As i lay dying plot summary. Book Summary of As I Lay Dying 2022-12-27
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As I Lay Dying is a novel by William Faulkner that tells the story of the Bundren family as they embark on a journey to bury their deceased mother, Addie, in her hometown of Jefferson, Mississippi. The novel is narrated by 15 different characters, each with their own distinct voice and perspective, which adds to the complexity and depth of the story.
The novel begins with the death of Addie and the family's decision to honor her wish to be buried in Jefferson. Despite the challenges they face, the family is determined to fulfill Addie's wishes and sets out on a journey that takes them through difficult terrain and harsh conditions. Along the way, they encounter a number of obstacles, including heavy rain and flood waters, which make the journey even more difficult.
One of the main characters in the novel is Cash, the oldest son, who is a skilled carpenter. He is tasked with building the coffin that will hold Addie's body and is determined to do a good job, despite the challenges he faces. Another important character is Darl, the second son, who is highly intelligent and has a deep understanding of the world around him. He is also deeply sensitive and often suffers from fits of anger and depression.
As the family travels, they are confronted with a number of moral dilemmas and must decide how to handle them. For example, they are faced with the question of whether to steal food in order to survive, and whether to abandon their journey and return home. These decisions ultimately have a profound impact on the relationships between the family members and on the outcome of their journey.
Despite the hardships they face, the family remains determined to fulfill Addie's wishes and bury her in Jefferson. Along the way, they are aided by a number of people, including a kind-hearted woman named Armstid, who provides them with food and shelter. In the end, they are able to reach Jefferson and bury Addie, but not before they suffer further tragedy and loss.
As I Lay Dying is a powerful and moving novel that explores the themes of family, loyalty, and the human condition. Through the complex and multilayered narrative, Faulkner presents a deeply moving and poignant portrait of a family struggling to come to terms with their loss and to find meaning in their lives.
As I Lay Dying Study Guide
Outside her bedroom window, Cash slowly and meticulously builds her coffin. Darl, who narrates much of this first section, returns with Jewel a few days later, and the presence of buzzards over their house lets them know their mother is dead. Jewel, refusing to travel with the family, follows some distance behind on his beloved horse. Tull goes out to harness the team, and returns to find Cora and Vardaman sitting in the kitchen. The rest of the family does not know she is pregnant, so she tells them the package contains cakes. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
Finally, the Bundren family reaches Jefferson. After Anse and Addie got married, she quickly gave birth to Cash and Darl, leading to her depression over the loss of independence and freedom. Back home, Tull's wife, Cora, reflects on Addie's life, determining it was not a life well lived. As a result of the affair, Addie has another childâ Jewelâher only non-Bundren child. Cash sends Anse away, and Cash and Tull make a push to complete the coffin. Anse goes into a house to borrow two spades with which to bury Addie. The night after Addie dies a heavy rainstorm sets in; rivers rise and wash out bridges that the family will need to cross to get to Jefferson.
While the family is in town, Dewey Dell tries to buy a drug that will abort her unwanted pregnancy, but the pharmacist refuses to sell it to her, and advises marriage instead. . . He expresses a wish to be alone with his mother in her final days. Just before dawn, Cash finally finishes his task.
Anse asks after Jewel. Addie's cynical perspective on her students debunks the idea that she embodies the role of the beloved mother figure to begin with. That night, the family reaches yet another local farm owned by a farmer called Gillepsie. Rising Action 2 Vardaman cleans a fish; the doctor comes; Addie dies. Darl and Jewel return after the funeral service has already been held.
It is raining when Tull goes to sleep, and the storm is getting worse when he is woken up by a knock at the door. Her revenge, she says, would be that Anse would never know that she was taking revenge. Finally, Anse agrees to let the boys make the trip, on the condition that they return by the next day at sundown. In order to avoid being sued, the Bundrens claim Darl to be insane, and ship him off to an institution in Jefferson. The lack of explanation for why the section appears now rather than earlier or later itself points to the fact that there is no objective story. From there, she remembers the experience of being courted by Anse, devoted but awkward in his younger ears. She thinks, with some bitterness, of how much Peabody could do for her, if only he would.
Meanwhile, the townspeople and the marshal complain about the smell coming from the coffin, and the marshal is horrified to hear that Anse has bought cement to patch up Cash's broken leg. Hamblin, Michael Golay, William Faulkner; A Critical Companion Infobase 2008, pp. Bundren, his new wife. Vardaman talks incoherently of the fish that he caught earlier. .
Darl is the most articulate character in the book; he narrates 19 of the 59 chapters. She soon realizes he has tricked her. She believes the two children she had after Jewel absolved her of her adulterous sins. Addie muses on her father's old saying that the reason for living is to stay dead for even longer. Specifically, her affair with Whitfield casts doubt on her faith, and aggravates her general skepticism toward words and the institution of religion. He refuses to sell it to her and insists she should marry the father. She is very religious and judgmental.
Anse, Cash, and Peabody begin eating. Faulkner made the claim in the introduction to Sanctuary, Modern Library ed. Addie's frustration about the loss of independence brought on by having children is implicitly echoed by Dewey Dell, who is anxious that she must bear the burden of pregnancy, while Lafe is able to give her ten dollars and run off. But first, they bury Addie. Addie's sudden appearance is surprising and emphasizes the novel's interest in the multiplicity of subjective stories about the death of Addie Bundren.
Daughter Dewey Dell, a simple young woman who is incapable of forming deep, logically sequenced thoughts, is pregnant and in a hurry to get to Jefferson for an abortion. Addie's tepid investment in Anse explains, on some level, Anse's lack of feeling toward his wife's death despite his talk of duty. The Southern Renaissance is lesser known, but was tremendously important to those who wrote in the American South in the 1920s and 1930s â and who focused much of their subject matter on the South. The novel begins with Meanwhile, when Darl and Addie's dying wish is to be buried with her own ancestral family in Jefferson, 40 miles away, and Anse complies. The children stay in a hotel that night, but Anse tells the children he has business to attend to and goes out, taking Dewey Dell's money.
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