the life they did not desire and felt that they could not change. The duration of their lifestyles was so pain-staking long and routine they could only seek the option death for their ultimate change of lifestyle.
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.
William Faulkner’s use of interior monologue in as As I Lay Dying allows the reader to experience the story from more then one persons perspective. Through the thoughts of Darl Bundren the reader comes to understand what is going on within the family. On the other hand Anse Bundren allows the reader to get a different perspective on the family. The reader gets the perspective of an outsider through Cora Tull’s narration. The make up of these characters as well as others allows the reader to see all sides of the story.
The women in As I Lay Dying are deeply affected by the patriarchal society because they all react differently to their situations. Faulkner’s portrayal of these women shows the tragic situation of women during the era and creates sympathy in the reader. Despite this, his portrayal is overlooked and depreciated due to the stereotypical and vengeful portrayal of the
The novel, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, tells the story of the Bundren family making their way across Mississippi to put their mother and wife of Anse Bundren to rest. Cash Bundren, one of the main characters, is the oldest of the siblings and is most certainly the quietest of the bunch. He is often the one to be thrown under the bus, to fall off things, to break bones, and never complain about any of it. For these are the reasons I feel the most sympathy for him.
The archetypal format follows the family on a journey, driven somewhat by self-interest, where they encounter obstacles that they must overcome. And in the end of As I Lay Dying the overall goal of burying Addie is resolved, but out of all of the ulterior motives, only one character is allowed satisfaction. Anse in the end gets his teeth, at the expense of Dewey Dell and he finds a new wife and mother for his family, the new Mrs. Bundren. In the end of As I Lay Dying after they have buried Addie, after Anse has finally gotten what he wanted; the family is simply left with confusion. Darl has been committed to an insane asylum, Cash is in a troubling situation with his leg, Jewel has lost his horse, Dewey Dell does not have her abortion, and Vardaman has still not found his mother. The family has been pulled apart throughout the story; their confusion and separation can clearly be seen in the end. Darl has been separated from his family, showing how the family is disintegrating; this journey did not bring them together, it pulled them apart. The confusion is evident in the character of Vardaman. Throughout the whole novel, he has been trying to find his mother. “My mother is a fish,” was his first conclusion. “Jewels mother is a horse,” therefore his mother is a horse, was his second conclusion (Faulkner). He is trying to transfer his mother’s soul so that he can find her and then again in the end Anse presents him with a new host. Who is Vardaman’s mother in the end? The dead corpse, a fish, a horse, or a stranger? His confusion is just the peak of the iceberg, the rest of the family being infested by the same feeling. The truth is never revealed to them, not by anybody else, and definitely not by each other. In the end all they are left thinking is, what just
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.
Humans are seen as animal-like or machine-like are material objects and are lacking in other identity (Tebbetts). Vardaman, the youngest of the Bundren family, often compared his late mother to the fish he caught; "My mother is a fish (Faulkner 84).” He compared his mother to the fish because she’s been changed to another state than when she was living. With Addie being gone, she no longer exists, like the fish. Another theory that may justify Vardaman’s symbolism is the fact that like the fish Addie has been alien, Addie has been elusive, and Addie has been silent. Silence began long before her death and that will continue until his, Addie's voice now being unrecoverable; he is desperate to recover his mother in order to recover himself(Tebbetts). Basically, the existence of Addie gave Vardaman reasoning and now since she’s no longer living he has lost that reasoning. Addie is now lacking in other identity so she’s been seen as a fish. She no longer has a significant meaning in Vardaman’s life, like the fish she seems foreign and hard to recall to
William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying tells the story of the poor Bundren family from rural Mississippi and their journey to bury their dying matriarch. Narrated from the perspective of each of the seven Bundrens, as well as several of their friends and acquaintances, Faulkner creates a multilayered account of the quest to lay their mother, wife, and friend to rest. But why all the fuss? Addie Bundren, the woman they aim to bury, was a selfish, hateful woman who always put the needs of herself above of those of her family. Addie’s moral hypocrisy and lack of regard for anything or anyone but herself causes her entire family needless suffering.
The last poem “The Fish” illustrates the sorrow of life itself. The skin, the blood, the entrails, everything of the fish depicts vividly and dramatically. The poet seems to share the same pain with the fish observing the scene and enjoys the detail just like enjoying an artwork. The poet lets the fish go because she is totally touched by the process between life and death; she loves life but meanwhile, is deeply hurt by the life. In the poem, the fish has no fear towards her; the desire to life is in the moving and tragic details when faces the
The first stage of grief is Denial. Denying reality is a defense mechanism contrived by the body to lessen the pain of loss. Denial is when the pain of a lost one is so extreme one cannot grasp the reality of what had just happened. Vardaman experiences these feelings throughout the novel. He does not know how to cope with the tragic death of his mother Addie. He is too young to comprehend the harsh meaning of death. He displays this lack of comprehension and the denial of his mother's death in a particularly gruesome
The novel “As I Lay Dying” by William Faulkner follows a family who is on a journey to bury their recently deceased mother, in the nearby town of Jefferson. The novel is told from the perspective of monologues, told by each of the characters encountered throughout the story. Specifically, Darl Bundren seems to be the protagonist character in this novel. Darl is the second oldest of the Bundren children and seems to be isolated from the rest of the family. As the novella progresses the reader is made aware of changes in Darl’s attitude and also the reasons for why he may be changing this particular way. Darl is misunderstood by his family and by the other characters around him.
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.
In the short story “A Rose for Emily,” death plays a major role in developing the story. It also shows how the death of one person can change a city as a whole. However, if this story is compared to the life of the author, William Faulkner, people can see how death in his life can contribute to why he wrote the story the way he did. The death of the people is used to add to the meaning of the work altogether. William Faulkner’s experiences add meaning to his work, “A Rose for Emily,” through several deaths and Emily’s ultimate demise.