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Chris

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As I Lay Dying

by William Faulkner

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Reading for the 2nd time

read in June 2008

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Chris said:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

" I had the opportunity of reading Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury twice while I was in college. Since that time I have told everyone who would listen that it was the greatest of novels. Though I still believe that I must admit that As I Lay Dying is I had the opportunity of reading Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury twice while I was in college. Since that time I have told everyone who would listen that it was the greatest of novels. Though I still believe that I must admit that As I Lay Dying is a close rival. I picked this book up because I had just finished reading James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners and I needed something ‘light’ to decompress. This book was short, and seemed a good choice. I had no idea what I was getting into. I was riveted and finished the book in three days. I am debating reading it again soon.

Much is said about Faulkner’s choice of storytelling, where he allows each character to give tidbits of information and forces the reader to work in order to understand what has happened. I take my hat off to Faulkner for his style of narrative. Most writers could not pull it off. Having read and studied The Sound and the Fury I had no difficulty following the patchwork narrative, as I have heard many comment that they have. But what really struck me about this book was the study of the central characters and their relationships.

On the surface it is easy to recognize (and be disgusted by) how the Bundren men treat women. Specifically their wife and mother, who has just passed away, and their sister and daughter Dewey Dell. The narrative is a reflection of how they treat Addie Bundren, both before and after her death. The patriarch of the family, Anse, commits to take Addie several miles to bury her in her home town, often noting that he wouldn’t begrudge her the effort it would take. Yet his laziness and his lack of planning for the journey, as well as his blatant disregard for the children she bore him show that his dedication to her was hollow.

Addie’s sons, Cash, Darl and Jewel all follow their father’s disregard for their mother and even the youngest son Vardaman shows that he is learning the ways of his elder brothers. While trying to cross a swollen river the cart which carries Addie’s body meets with disaster and overturns in one of the most poignant moments in the book. After the Bundren boys get themselves out of the river, their primary concern is recovering Cash’s carpentry tools, which were spilled along with the cart. It is only later that it is revealed that her coffin and body were not lost in the accident. Throughout the story during times when Vardaman is telling the tale, he gives bits and pieces of tragic events, yet he continually obsesses about a toy train that he greatly desires. He is trained just as his father and brothers before him to be more concerned with himself than others. And there is evidence at the end of the book that Anse’s mistreatment of those who love him will continue.

The story is about a family who travels with the casket of their dead mother in order to bury her in her desired resting place. All of the family members encounter personal disasters during the journey, and I had expected some closure with the burial. Yet the actual burial is never described in the narrative.

Despite the disturbing and unsettling events that transpire during the journey, and the moral deficiencies of some of the characters, I found a certain level of perverse comedy at some times. I even felt guilty about finding the tragedies amusing. I am sure Faulkner did this on purpose.

I would recommend this book to anyone. My mother is a fish. After you’ve read the book I would like to know: Is your mother a fish, or a horse? ...more "

Jun 06, 2008 10:36PM · see review