Hi Everyone:
In this post, write about your experience of the first section of As I Lay Dying, up to page 84. What have you noticed about the narrative, i.e. the shape of the story, motifs, passages that stand out, connections, observations about the language, etc.? You may also respond to another student's ideas from one of our discussions.
As the book opens the reader is immediately introduced to a few themes that carry throughout the book. The first theme that I was able to pick up on was the isolation of the characters. Faulkner sets this up by separating the book into different sections from the view point of the separate characters. By giving each character their own section the interactions between characters are never truly for grounded in the novel. Through this style we also experience the secrets and feelings of the character that the other characters aren’t exposed to. Because of this we are able to gain insight in to the characters life but at the same time feel separated from all the others as we were reading the section of the one we are connecting with. This theme is centralized in Darl’s life as we see him as the most logical and relatable character. He is even shunned for trying to break the isolation that exists between the different characters. Through this style Faulkner can only describe the characters in the eyes of the others by recounting events but never evaluating these events. This leaves the reader to fill in many blanks and piece together the fragile relationships of the characters. While detaching the characters from each other Faulkner brings in another theme by connecting the characters to nature rather than other humans. This can be seen in Jewel’s interaction with the horse, or the effect that the storm is having on the plot line. This creates a feeling of power for nature which creates a very connected feeling which is in direct opposition of the isolation which is exemplified between characters.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a definite cadence to the text itself. The book moves along with a set, very even rhythm. Events in the plot progress at a pace that suggests many facets clicking into place one after another, but doesn’t seem to explicitly convey a sense of escalation. That is not to say that there do not appear to be conflicts—there are definitely conflicts—it’s just that at this point there does not seem to be anything substantial at stake here. I agree with Winslow that the isolation of the characters, their perspectives, creates a strong contrast with thematic links such as nature. Such isolation, however, considered alongside the aforementioned pace, the language and syntax that render many of the events and interactions nearly unintelligible, and the general nebulousness that pervades the text, suggests a grander design. Faulkner’s novel is a group portrait, of a family, a community, and it moves along with the deliberateness of an engine, of intricate clockwork. The continuously alternating perspective and narration can be likened to a series of frames in a film reel. Pulled apart, viewed in absolute isolation, they are confusingly disparate snapshots. Piecing together the multitude of frames creates a more streamlined, understandable collection of footage. At this point in the novel, obviously, the reader does not have access to the entire portrait. While the events appear to be related chronologically, with the exception of a handful of reflections or flashbacks, the ever-shifting pair of eyes through which the reader is provided a view works against the building of a coherent understanding. As we have addressed in our initial discussions, Faulkner’s voice at times supersedes the voices of his characters. Through the first part of the book this has been most apparent with Darl’s narration, but the intrusions become more obvious, and also appear in other characters’ segments, as one reads beyond this point. The particular emphasis on detail in such passages illuminates moments of particular significance. One example of this is Addie’s death scene, in which the very moment of her death is likened to the sudden extinguishment of two flames, the light of life in her eyes abruptly snuffed out. How this type of spotlight for detail highlights other parts of the book remains to be seen. A minor recurrent aspect that I have found particularly vexing has to do with the actual formatting of the type on the page. In certain moments scattered throughout the book, an isolated paragraph or more is italicized. The effect this creates currently eludes me. I am unsure if these bits are meant to be read as inner thoughts, interior dialogue, or digressions to another character’s perspective. The latter seems the least possible, but hopefully the significance of this minor aspect will come into focus alongside the novel’s larger messages.
