As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner, is uniquely told from the perspectives of multiple characters, each with his or her own voice and interpretation of reality. The Bundren family (the children: Cash, Darl, Jewel, Dewey Dell and Vardaman, and the father: Anse) reflect on the death of their mother and wife, Addie, as they transport her body from their home in the country to Jefferson, a city. Faulkner uses the Bundren family as means to question the significance of an individual's identity in relation to the futility of his actions and, more specifically, his entire existence.
Cash is the oldest of the Bundren children, but he does not overtly act the typical role of an eldest child. Typically, the oldest child is more abrasive, independent yet paternal toward his younger siblings. But Cash does not display the overwhelming characteristics of typical first born children, instead he is mild mannered, humble and patient. Especially with his siblings and father. Anse views his children as workers for his fields, and does not really consider them otherwise. To Anse they are hungry mouths that he spends his money on. Anse is a father, but not a father figure. And Cash fulfills this role, but he does so unintentionally.With an emotionally absent father, it is his responsibility to make his siblings happy. He serves his family, but does so passively, partially because he does not recognize the necessity for him to step up, and take charge of the family. Instead, he gives half-hearted attempts to control them, but is overpowered by the other character's "better" judgment. He is a master carpenter, and shows great possibilities of intelligence, and he constructs his mother's coffin. He knows how it must be transported. Cash tells his family, "It needs a balance" in order to keep the wagon from overturning. But no one listens to him. He does not truly assert his identity as the eldest child, as an intelligent individual with valuable input and knowledge. Until the end of the book, Cash's narrations consist of either lists or a short statement. He doesn't reflect emotionally and remains closed off from the situation. Instead he allows Darl to take control.
Darl is the second oldest. And interestingly enough, he narrates the first chapter. Not Anse. Not Cash. But Darl. From the beginning, Darl asserts his presence confidently. He seems to be the most stable and understanding of the characters. He narrates the most chapters and provides the most relatable perspective on his mother's death. However, Addie's death also provokes Darl into questioning life's purpose. Once Addie actually dies, Darl spirals into a half-coherent rambling in which he questions his own existence: "And before you are emptied for sleep, what are you. And when you are emptied for sleep, you are not. And when you are filled with sleep, you never were. I dont know what I am. I dont know if I am or not" (80). Darl cannot comprehend death, or perhaps life. He struggles with himself to find meaning in his life, but cannot move forward. When Addie dies, he loses his understanding of existence, which in turn, depletes his (previously evident) understanding of his identity. As the novel progresses, Darl's lack of identity, in combination with his misunderstanding of existence, causes him to, for a lack of better terminology, "go crazy." He sets fire to the Gillespie's barn (in which his mother's coffin is stored while they rest), which reveals his ultimate destruction of his identity. He once respected fellow farmers and others, but realizes the futility of his existence and runs rampant. Darl only narrates one more chapter after this incident. And it seems to be half from his perspective, half from him reflecting as almost an omniscient entity. This is where Cash steps in. He realizes that he needs to take control and tells Darl he needs to go to Jackson (for prison, but referred to as if it is a psychiatric ward). In this moment, Cash gains his identity and Darl loses his. And he is left to rot, laughing his way to Jackson.
