When I first read As I Lay Dying, I found it very difficult to enter the narrative–the characters and their relations were hard to sort out and I found it hard to see what was happening. We hear incomplete stories, then circle back to hear about the same events from another character’s viewpoint. Once I got a few “chapters” into it, though, I began to trust the voices and see that gaps would be filled in later. Then I had a hard time stopping reading and felt swept along as if I was in that flood-swollen river. I found Faulkner’s richly crafted sentences fascinating, if sometimes difficult to access.
What awful, bizarre images stick with me now–Vardaman with the fish, the boys drilling holes into the dead mother’s face as she lay in the casket, the family members coating Cash’s broken leg in concrete, Jewel carrying the casket out of the burning barn on his back. The raging river. The dead mules. The buzzards circling. Dewey Dell desperately seeking her “cure” for female troubles.
And yet amid the bizarre images, voices and actions–even with such a loathsome and greedy father at the head of the family–we see real connection, passion, and love among members of the Bundren family. The emotions are sometimes complicated, but they ring true to me, and that’s one of the things I love about the novel.
For instance, Darl narrates a chapter in which he tells the story of Jewel sneaking out every night and falling asleep at his chores during the day, a mystery to the family until they see Jewel riding up on his newly earned horse one morning. When his mother Addie learns that he’s been out earning the horse by clearing Lon Quick’s field at night, she fumbles for words and to contain her emotions, then breaks into tears: “‘Jewel,’ ma said, looking at him. ‘I’ll give–I’ll give…give…’ Then she began to cry. She cried hard, not hiding her face, standing there in her faded wrapper, looking at him and him on the horse.” (p. 1906) She wants to give Darl the things he still needs—a saddle and bridle, which he’s just mentioned he’ll still have to earn from Quick. Later that night Darl sees his mother sitting beside the sleeping Jewel, keeping watch, crying again. In this scene we sense the complicated emotions that are boiling up: a mother worrying about a son, loving him, wanting to give him the things he wants, but having nothing extra to give.
What sticks with you? What puzzles you? What was your experience reading the novel? Share your thoughts on the blog…
I certainly agree with you about not trusting Anse, Alice. I wonder if his children would feel okay about turning their backs on him after their obligation to their mother is complete….
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the novel, despite its gruesomeness, Beth!
Like most, I found it difficult at first to determine what the storyline was, who all the characters were and what dialogue was relevant. The brilliance of Faulkner’s writing became apparent at a certain point because of his circling back and revealing more of the story through the characters sitautions, words, and inner dialogue as the story goes along. In some ways the story is moralistic because of its depiction of fatherhood, honor, love, how one fits into society, trials and tribulations, and heroism. Talk about Sisyphus and a rock you need to try to get up the mountain only to have it roll back down the hill time and time again!
I still do not quite trust Anse and his promise to take Addie to her home to get buried. I still think it had much more to do with getting teeth and finding a new wife than his insistence that it was a promise he made to his wife. I am certainly pulling for Jewel, in particular, to have a better life ahead of him after being so honorable and hard-working. That goes for the other family members, with the exception of Anse who is way too selfish and created these horrible situations for his family and was anything but a good role model.
“As I Lay Dying” is a true American Horror Story and I love it. Yes, the dialog is very hard for me to follow on some accounts and yes, I was mortified when Vardaman decided that his mother needed to breathe and consequently put holes in her head…there have been many incidents in which I had to stop and ask myself ‘Did that really just happen?’ I thought at first the holes in Addie’s head were figurative- a delusion of a mentally ill Vardaman. Also, I was confused as to how Darl was narrating their mother’s death scene even though he was away from the house with Jewel at the time. I’ve really enjoyed this week’s readings despite how bizarre the story is!
In the past I have had a hard time reading novels with different perspectives telling aspects of the story. So, reading “As I Lay Dying” started out rough. I did like the opening line with the boys walking home. It reminds me of my brother and I walking through the fields, and brush at my grandfather’s farm in northern Pennsylvania when we were young.
I think that parts of the story are like a dark, or black comedy. I found the hole scene of patching the broken leg with concrete, and the morbid sound of the saw making the coffin, very amusing. I also like that the whole reason that they had to take Addie’s body so far away was because she wanted revenge on her husband. The whole adventure was really bizarre. It was an up-side down hero’s adventure, in the vain of “The Odyssey”. It was a joy to read.