ReplyDeleteThe format of the novel has a profound effect on the way which a reader responds. The clear isolation found between the characters, in the formatting of the novel, as well as in the lives of the characters has constantly been a point of discussion for the class. Nate's comparison to a reel of film describes the formatting of the novel perfectly. The single pieces seem to be nearly pointless bits of information when analyzed alone, however when the passages are placed next to one another, the scope of the story is much clearer. I am particularly interested in the passages from Vardamin and Darl. Darl's mannerisms vary greatly from the other members of his family. His passages are more frequent and normally convey more emotion than the passages of his fellow family members and neighbors. However, Vardamin's passages bring forth the most questions. His very odd and irrational behavior and sayings cause one to question the maturity and sanity of the character. Vardamin's interesting ideas concerning his mother's death and her being a fish are the most troublesome. As Winslow and Nate have touched upon, the characters are likened to and affected by nature in many passages. Vardaman declares his mother is a fish, Jewel's relationship with the horse, and others highlight nature's affect. It is difficult to analyze the book as a whole because of the format; however the passages are slowly painting the picture of a complicated family unit and its life after a death.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book, readers are introduced to obsessive behaviors to characterize each person's attributes and demonstrate how the different characters react to Addie's death with repetitive behaviors. At the start of the book, we see distinguished characteristics that separate each family member from one another. For example, Dewey Dell, the only girl in the family after Addie's death, is consistently anxious. Anse, the father, constantly rubs his hands against his pants. Jewel is always sullen and angry, and so on. However, we can also see similarities between the family members as they all seem uncaring about Addie's death as she lays dying (ergo the title of the book). However, once Addie does die, we see the characters' different reactions from complete grief to awkward farewell. Then, we see repetitive actions from each character to cope with their grief, such as Vardaman's constant juxtaposition between his mother and a fish. Ironically, it seems that the family react and treat Addie like she is important to them after she dies.
ReplyDeleteAs I lay Dying is a novel that develops through the unique perceptions of several different, inter-related characters. The book surrounds itself with mature aspects of human struggle, such as death and lack of time. Faulkner makes use of various literary devices in order to allow the novel to mature into a piece of work that effectively pertains to his audience's sense of ethos and pathos. Faulkner's style is unique in that he is able to convincingly write from so many varying viewpoints, and create so much characterization within his novel. I agree with Winslow's statement "Faulkner can only describe the characters in the eyes of the others by recounting events but never evaluating these events", and believe that it enables the reader to connect with the novel on a deeper level. As for themes and motifs, I noticed Faulkner often alludes to a lack of time through various insignificant events, such as Vardaman's fish spoiling. These events can then be connected back to the overall complication of Addie's death, which I also found interesting because of many of the character's untouching reactions to it. Overall, I am finding this book very interesting and am enjoying it thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteThe Bundren family is presented as a bunch of rural simpletons, with the exception of Darl and possibly his mother. Darl seems to be the only one that connects with his mother’s suffering on a deeper level; the rest of her brood simply awaits her passing as most people would the arrival of a train. The apparent callousness or disinterest with which certain characters in the story, such as her husband, view Addie’s approaching death, is astounding. Anse is obsessed with getting an extra three dolors, to the point that he forces one of his sons to miss his own mother’s death. Callousness, especially on the part of Addie herself, seems to be a recurring theme throughout the text. She did not seem to mind at all as Cash worked on her coffin right in front of her, she even comments on and gives her approval of the craftsman’s work. As stated earlier by Winslow and others, there is a detached feeling to the manner in which the story is told; each character’s description of the events taking place is isolated from the next, adding to the feeling of a callous, ‘do it on your own’ mentality that I noticed throughout the text. None of the characters are depicted as interacting or connecting with each other thus far on an intimate basis; they seem to regard each other as little more than pieces of the scenery around them. However, the characters do reflect quite deeply on that scenery and at times even ponder some of its symbolic meaning. During instances in which symbolism is being pondered, or when vivid, poetic descriptions are being made, Faulkner speaks through his characters. This is a technique used by the author that we discussed to an extent in class and is another recurring theme; whenever something is said that appears to go above and beyond a particular character’s intellectual ability, it is Faulkner himself that is weaving his own reflections into the narrative.
