Questions and Answers for As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying
What is an example of skillful artistry in William Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying?
William Faulkner is a writer who appreciated good writing. He wanted to be judged at least as much by the skill of his phrasing as by the themes or ideas dealt with in his works. He was, in fact, a...
As I Lay Dying
What role do "buzzards" play in As I Lay Dying? Or maybe in Jewel's mind? Cite as many sources as possible from the...
On a literal level, the buzzards that follow the Bundrens' wagon in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying are a constant reminder that Addie's body is decaying. The number of buzzards increases as time...
As I Lay Dying
What literary devices are used in As I Lay Dying?
Several literary devices are used in As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. The most obvious is the title’s allusion, or reference, to The Odyssey by Homer. The novel’s title alludes to Agamemnon’s...
As I Lay Dying
In As I Lay Dying why does Darl say Jewel's mother is a horse?
Impassioned and wild and set apart from the family, Jewel has a special connection to a horse just as his mother has a special connection to him. "Jewel Bundren, Preacher Whitfield’s illegitimate...
As I Lay Dying
How does the text As I Lay Dying show modernism?
Modernism has come to be identified with a few specific stylistic methods and a few over-arching themes. Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying exemplifies the hallmarks of modernism in both of these areas as...
As I Lay Dying
How does William Faulkner's use of stream of consciousness contribute to the tone of his novel As I Lay Dying?
William Faulkner’s decision to use the “stream of consciousness” technique in his novel titled As I Lay Dying gives the novel a number of different tones, since the separate consciousness of each...
As I Lay Dying
What are the most prominent social issues in As I Lay Dying?
Although race is an overwhelmingly important theme on William Faulkner's work, it is more of a background issue in As I Lay Dying than in his other novels. However, racial inequality for Faulkner...
As I Lay Dying
What details show the differences between the Bundrens and the Tulls, in terms of socio-economic class?
In As I Lay Dying William Faulkner tells the tragic story of the Bundren family’s quest to bury their mother. The Bundrens are a poor family in the rural South, and there are a few details from the...
As I Lay Dying
What is the function of the italics in the "Darl" sections? HELP!
This is a very difficult question. The answer is not necessarily "out there" to be found, as Faulkner's use of italics in this novel are not entirely consistent. We can see some relationship...
As I Lay Dying
Is As I Lay Dying a tragedy or a comedy?
As I Lay Dying blends elements of tragedy and comedy. Tragically, the Bundren children are reared by their lazy and selfish father (Anse) and by their mother Addie. Addie loves only her son Jewel,...
As I Lay Dying
Why does Vardaman call his mother a fish, and Darl call her a horse?
One of Faulkner's themes in "As I Lay Dying" is that of identity. Vardamen, the baby of the family, seeks to identify himself in relation to other members of his family. He repeats these...
As I Lay Dying
What would be a good thesis statement for a "As I Lay Dying"?
Considering how Faulkner’s use of language makes each of his words feel seeped with meaning, there are multiple arguments to consider when formulating a thesis on As I Lay Dying. When crafting your...
As I Lay Dying
The motif of death in the novel As I Lay Dying? As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
William Faulkner's darkly comic novel, As I Lay Dying, all of the action of the narrative finds its focal point in the death of Addie Bundren. Thus, the motif of death is recurrent throughout the...
As I Lay Dying
What does Cash's list of the thirteen reasons for beveling the edges of the coffin tell the reader about him?
Through Cash's description of making his mother's coffin, the reader can tell that he is very meticulous and also has a difficult time dealing with her death. Instead of engaging directly with his...
As I Lay Dying
Explore the ideas of selfishness vs. selflessness.
A salient theme in Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying is selfishness versus selflessness. Various characters in the novel are motivated by either. Anse Bundren is a character who is very motivated by...
As I Lay Dying
How dysfunctional is the Bundren family in As I Lay Dying?
Just to add to the strong points of the above response: Addie is so perverse in her hatred of Anse that she dislikes all of her children but the "love child" that she has had with the minister,...
As I Lay Dying
Discuss the theme of decay in As I Lay Dying.
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying features both literal and figurative forms of decay. The most literal decay we see in the novel is the decay of Addie's body over the course of the journey to Jefferson....
As I Lay Dying
What are some allusions in As I Lay Dying?
