Short summary of as i lay dying. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Plot Summary 2022-10-27
Short summary of as i lay dying Rating:
4,1/10
1932
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As I Lay Dying is a novel by William Faulkner that follows the journey of the Bundren family as they travel across Mississippi to bury their mother, Addie, in her hometown. The story is narrated by 15 different characters, each with their own unique perspective and motivations.
The family is made up of Anse, the father; Cash, the eldest son; Darl, the second son; Jewel, the third son; Dewey Dell, the daughter; and Vardaman, the youngest son. Addie, the mother, is already dead at the start of the novel and her body is being carried in a makeshift coffin on a wagon.
The journey is filled with obstacles and setbacks, including a flood, a broken wagon wheel, and the death of one of the family members. Despite these challenges, the family remains determined to fulfill Addie's last wish and bury her in Jefferson.
Throughout the novel, the characters' relationships with each other and with Addie are explored in depth. Anse, for example, is portrayed as a selfish and uncaring husband who is more interested in getting a new set of teeth than in fulfilling his wife's dying wish. On the other hand, Jewel is fiercely devoted to his mother and goes to great lengths to ensure that she is buried in Jefferson.
As I Lay Dying is a powerful and poignant exploration of family, love, and loss. The novel's unique structure, with its multiple narrators, adds depth and complexity to the story, and the characters' struggles and emotions feel real and relatable. Overall, As I Lay Dying is a thought-provoking and emotionally satisfying read.
Plot Summary of As I Lay Dying
Anse is hesitant to let them go, as he is worried that Addie will die before Darl and Jewel return with the team of horses. They spend the last night of their journey on a farm belonging to Mr. The pain is unbearable that he cannot even walk. In this paper, we look at how some of the characters experience challenges in life that make them realize the value of having other people in their life. As Cash finishes the coffin, Addie does pass away while her two sons are not around to say goodbye.
As I Lay Dying: The Corrected Text. This allows readers to see the events from different perspectives and have a greater understanding of the novel as a whole. The last theme I will be discussing is death. Although Anse may seem like a bad husband, Faulkner shows that everyone has some degree of selfishness within them. Dewey Dell is raped in the process of trying to procure an abortion, and Anse shows up with a new wife before they all head home. They are incredibly poor, and the clan matriarch, Cash completes the coffin and they hold a funeral service. Darl calms everyone down and the family continues on its way.
As the family members mourn and make preparations for their journey to Jefferson, Dewey Dell finds herself distracted by her potential need for an abortion, as she fears her recent intercourse with a farmer named Lafe got her pregnant. As I Lay Dying is a complex novel that uses different literary devices to enhance the story. Darl Darl encounters his father, Anse, and their neighbor, Vernon Tull, sitting on the back porch. He desperately needs a doctor to attend to him so fast. The youngest son, Vardaman, wanders in and out.
The Bundrens then spend the night at a local farm owned by a man named Gillespie. The family continues on its way. For example, on page 28, when Dewey Dell is told by her brother Darl that their mother is going to die, she simply asks him when it will happen. But first, they bury Addie. On seeing this sign, Darl sardonically reassures Jewel, who is widely perceived as ungrateful and uncaring, that he can be sure his beloved horse is not dead. After giving birth to Cash, she suffered from depression; after giving birth to her second son, Darl, she makes Anse promise to bury her in Jefferson when she dies.
In conclusion, As I Lay Dying is a novel about the central themes of absence of sympathy and death. Dewey Dell tries again to buy an abortion drug at the local pharmacy, where a boy working behind the counter claims to be a doctor and tricks her into exchanging sexual services for what she soon realizes is not an actual abortion drug. Hamblin, Michael Golay, William Faulkner; A Critical Companion Infobase 2008, pp. The book is written in first person point of view and is narrated by family members and acquaintances of Addie. In the barn, Jewel struggles violently to mount a horse, before finally leaping onto its back and riding it down and up a hill. While Faulkner had never met his great-grandfather, he was a powerful influence.
As Darl stands in the doorway, Dewey Dell, his sister, asks him what he wants. As I Lay Dying: The Corrected Text. When they reach Jefferson, they borrow some shovels and bury the body. Tell her how much I loved her. Darl walks past Cash and enters the house. Darl is perceptive and insightful but taunts others mercilessly, while Jewel knows how to express love and affection only through violence, because his mother sought violence when she conceived him during an affair with a preacher. As I Lay Dying deals with a lack of empathy between family members.
To adhere to Addie's wishes, the family travels the distance to Jefferson during a hot, wet spell in Mississippi, and throughout the journey, Addie's body proceeds to decay, while buzzards swirl menacingly overhead. Jewel, the favorite, doesn't seem to mind leaving his dying mother, but Darl is upset that he likely will not be home when his mother passes away. Before that happens, Darl, the second eldest and thoughtful, poetic observer of the family, is seized for the arson of the barn and sent to the Mississippi State Insane Asylum in Jackson. This leads to some people finding other ways to move him all the way to the land where his mother is to be buried. As I Lay Dying is told in individual sections, so that the narration of the story shifts from one character to another. This shows the readers that some of his writings do come from his own personal experience as well as other inspirations such as his own memories and music.
It shows the selfishness and selflessness that can emerge when a family comes together in a shared experience. Meanwhile, back on the journey, Cash faints from the pain of his newly broken leg but does not make a peep. Samson's wife, Rachel, is disgusted with the way the family is treating Addie by dragging her coffin through the countryside. The story of the journey is presented by a variety of narrators: family members, friends, acquaintances, and objective onlookers. She is even bitter with her husband and the only person that she wants to see is her son. This is a technique that Faulkner often employed, and it is one of the reasons why his works are so unique. However, he knows that his mother disserves a decent burial.