I can agree with most everyone in that is does take some time to become engaged and to feel privy to what is actually going on, but once you do, it is amazing. The combination of voices and perspectives makes such a rich, distinct and fascinating story. I am familiar with several Southern Gothic writers and the themes, subject matter and focus tend to be on the hyper-realistic and grotesque side, incorporating the harshness of southern, rural life and the ever-looming governance of prayer and Christianity which makes for an interesting mix. So many images from this novel are burned in my mind, Vardamon with his sticky, dusty fish, the wild, bugged eyes of the mules drowning, Anse’s smacking of tobacco without teeth, the list goes on. But the most striking chapter to me, was that of Addie Bundren’s. It was shocking, perhaps harsh, but so real. And yes, it was about a human being, feeling the desire to be free of a life and the duties of that life that she was never going to feel that connected to or much remuneration for. Her simple desire to have some peace and solitude after the children went off for the day. She was tired of feeling that her body and her existence was only for others and never for herself. It was quite potent writing and amazingly insightful.
Like others have stated I found the constant change of point of views a bit difficult to keep up with at first, but I eventually got the hang of it. Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying is definitely a story of dysfunction, but like you stated, you can see the family’s love shine through at different moments between the siblings and the mother. Faulkner’s story was rather brutal with its imagery, for example the boys drilling the holes in to the coffin and consequently in to their mother’s face was quite brutal and will stick with me. I also agree with Maria’s comment that the idea of Addie and the others hearing Cash build her coffin was rather unsettling when I read it. I have a tendency to remember the bad more than the good and I think that Anse’s horrific actions stuck with me the most. Anse using Dewey Dell’s money to buy new teeth specifically struck a chord.
Hang in there, Maria!
I am only about a quarter of the way through this novel and am extremely relieved to find that I’m not the only one struggling with its flow and content. At this point, I’m finding it hard to keep all of the characters straight, and the overall theme of watching and waiting for Addie to die is so very sad. How haunting it must have been for her and the others to hear the constant buzz of the saw as Cash built her coffin. It is interesting, however, to see how each person is dealing with her illness and then her death.
I hope to have a better understanding of the material as I finish up…I will let you know.
Thanks for your honest comments and reaction, Lenore. It is an awful story, isn’t it? And fascinating in its awfulness.
I see what you mean about the Addie chapter; I saw in it a real person, not just a mother or wife. And that was refreshing to me (as a mother and wife). I liked that she got to be alive in the book, and not just this symbolic person in a casket getting carted around.
When I was reading As I Lay Dying it was difficult for me for some of the reasons you mentioned; I didn’t have a good idea at first as to who was whom. I literally started to jot down the names and when I got a little clue as to who they were, I penciled it in. I didn’t enjoy reading it maybe because it didn’t flow like a traditional novel. Having the different voices disjointed in place and time was a bit tedious. Once I got the hang of the structure, the imagery is morbid.
This family had one bad thing after another happen to them, usually because of some bad decisions. The practical, safe side of me doesn’t understand why Anse would drive his horses and wagons through the swollen river even if he did promise Addie to bury her with her kin. From there, it goes downhill.
I think the imagery of the buzzards, slowly gaining in number, and the description of the stench as they drove through the towns, ladies holding handkerchiefs to thier faces, and the men hollering at them to move their wagon out of town. It’s July for crying out loud! I can’t even imagine the hot, stifling stench of decay.
I feel bad for Darl going crazy there, burning the barn. I confess I was getting confused as to what was going on…does he burn the barn where the casket is because he feels it is inhumane to keep “torturing” her body like this, or is he overcome with all the problems of their travels, and just can’t take it anymore?
There are a lot of powerful emotions in this book, but what bothered me more than anything was the chapter that Addie narrated. She sounded so harsh, cold and bitter. I found myself dissappointed that for all her family was doing for her now that she was dead, she really didn’t seem to care about anyone but Jewel. Very odd that was to me.
When I finally finished, I put it down, and the first thing I thought was, “Well, that was awful”. I hate to say that; a classic piece of literature shouldn’t be thought of like that, but it was tough. It is so vivid in the imagery, and all the complications of their trip, it borders on unbelievable to me. Sort of like Huck Finn, the tales are so “bigger than life”, I found myself shaking my head at some of the antics going on. Not my favorite, but definately a unique piece of work.