As I Lay Dying

The narrative structure of As I Lay Dying is fundamental in understanding the complex tensions, motives and emotions of the characters; especially that of Darl Bundren and his relationships with both the reader and those surrounding him in the novel. Although each character faces his or her own personal challenge in the novel, Darl is the sole character that has the most evident effect on his family, community members and the reader. The narrative structure forces the reader to consider that…

In William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying, Cash Bundren, the oldest son of the Bundrens, is depicted as a very transparent character, both shallow and straight forward . He is a logical thinker that seldom speaks. A skilled carpenter, Cash is the only person in the family that has an actual job and income. When Addie Bundren was on her death bed, Cash was given the task to construct a coffin for his dying mother. Stubbornly, Cash chose to complete his work outside of Addie’s window. His absurd…

Annotated Bibliography: Irony, Identity, and Autonomy in Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying Atkinson, Ted. “The Ideology of Autonomy: Form and Function in As I Lay Dying.” Faulkner Journal 21.1/2 (2006): 15-27. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Nov. 2014. Ted Atkinson argues that Cash’s production of his mother’s coffin is a metaphor for Faulkner’s production of As I Lay Dying because they both concern themselves with form and function, as they pursue artistic autonomy despite significant stressful…

Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood—where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned—Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are…

Faulkner’s novel, As I Lay Dying, the Bundren family makes a journey to the town of Jefferson to bury their mother. However, this is not the only journey taking place. Darl is slowly going mad and Addie is making her journey to the afterlife. In the poem The Odyssey by Homer, similar events unfold with Agamemnon who is also making his trip to the underworld. There are similarities between the journey of Odysseus to Ithaca in The Odyssey and the Bundren family in As I Lay Dying. The…

Readers of Joseph Faulkner's As I Lay Dying have interpreted the message of this novel and the reasoning why Faulkner chose to write a novel like this. Some audience members argue that it is an uplifting and hopeful book while others choose to argue that this book is a way of “presenting human existence as a complete joke.” While there might be some events that happen in the novel that could convince readers that this novel is about having hope in humanity, there are more indicators that…

William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying is a novel written with different characters’ point of view revolving Addie, the main character. Addie’s section is a flashback claiming that jewel is her favorite son because he is the son of a minister, but she had already died. She states that she never liked her husband or her children, except Jewel. With the imagery and descriptive thoughts of every character that the author provides us with reveal the themes of poverty, death, and the suffering of the…

As I Lay Dying written by William Falkner was finished in a six to eight week period without any revisions while working in a power plant published in 1930. Falkner used new techniques to express his views of man’s position in modern world. In his early works, Faulkner viewed with despair man's position in the universe. He saw man as a weak creature incapable of rising above his selfish needs. Later, Falkner's view changed. This later caused a problem in whether the book As I Lay Dying should be…

Greed and Poverty: The effects on family in As I Lay Dying Aristotle once said that "Poverty is the parent of crime," and there could not be a more flawless quote that describes the theme of poverty in the novel "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner. The novel tells the story of the Bundren 's trip to Jefferson to bury their beloved mother and wife, Addie. However, Aristotle 's quote is ironic considering it is the best resemblance of Anse Bundren, the father and antagonist, of the novel. Anse…

The Disillusionment of Motherhood in As I Lay Dying “Mother” is the goal of women life that many women want to achieve as if it is the duty that women should do. Many people portray motherhood as a beautiful picture; a mother devotes herself for children, take care of them and love them without any condition. That is sound really good, right? However, in fact, being a mother is not beautiful and overwhelming as “the people” always says. There is another side that they didn’t tell you that being…