ReplyDeleteIn As I Lay Dying, the narration of the story switches from character to character. This way of writing adds a depth to the book. When reading the sections broken up and separated, they seem to not make much sense at all. All of the characters have very unique characteristics and ways of presenting their emotions. However, when looking at all of the sections pieced together, they form an intricately formed story plot. The way that the family members all talk and act seem to make much more sense when being compared to a larger plot. Looking at the book in depth requires to look at both the entire story and the individual stories of the separate family members. They all have their own thoughts and insights to the events leading up to and following Addie's death. For example, Vardaman, the youngest child in the family, has the most confusing way of looking at his mother's death. He has a very different way of seeing and communicating things in the everyday world. Directly after his mother's death, while other family members mourn in their own ways, he takes a hold of the idea that his mother is a fish. While this seems extremely odd, it is his way of dealing with everything. While reading the story from Vardaman's point of view can be confusing, it adds to the text as a whole. When weaved into the rest of the narration, it contributes to the main messages of Faulkner's novel.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the book As I Lay Dying is told from multiple perspectives gives the story a whole bunch of different points of views that you wouldn't normally get from a book told all in first or third person, which I think was a good decision and I really liked it. I enjoy the language Faulkner uses to describe everything that goes on withing the book. The descriptions and anecdotes told by each character are so vivid and beautiful that it draws the reader in. One story that particularly drew me in was the one about the water tasting better after sitting in a pine bucket. As was mentioned in class, Faulkner definitely has a unique gift for being able to write things in a way that they characters would never be able to do, but at the same time still suspends our belief enough to allow us to accept that they said it. Another important technique used in the book was repetition; the book is full of it. Sometimes a certain phrase is repeated within the same section, and other times it is used to connect two different parts of the book. But it is always used to reinforce an idea that is important at that point in the story. I also find Cash to be an interesting part of the story, especially in the beginning. He's sort of a mysterious character, who is mentioned in almost every section in one way or another. He is trying to finish the coffin before Addie dies, which gives the reader the impression of someone racing against the clock. But at the same time, Cash could be seen as the clock himself, ticking off the seconds of Addie's life with his incessant sawing and hammering of her coffin.
ReplyDeleteFaulkner gives each character the chance to express him/herself. that sounds cheesy and vague, but the implication of shared, or divided, narrative on the story is profound. Jewel and Anse are painfully independent--they refuse to rely on others. the other characters do the same by telling their own stories. it is important for each character to have a voice because the story follows a family’s grieving process, but more importantly, the individuals’ views as they process the death and divine the nature of life. Dewey Dell (i think) is pregnant (Darl mentioned her dress growing tight, so she might just be getting fat). Darl’s observations string the past and the present and all time together as he poetically describes Jewel’s and Dewey Dell’s affairs. Jewel is a sex symbol. Addie has a last wish, and her dead body will rot and go rancid as the living try to fulfill it. Cash is building a coffin, a box in which Addie’s body will be confined and grow horizontal, like the roads and hills that Anse says are meant to move, to travel; people, he says, like trees and upright things are meant to stay put. by moving Addie, transporting her body to Jefferson, is he treating her like the earth, the dirt, that is horizontal, instead of like an upright being? Anse acts as useless patriarch, harming everyone with his stubbornness and his selfishness. by being weak, he allows his kids to figure things out for themselves. this, and trawling the family through the traumatic experience of bringing their mother to Jefferson, is his chief role. Vardaman is an important character as the youngest perspective. He cannot understand death, so his mother is a fish. He is disgusted by the dead fish and the idea of eating it. he drills holes in his mother’s face and has to watch her rot, exposing the mystery of death. but he claims it’s not his mother rotting--his mother is a fish.
ReplyDeletethe family is strange and comes across as insane to the neighbors. they are. they let their dead rot and they build the coffin in front of the dying. Dewey Dell is addie’s companion as she dies, but she desires so much and is voracious after life, and Jewel, too, who was Addie’s favorite. Addie is a fish, that lives in water and water symbolizes death. in the end, the life and death, existence and reality, the living and the dead exist side by side in the story, and the friction between these result in the strange little stories and profound mixed with quotidian observations in the characters’ narratives.
