Abstract This paper is an analysis of the themes of the novel, "As I LayDying" by W. Faulkner. It looks at Faulkner's creation of an innovative structure to tell his story that reinforces the novel's major themes. The paper also looks at the use of multiple narratives of different narrators.
From the Paper "Expanding on the modernist tradition of utilizing stream-of-consciousness narratives to capture human consciousness and perceptions of reality, Faulkner created an innovative structure in his compelling rendition of the transportation of Addie Bundren's ..."
Abstract This paper takes a look at the different family members, their individual relationships, and how a death in the family forever changes them in the novel "As I LayDying."
From the paper:
"Self-interest is what drives the characters in this novel, and self-interest is what destroys them as moral human beings. This aspect is what turned this story into a tragedy. There is a decent level of intellect within the minds of certain characters, but they are still nothing more and nothing less than a poor, southern, white trash family. That is all they will ever be, for their own selfishness and arrogance is what keeps them from evolving as human beings."
Abstract Mistrustful of language, of rhetoric, Addie has lived and dies through accomplishment. Anger, hatred, jealousy, loyalty, reverence, fear-- Faulkner creates a panorama as he presents the characters dramatically. Faulkner seems to have intended to expose the Bundren family to the two greatest disasters known to man: flood and fire. This read of the novel establishes Addie imperatively at its center. Cash's birth was the dividing line in Addie's relationship with her husband. Jewel lives in the terms of Addie's being.
Abstract This paper discusses William Faukner's "As I LayDying". The author of the paper contends that the book should be understood and analyzed in the context of the modernist literary and philosophical movement. The author states that this movement in thought and art began in the early twentieth century and it is characterized by the central theme of the search for meaning and the understanding of existence in a modern world that seems devoid of meaning. The writer says that it is against this background that we should see the world that Faulkner created in "As I LayDying" and that this is one of his most significant works. The paper explores the central theme about the search for meaning in the contemporary world.
From the Paper "The early Twentieth Century was a time in which many artists and thinkers questioned and interrogated the status quo and the norms and conventions of society. Many factors precipitated this intense quest for new answers in the face of the dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs in the world. One of these factors was the First World War, which had led to the meaningless slaughter of almost an entire generation of young men. Another factor was the new discoveries that were being made in the sciences and particularly in psychology. The discovery of the subconscious levels of human motivation by Freud had a dramatic effect on the way that people in general perceived reality and also had a profound effect on thinker and artists. In this process, the view of a static objective reality was being questioned."
Tags: modernist literary philosophical existentialism war, first world war, american literature
Abstract This paper explores the various themes in William Faulkner's novel "As I LayDying". The writer believes that the dead central character is typically thematic of voodoo cultures that existed in Mississippi's colorful history. Another theme explored is that of the oral tradition in the old South, where the writer looks at the folklore and cultures of the people living in Mississippi. The paper also explores the overall theme of death and dying.
From the Paper ""As I Lay Dying" is a unique novel in that there is no discernable protagonist. In lieu of the protagonist is a corpse, Addie, who is dead for most of the book. The novel is written in the first person, from the perspective of Addie and her family, although the perspective shifts for most of the chapters between Addie's self-interested family members with Addie herself only contributing one chapter. Addie's dying wish is to be buried in Jackson, and the story is about how she makes it there. Although Addie is not alive for much of the novel, her son Jewell reflects her interests after she's dead and acts as her legacy."
Abstract This paper explores the theme about the search for structure and meaning in world that seems to have neither, in William Faulkner's novel, "As I LayDying". The paper also explores the more obvious theme about death and dying and explains that Faulkner explores these themes through the various perspectives and subjective thoughts of the characters in the novel.