An allusion is a term used by literary critics to describe an author referring to elements from literature, the arts, history, or popular culture within a text. Another term sometimes used to...
As I Lay Dying
About Anse Bundren: On p.193, Armstid says, “Well, that’ll be the last they’ll ever see of now, sho enough. Come...
In addition to what the other educators have shared, I'll argue that Anse's complete helplessness and uselessness as a person make him need other people—and for those people, such as his neighbor,...
As I Lay Dying
What is the significance of Reverend Whitfield?
Reverend Whitfield is the man with whom Addie has an affair during her marriage to Anse, and he is also the father of Jewel. Whitfield gets to narrate one chapter, and, during this section, we...
As I Lay Dying
Why does Dewey Dell hate Darl so intensely in As I Lay Dying?
Dewey Dell and Darl share a trait: both have the ability to "talk without the words," although Darl possesses the trait more acutely than his sister. When he sees Dewey Dell, he knows she is...
As I Lay Dying
In As I Lay Dying, what is Addie's secret?
Cora and Addie are discussing the relative challenges of womanhood, and it is here that we think Cora realises that Addie has a secret she will not reveal. Cora grumbles about Addie that- You’d...
As I Lay Dying
Can you describe the relationship between Cash and Jewel in As I Lay Dying? How do they perceive themselves? How do...
Jewel and Cash see themselves in very different ways; Cash is a responsible son who sacrifices himself for his mother, while Jewel is the prized son who always receives his mother's attention....
As I Lay Dying
In As I Lay Dying, we get multiple perspectives of the same event from individual characters. Using examples from...
With fifteen different narratives in the form of stream of consciousness, the reader of As I Lay Dying understands that there are fifteen different realities--no absolutes. In this way, the reader...
As I Lay Dying
Significants of Bananas The use of bananas is seen numerous times within the book and i have absolutely no clue what...
I see the bananas as something longed for which shows the limitations of the Bundren's imagination and/or aspiration. Anse only longs for teeth and a new wife, Dewy Dell not to be pregnant and...
As I Lay Dying
How is Cash Bundren a hero?
As I Lay Dying is rife with selfish and senseless characters. However, Cash Bundren stands out as a character whose dedication, compassion, and sacrifices contrast with the rampant self-interest in...
As I Lay Dying
What is the most ironic aspect of Addie's actual burial in As I Lay Dying?
In keeping with the air of Southern Gothic grotesquerie that pervades the book, Addie’s burial is a highly unusual affair, to say the least. As one would expect with the highly dysfunctional...
As I Lay Dying
In Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, why does Cora Tull believe Darl has a "natural affection" for his mother, and why does...
In Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, Cora indicates that Darl has a different relationship to his mother Addie than his brothers and sisters do that she, for some reason, can sense: It was like he would...
As I Lay Dying
How does Faulkner balance humor with grotesque and what effect does the tension between humor and grotesqueness have...
The deep vile self absorption of the characters is balanced by the ridiculous ends they pursue for ultimately selfish goals. The horrific treatment of Addie's coffin, the effects of the water, the...
As I Lay Dying
In Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, what is the meaning of Darl's thinking about sleep and being and not being? How is this...
Darl is the most perceptive and intuitive of the novel's narrators, and the reader hears his voice more than any other character. The other characters are in some way limited in their narrations...
As I Lay Dying
On page 97 (unit 3) how do Jewel's actions in this scene echo his earlier wish?
Darl's narration on page 97 of As I Lay Dying is a recursive account of Jewel's cursing rant. It echoes his only narration on page 14 in which he likewise curses about Cash building the coffin:...
As I Lay Dying
Why does Addie call Jewel her salvation?
Addie calls Jewel her salvation because he seems to be the one thing in life she got to choose. He is the bastard child of Whitfield, the minister. Having the religious leader be the father of...
As I Lay Dying
What is the significance of the chapter in which Cash makes the coffin on a bevel?
We can say that the two concepts that anchor this novel are family and psychology. These concepts are intertwined in some complex ways and we can see this exemplified in the chapter that depicts...
As I Lay Dying
Darl Bundren Does Darl deserve our sympathy or our contempt? Cite quotes or examples from the passage to support your...
Darl is responsible for telling more of the story than anyone else, and we should sympathise with the burdens which he carries, as he is the character who has the most empathy for others. In this...