Jewel, Dewey Dell and Vardaman are not quite as heavily influenced (identity-wise) by their mother's death. Jewel, throughout the novel, remains strong and unemotional. He is the one child that Addie ever loved. She never was partial to any of her children, except Jewel. And he is the bastard son of Whitfield (Addie's lover). He works hard, with utmost dedication, but still feels he is treated unfairly. And he is. Addie favors him, and Anse despises him. Jewel realizes the separation between himself and the rest of his family; he knows that he is different and he doesn't care. The only two things in the world he cares about and can relate to are Addie and his horse. Darl tells Vardaman, " 'Jewel's mother is a horse' " (101). And he is. He works hard, puts up with his master's abuse, but at heart is a wild animal, meant to be free. When Anse sells the horse, without consulting him, Jewel (very, very) reluctantly allows it. Because deep down, under his tough exterior, he cares for his family. Dewey Dell is the one daughter in the Bundren family. And she's pregnant out of wedlock, which completely skews her conception of reality. She is seventeen and the father of her child seems disinterested. He wants her to "take care of it." And she tries to. Because she cannot accept her responsibilities as an adult, or as a mother. But she is still naive and young. She doesn't understand city life and is easily tricked into having sex with a city boy who poses as a pharmacist. Her identity as a simple country girl inhibits her ability to perceive reality and its potential dangers. She claims, "I feel like a wet seed wild in the hot blind earth," as if she doesn't understand that she is responsible for her actions (64). She makes it seem as if it is chance that she is pregnant. As if it is nature's blind will burning her. Vardaman (the youngest), on the other hand, completely loses touch with reality at first. He rambles on about a dead fish and his mother: "It was not her because it was laying right yonder in the dirt. And now it's all chopped up. I chopped it up... Then it wasn't and she was, and now it is and she wasn't" (66). Vardaman can't accept that the woman lying in the coffin is his mother. To him, she is not her. She is "it." And then he blurs the image of his dead mother lying in the coffin with the fish he cut up. And then his perception of existence diminishes, just as Darl's does, except he is a child and Darl is an adult. After the fish incident, Vardaman refers to Addie strictly as a fish. He repeatedly claims, "My mother is a fish." The association of Addie with animals ("Jewel's mother is a horse," "My mother is a fish") shows that both Jewel and Vardaman want a physical representation of their mother's spirit. Jewel loves his horse and Vardaman associates Addie's death with his first understanding of death (his killing the fish). By identifying their mothers as animals, Faulkner suggests that both feel lost without Addie and need to place their love and care in something concrete. Otherwise, Vardaman and Jewel seem somewhat unaffected in their conception of identity and their motivations.
Anse seems to be the most physically changed by Addie's death. After she dies, he maintains a clean shave and wears his Sunday best, seemingly out of respect for Addie. Throughout the novel, Anse gripes and guilt-trips his children. He takes on his role as father, but not in the loving fatherly sense. He is simply the provider for his family. Always looking to make money to keep his children fed. As Addie lies on her death bed (she literally dies on a bed), death approaching quickly, he sends Jewel and Darl out on a delivery. For three dollars profit. Jewel misses his mother's death. He couldn't be with his own mother when she died. For three dollars. Anse is selfish and doesn't hide it. He might try to, but he doesn't do it well. Mostly he complains about how he spends all his money feeding his children, and about how he wants his new teeth. But he neglects to realize how much his children have sacrificed to him in terms of labor and possessions. His children work hard in the fields, yet he sees them as ingrates. He sells Jewel's horse to buy a new team of mules. He takes Dewey Dell's money (ten dollars from her boyfriend to get pills to terminate her pregnancy) and uses it to buy new teeth and marry another woman the day after they burry Addie. This represents the ultimate destruction of identity because the final lines of the book are "Meet Mrs. Bundren." As if Addie never existed and is easily replaced by another woman. Complete destruction of meaning and identity summed up in three words.
Darl is the second oldest. And interestingly enough, he narrates the first chapter. Not Anse. Not Cash. But Darl. From the beginning, Darl asserts his presence confidently. He seems to be the most stable and understanding of the characters. He narrates the most chapters and provides the most relatable perspective on his mother's death. However, Addie's death also provokes Darl into questioning life's purpose. Once Addie actually dies, Darl spirals into a half-coherent rambling in which he questions his own existence: "And before you are emptied for sleep, what are you. And when you are emptied for sleep, you are not. And when you are filled with sleep, you never were. I dont know what I am. I dont know if I am or not" (80). Darl cannot comprehend death, or perhaps life. He struggles with himself to find meaning in his life, but cannot move forward. When Addie dies, he loses his understanding of existence, which in turn, depletes his (previously evident) understanding of his identity. As the novel progresses, Darl's lack of identity, in combination with his misunderstanding of existence, causes him to, for a lack of better terminology, "go crazy." He sets fire to the Gillespie's barn (in which his mother's coffin is stored while they rest), which reveals his ultimate destruction of his identity. He once respected fellow farmers and others, but realizes the futility of his existence and runs rampant. Darl only narrates one more chapter after this incident. And it seems to be half from his perspective, half from him reflecting as almost an omniscient entity. This is where Cash steps in. He realizes that he needs to take control and tells Darl he needs to go to Jackson (for prison, but referred to as if it is a psychiatric ward). In this moment, Cash gains his identity and Darl loses his. And he is left to rot, laughing his way to Jackson.