From the Paper "As mentioned, the search for identity is emphasized by the central theme of death and dying. The proximity of death and dying throughout the novel (Addie's slowly decaying corpse) emphasizes the search for meaning in the face of death. It also reminds us that we are in a continual process of dying. The novel also plays on various underlying metaphorical connotations. This is alluded to by Vardaman's attempt to understand his mother's death. He cannot conceive of her death rationally and sees her as a "Fish" which he has eaten. This image also has ironic connotations of resurrection and rebirth which underpins much of the central meaning of the work. In this regard some critics ( Swiggart P. 1962) view the novel in a mock- heroic light. From this perspective the book has the outward appearance of a heroic journey to bury the mother. There are also heroic characteristics to the novel in that the family faces dangers such as floods and fire. However the heroic is undercut by the often petty and selfish motives of the family."
Abstract This paper examines at length the American writer William Faulkner's novel, "As I LayDying". It provides a detailed synopsis and analysis of the novel and its characters. The paper explores the family situation in religious terms and describes the issue of religious faith for all the main characters. The author states that the importance of the central figure, the family's mother, to her children stands as the central issue of the book, and she provides an anchor for each character to find his or her own identity. The paper illustrates that the family's journey is a rejection of spirituality and faith in favor of a new material objects and a new wife.
From the Paper "In his novel As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner explores a family situation in religious terms, with the central figure of Addie Bundren serving as the touchstone for the rest of the family and as one who serves a religious purpose for several of her children, notably Darl. The issue of religious belief and faith is raised for virtually all the central characters, but Darl is the Bundren most given to introspection and so to consideration of religious meaning.
Point of view in this novel changes. There are fifteen narrators in Faulkner's novel, shifting points of view around the central figure of Addie, the mother. Her importance to her children stands as the central issue of the book, and she provides an anchor of sorts for each character to find his or her own identity. While family is central to As I Lay Dying, family is more a burden than a blessing. Addie believes her father has never loved her, and her new family, her children, becomes an escape from the old. Addie sees her own life as a failure, including her role as mother, yet it is her death which becomes a means of bringing the family together. Her "consciousness" realizes this, yet she succeeds only partially, for while the family does what she wants, they mostly do not become closer or more aware of their debt to her in the process. Darl is the only character with an awareness of this and other facts about life, and he ends up in an asylum, showing Faulkner's pessimistic view of the family and perhaps of religion as a salvation from this world."
Abstract This paper will discuss the two quotes from the book "As I LayDying" by William Faulkner. By understanding the ramifications of this style in his writing, we can see the dilemma that is played out in two of the fifteen narratives that are part of this book. By understanding some of the perspectives in the style that Faulkner uses, we can gain an insight into the way he thinks about his characters.
Abstract This three-page undergraduate paper discusses William Faulkner's novel, As I LayDying, in terms of its narrative technique, and analyzes how that narrative technique is effective in presenting the theme of the novel.
Abstract This paper discusses the work, "As I LayDying" written by William Faulkner. The paper contends that this story, like all other works of Faulkner, appears simple on the surface, but hides layers beneath layers of meaning that can be unearthed with the help of symbols, imagery, and narrative analysis.
From the Paper "Dewey, the daughter of Addie, wants to have an abortion with the 10 dollars she was given by world- be father Lafe, Anse wants a new set of teeth, Cash wants a new record player while Dewey's son wants some bananas. Darl and Jewel are going without any real motive and it appears burial is the one thing on their mind. Darl is however not exactly as virtuous as he appears at times because he is intensely jealous of Jewel who was Addie's favorite son and Darl's half-brother. "Although I am fifteen feet ahead of him, anyone watching from the cottonhouse can see Jewel's frayed and broken straw hat a full head above my own." (p.3) His jealousy leads to some humiliating comments: "Jewel...whose son are you" and, "Your mother was a horse, but who was your father Jewel?" (p.212). Jewel with no real Bundren connection is the most selfless of all people and adores his mother."
Abstract This paper outlines the ineffectual management of a family and impossibility of a stable, nuclear family while lacking bonds necessary for good relations such as love, loyalty and trust. The model family used to prove the thesis is the Bundren family from William Faulkner's "As I LayDying."