As I Lay Dying
How do the two novels As I Lay Dying and To the Lighthouse compare in the treatment of their common theme? What...
An underlying theme in both As I Lay Dying and To the Lighthouse might be that life is disappointing. In each case, we have a group of people whose interactions are strained and confused, and who...
As I Lay Dying
On what parts of the novel "As I Lay Dying" can we can find elements of grotesque?
William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying contains many elements of the grotesque, primarily involving Addie Bundren’s corpse. After Addie dies, her youngest son Vardaman is confused. Vardaman believes she...
As I Lay Dying
How does Dewey Dell explain why she got pregnant in "As I Lay Dying"?
Dewey Dell rationalizes that her pregnancy was not her fault. She and Lafe were picking cotton near the woods "and the secret shade," and she said, "will I or wont I [have sex] when...
As I Lay Dying
What are some allusions to Greek literary tradition in "As I Lay Dying"?
One of the main allusions to the Greek literary tradition comes when Darl burns down the barn to honor his mother's death. The Greeks believed in a quick and dignified burial. For example, in...
As I Lay Dying
In As I Lay Dying, why does Jewel only get one chapter?
This is an interesting question requiring us to engage in some conjecture. We can only surmise about what the reasons for this might be. Some evidence we might consider: Jewel and Addie are...
As I Lay Dying
What did Addie’s father mean when he told her that “the reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long time”...
This particular quotation illustrates one of the book's main themes, that of the nature of mortality. In this part of the world, with its grinding poverty and chronic lack of opportunity, death can...
As I Lay Dying
Please interpret Cash's quote at the end and explain your reasons In the last part of the novel, Cash says “That it...
I think that Darl deserves to be free of the burdens of his family, and it is touching that Cash is able to see that Darl deserves something better. However, I concur with #2 in that he does not...
As I Lay Dying
In what ways can Darl be considered a tragic hero in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying?
There has always been a great deal of debate as to where Darl stands in the narrative of As I Lay Dying; you could make cases for him playing many roles, from protagonist to antagonist to a vehicle...
As I Lay Dying
In As I Lay Dying, what does Faulkner accomplish by choosing an unconventional narrative style, and how does his...
In As I Lay Dying (and The Sound and the Fury as well), Faulkner uses an experimental free-style narration to reveal multiple consciousnesses and shifts in time and space. The novel is comprised...
As I Lay Dying
What is Mosley's stern advice to Dewey Dell in As I Lay Dying, and why do you think he offers such advice?
First we must understand that Dewey Dell is pregnant with Lafe's child, at 17, out of wedlock, in a strict Christian southern home and time era. Mosley is a pharmacists that Lafe advised Dewey Dell...
As I Lay Dying
What are some grotesque characteristics found in As I Lay Dying by Faulkner, and what does that say about society at...
The bulk of the novel concerns the journey the Bundrens take to Jefferson to bury their dead matriarch Addie. The family is ignorant and grotesque. However, the term "grotesque" in literature...
As I Lay Dying
How is Addie's maternal influence on the children different from Anse's paternal influence on the children in As I...
Addie's influence on the children is more toxic than Anse's because, while he is indifferent to them, she actively dislikes most of her children and has a preference only for Jewel. Cora notes that...
As I Lay Dying
Which character is the most heroic, and what ultimately does the story say about the ideal of heroism?
This is a challenging question because Modernism complicates how we define heroism, and Faulkner tends to be rather tricky in how he presents character. In a traditional sense in which the hero...
As I Lay Dying
I need to write a thesis statement about Cash Bundren, in As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner How would I go about...
In addition to the superb answer above, you may want to focus on the style of Cash's narrations, his tools, and their relationship to his mother. Cash's duty toward his mother is utilitarian and...
As I Lay Dying
Does everyone in Bundren's family get what he or she deserves at the end of the novel? Please include quotes and page...
I would say that none of the Bundren’s get what they deserve. Selfish, lazy Anse has a new set of teeth and a new wife. It could be argued that this is in some way deserved as he has travelled so...
As I Lay Dying
In As I Lay Dying by Faulkner, in Jefferson, MS, what accident of timing almost causes Jewel to have a fight with...
When the Bundren's reach Jefferson, Mississippi, on their journey to bury Addie Bundren in her hometown, they have been carrying the coffin that holds Addie's body for seven days. Within these...
Showing 1-50 of 91