Jewel, Dewey Dell and Vardaman are not quite as heavily influenced (identity-wise) by their mother's death. Jewel, throughout the novel, remains strong and unemotional. He is the one child that Addie ever loved. She never was partial to any of her children, except Jewel. And he is the bastard son of Whitfield (Addie's lover). He works hard, with utmost dedication, but still feels he is treated unfairly. And he is. Addie favors him, and Anse despises him. Jewel realizes the separation between himself and the rest of his family; he knows that he is different and he doesn't care. The only two things in the world he cares about and can relate to are Addie and his horse. Darl tells Vardaman, " 'Jewel's mother is a horse' " (101). And he is. He works hard, puts up with his master's abuse, but at heart is a wild animal, meant to be free. When Anse sells the horse, without consulting him, Jewel (very, very) reluctantly allows it. Because deep down, under his tough exterior, he cares for his family. Dewey Dell is the one daughter in the Bundren family. And she's pregnant out of wedlock, which completely skews her conception of reality. She is seventeen and the father of her child seems disinterested. He wants her to "take care of it." And she tries to. Because she cannot accept her responsibilities as an adult, or as a mother. But she is still naive and young. She doesn't understand city life and is easily tricked into having sex with a city boy who poses as a pharmacist. Her identity as a simple country girl inhibits her ability to perceive reality and its potential dangers. She claims, "I feel like a wet seed wild in the hot blind earth," as if she doesn't understand that she is responsible for her actions (64). She makes it seem as if it is chance that she is pregnant. As if it is nature's blind will burning her. Vardaman (the youngest), on the other hand, completely loses touch with reality at first. He rambles on about a dead fish and his mother: "It was not her because it was laying right yonder in the dirt. And now it's all chopped up. I chopped it up... Then it wasn't and she was, and now it is and she wasn't" (66). Vardaman can't accept that the woman lying in the coffin is his mother. To him, she is not her. She is "it." And then he blurs the image of his dead mother lying in the coffin with the fish he cut up. And then his perception of existence diminishes, just as Darl's does, except he is a child and Darl is an adult. After the fish incident, Vardaman refers to Addie strictly as a fish. He repeatedly claims, "My mother is a fish." The association of Addie with animals ("Jewel's mother is a horse," "My mother is a fish") shows that both Jewel and Vardaman want a physical representation of their mother's spirit. Jewel loves his horse and Vardaman associates Addie's death with his first understanding of death (his killing the fish). By identifying their mothers as animals, Faulkner suggests that both feel lost without Addie and need to place their love and care in something concrete. Otherwise, Vardaman and Jewel seem somewhat unaffected in their conception of identity and their motivations.
Anse seems to be the most physically changed by Addie's death. After she dies, he maintains a clean shave and wears his Sunday best, seemingly out of respect for Addie. Throughout the novel, Anse gripes and guilt-trips his children. He takes on his role as father, but not in the loving fatherly sense. He is simply the provider for his family. Always looking to make money to keep his children fed. As Addie lies on her death bed (she literally dies on a bed), death approaching quickly, he sends Jewel and Darl out on a delivery. For three dollars profit. Jewel misses his mother's death. He couldn't be with his own mother when she died. For three dollars. Anse is selfish and doesn't hide it. He might try to, but he doesn't do it well. Mostly he complains about how he spends all his money feeding his children, and about how he wants his new teeth. But he neglects to realize how much his children have sacrificed to him in terms of labor and possessions. His children work hard in the fields, yet he sees them as ingrates. He sells Jewel's horse to buy a new team of mules. He takes Dewey Dell's money (ten dollars from her boyfriend to get pills to terminate her pregnancy) and uses it to buy new teeth and marry another woman the day after they burry Addie. This represents the ultimate destruction of identity because the final lines of the book are "Meet Mrs. Bundren." As if Addie never existed and is easily replaced by another woman. Complete destruction of meaning and identity summed up in three words.
Fantastic entry. Klinkenborg would be proud of this sentence:For three dollars.
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