AS I LAY DYING

ASILAYDYING晁月•Characters•Plot•Themes•WilliamFaulknerwrotehisfifthnovel,AsILayDying,inonlysixweeksin1929.Itwaspublishedafterverylittleeditingin1930.ThenoveltellsthestoryoftheBundrenfamilytravelingtoburytheirdeadmother.Thenovelisfamousforitsexperimentalnarrativetechnique,whichFaulknerbeganinhisearliernovelSoundandtheFury:fifteencharacterstaketurnsnarratingthestoryinstreamsofconsciousnessoverthecourseoffifty-nine,sometimesoverlappingsections.Atthetime,Faulkner’snovelcontributedsubstantiallytothegrowingModernistmovement.HewasnodoubtinfluencedbytheworkofSigmundFreud,whosetheoriesaboutthesubconsciousweremadeincreasinglypopularinthe1920s.Faulkner’snovelregardssubconsciousthoughtasmoreimportantthanconsciousactionorspeech;longpassagesofitalicizedtextwithinthenovelwouldseemtoreflecttheseinnerworkingsofthemind.Faulkner’sprolificcareerinwritingismarkedbyhis1949NobelPrizeinLiteratureandtwoPulitzerPrizes,onein1955andtheotherin1962•CharatersDarlBundren•DarlisAddie’ssecondchildandnarratessections1,3,5,10,12,17,21,23,25,27,32,34,37,42,46,48,50,52,57.Heisprobablyinhislatetwenties.•Darl’srelationshiptoJewel:isamess•IsDarlCrazy?•-----itdependsonwhoislooking•Hepredictsthetimingofhismother’sdeath.•DarlistheonlyfamilymemberwhoknowsofDeweyDell’ssecretpregnancy.•DarlnarratesAddie’sdeathscene,fromontheroad.•HetellsJewelthatAddiehasdiedwhilethey’restuckinaditchduringthestorm.•DarllaughswhenJewelcatchesupwiththemrightwherehepredictedhewould,atTull’s.•Heisthoughtofasmentallyinsaneandarrested.•Darlishandcuffedandtakenaway,laughinghystericallyJewelBundren•JewelisAddie’sthirdchildandnarratesSection4.HisbiologicalfatheristheReverendWhitfield.Rougharoundtheedgesandrelatingmoretohorsesthanpeople,hedoesn’tquiteseemthesameasothers–likeDarl,say.Amanoffewwords,andfewernicewords,Jewelisaforeigneramongstfamily•AddiepredictingthatJewelwashersalvation,thathewouldsaveherfromwaterandfireDeweyDellBundren•DeweyDellisAddie’sfourthchildandonlydaughter.Shenarratessections7,14,30,and58.She’salsoseventeenandpregnant.Beingawomaninthisnovelisn’taboutfemininityorbeauty–it’sabouthavingbabiesAnseBundren•AnseisAddie’shusbandandfathertoCash,Darl,DeweyDell,andVardaman.Henarratessections9,26,and28.•Anseisalazyman.Weknowasmuchbecausemostofhisneighborstellussoandbecausetimeandtimeagainweseehimactingthisway.•Irresponsible•selfishCashBundren•CashisAddie’soldestchildandnarratessections18,22,38,53,and59.Cashisthenovel’slogicalthinker,asevidencedinhisnarrativesections.•ForCash,creatingtheperfectcoffinishisfinalgifttohismother.Inhismind,it’sonlylogicalthatherfinalrestingplacebeascleanandorderlyaspossible.CashissortoftheJesusguyhereVardamanBundren•VardamanisAddie’syoungestsonandnarratessections13,15,19,24,35,44,47,49,51,and56.He’satraumatizedyoungin’.Andhedealswiththistraumainavarietyoflittlekidways•hismotherisafishPlotAnalysis•theinitialsituation：•WaitingforAddie’sdeath•Conflict：•Addie’sbodyhastobetakentoJefferson•Complication：•Badweather.•climax：thefire•Suspense:Whosetoffthefire?WillDeweyDellgetherabortion?WhatsecretsomethingdidVardamansee?•Denouement:Somequestionsareanswered,othersnotsomuch•Conclusion:MeetMrs.Bundren.•Themes•Morality•AsILayDyingsuggeststhatdyingisarelieffromthesufferingoflife.Religiouscharactersinthenovelbelievethat,becausedeathisareward,itprovidesthemotivationtoliveone’slifewell.Getdoneeverythingyouneedtogetdone,andyou’llbegranted…death.Thephysicalprocessofdeathisalargepartofthenovelaswell,however,somortalityisfarfromglorified.Thesmellofarottingcorpsehangsoneverychapter,remindingthereaderthatdeathisbothspiritualandvisceral.•Family•FamilyisnotapleasanttopicinAsILayDying.Poorornocommunicationcreatesintensebarriersofmisunderstandingandresentmentbetweenfamilymembers,butparticularlysiblingswhoarerivalsfortheirmother’slove.Anillegitimatechildfurthercomplicatesanalreadytensesetofrelationships.Personalneedstrumpfamilialduties,thoughtheseselfishactsaremaskedwiththepretenseofdevotion.Forwomen,familyisparticularlypainful,sinceitessentiallyassignschild-bearingastheirsolepurposeinlife.•Suffering•SufferingisverymuchapartofeverydaylifeinAsILayDying.Thenoveltellsthestoryofapoverty-strickenfamilytravelingtoburytheirmotherduringthe1920sinMississippi.Timesaretoughandthedifficultjourneybringsobstacleafterobstacle.Aseachfamilymemberisforcedtogiveuphisorherdreams–andneeds,insomecases–itbecomesclearthatdeathisreallythebestoptionaround,andawelcomealternativetothehardshipoftheirlives.•WomenandFemininity•WomenhaveitroughinAsILayDying.Theirbasicroleinlifeistohavebabies,whichmakesitdifficulttoestablishapersonalandindividualidentity,atleastforonewomaninparticular.Thenovelalsofeaturesasingle,teenagegirlpregnantwithanunwantedbaby.Thedifficultyofmaintainingthissecretwhiletryingtogetanillegalabortionisstaggering.Meanwhile,shameandembarrassmentseemtoaccompanyanymentionofthefemalebodyorfemalesexuality.•Religion•ReligionisinmanywaysmockedbyAsILayDying.Thestoryisanironictwistoftheclassicquest–ajourneywithoutapurpose,confessionwithoutredemption.Divinejusticeisneverjust,asimmoralmenarerewarded