From the Paper "There are several intangible bonds that hold a family together. These bonds - which range from loyalty to love - act as the glue that solidifies and maintains the complex structure of the people and emotions that partake in a family. In William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, the Bundren Family lacks several of these essential ties. The mother does not love her children, the husband is selfish, the daughter is secretive, and the sons each have their own ulterior motives. Such characteristics make the existence of a functional family nearly impossible. As demonstrated in As I Lay Dying, upholding a cohesive household demands love, altruism, and honesty, without which a family cannot be properly maintained."
Abstract This paper summarizes the storyline of William Faulkner's novel about a woman's dying wish. The paper discusses the relationships of the characters in the story, the decay of the family, and the symbolism of the burning barn.
From the Paper "As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner explores the dynamics within a family who prepares to fulfill the dying request of the matriarch, Addie. Her request is to be buried in Jefferson, and her surviving family prepares to make the arduous journey from the rural town Yoknawpatapha. The hardships experienced on this journey serves to reveal the decay begun by Addie's act of adultery with a minister. The result of this act is inner familial decay through a lack of love on Addie's part. At her death the decay worsens, and is symbolized by the burning barn."
Abstract Analysis of two novels: AS I LAYDYING & THE SOUND AND THE FURY. Setting, themes, experimental use of language. Shifting points of view. Multiple narrators. Stylistic shifts to fit different perspectives. Infusion of plot with a political and social structure related to South's slave-owning past. Use of element of time in THE SOUND AND THE FURY. Use of strong female characters in AS I LAYDYING.
From the Paper "William Faulkner was one of the leading novelists of this century, and he drew upon his own town of Oxford, Mississippi for his stories, his setting, and his themes. The Civil War was the defining moment in history for the South, and the fact that the South had lived by slavery before that was an indictment of the old families of the South and a reason for the people of the new South to atone. In each novel, Faulkner infuses the story with a political and social structure related to the slave-owning past of the South and showing the effect of that past on the present. He does so in a way that is somewhat experimental in terms of his use of language particularly. Faulkner often uses shifting points of view to break up reality and to emphasize that reality is a matter of perception and is seen differently by different people. As I Lay Dying has several..."
Abstract This paper discusses and analyzes the novels "Sula" by Toni Morrison and "As I LayDying" by William Faulkner. Specifically, it compares and contrasts how the authors use sexuality in both novels. The paper contends that both these novels represent sexuality in different ways. The paper explains that "Sula" is a coming-of-age novel where two young women discover and then revel in their sexuality, while "As I LayDying" is a novel about the end of life and the sexuality of the aged and the mature. They both indicate that sexuality is apparent at any age and that it is one of the most enduring and often controversial themes in novels of all kinds.
From the Paper "William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" is the story of a mother's final journey, and Toni Morrison's "Sula" is the story of two young girls on their journey through life. Both include sexuality as one of the themes of the novel, but it is more prevalent in "Sula," because these women are discovering themselves and their sexuality. In fact, the main character, Sula, and her family simply ooze sexuality. Morrison writes, "With the exception of BoyBoy, those Peace women loved all men. It was manlove that Eva bequeathed to her daughters" (Morrison 41). These are women who like sex, but more importantly, they are assured of their own sexuality, and that is an important theme in the story, because it differentiates between the two types of black women Morrison portrays."
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the idea of a 'journey' or 'quest' in the novels "As I LayDying" by William Faulkner and "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The author examines the different characters in both stories in order to show how the theme of a 'journey' or 'quest' runs through both of these novels.
From the Paper "Their first obstacle in the journey is a flood-swollen river, which they cross after looking for alternatives. Their mules are drowned, Cash's leg is broken, and Addie's coffin is nearly swept downstream in the process. Jewel manages to hold on to the coffin out of sheer will. The ever-scheming Anse figures out a way to get some new mules, at the expense of Cash and Jewel. He trades Cash's eight dollars that he'd hoped to use to buy the phonograph, and Jewel's prized horse, for a new set of mules, and the Bundrens are on their way."