Faulker writes in a way that allows the reader to follow without knowing where they're being lead. The fact that the character's language is so in congruent with their nature makes me feel like the story is coming through them rather than from them. I am still getting a handle on all of the different characters, especially the specific relationships that exist between them. Cash and Darl are somewhat mysterious to me, while Vardaman and Anse are coming through strong. I really like the instinctive speech and theme patterns that are assigned to the specific character's, such as Vardaman's "is, not is" and Jewel's horse thing. These threads help me follow through the book, and I feel like they will connect more and more during their journey with Addie's body. I got really lost during the river crossing, but I can see that there is a lot going on there that I need to go back to pick up on. This book manages to convey other-worldliness within what seems to be an extremely mundane family.
ReplyDeleteIn the book As I Lay Dying the story is told through a multitude of characters, each with a different point of view, and separate reaction to a recent event. Darl seems to be the character who is voiced more frequently, making him seem as though he may be the main narrator. I was skeptical, of this format at first but it proved to be an effective way of telling the story. Rather thank skipping time frames like The Portrait of the Artist, each characters part was related to the same time frame, but it was being read from a different perspective. At times it felt somewhat repetitive, but that proved to be helpful when remembering events. One thing in particular that bothered me was the feeling of incompleteness. Each character would bring something up, then the reader would be left hanging without a reason for this characters reaction or even why they asked the question. For example, we don’t know who Jewls father is, while reading the book we find out who it is, but when it comes time for Jewl to tell his siblings, he won’t tell them. Now is this because he doesn’t know who his father is? Or does he know, but is choosing not to tell his siblings? So far the overall attitude of the book doesn’t feel one bit welcoming, instead it stays on the books overall theme of mourning and sorrow.
ReplyDeleteThe book introduces characters through their own individual narratives. Characters’ narratives correlate with each other and each of them is connected through the death of Addie Bundren. At times, the narratives are simple and not very deep other times, the style changes and the characters shift to a more sophisticated and philosophical way of speaking.
ReplyDeleteThough the characters narrate from their own point of view, they’re not particularly insightful. In the earlier part of the book, they mostly introduce the situation and shape the plot while also revealing little pieces about themselves with each narration. Within the narrations the characters are very repetitive, each with a different idea that they repeat; like Vardaman and the fish nonsense and Dewey Dell and “guts.”
A particular part of the book which stood out to me was right after Addie had died. Dewey Dell covers her with a quilt, smoothes it out, and leaves the room. Then Anse “touches the quilt as he saw Dewey Dell do, trying to smoothe it up to the chin, but disarranging it instead” and he attempts again with his “hand awkward as a claw.” It’s an interesting image, the husband trying to smooth a quilt over his wife’s body but he only messes it up. It’s sad in a way, he tries to do a last affectionate thing for Addie but he is too clumsy to be successful.
The woman that the book is centered around, Addie, seems to be one of the most complex characters, even after her death. The relationships she has with her husband and children do not appear to be one of normalcy. Love does not appear to be evident between her and her husband and it is questionable as to whether she even truly cares for the children that they have together. However, between Addie and her son Jewel, it is certainly clear that she loves him, though Jewel is never warm or loving towards her as far as what is depicted so far within the book. He is quite cold and it always seems as if he always has something more important to concern himself with than that of his mother. Underlying, there does appear to be some sort of care for Addie though. When Addie actually died it seemed that the characters that had the strongest connection to her (Jewel and Darl) were the farthest away while the ones who were not quite as connected surrounded her death bed as she passed. A very interesting contrast is created in doing this. The way that the story is written with such numerous points of view and personal perspectives can often make things complicated. However, each character is very isolated from one another which aids in avoiding more confusion and still allows for smooth transitions as the story continues forward.
ReplyDeleteThe first section of Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying is unique as the story of the situation that the Bundren family is experiencing unfolds looking through the perspectives of each of the members of the family. The book was hard to follow because it was introducing new situations and did not come together until long after. I agree with what Winslow and many others have said, the way that Faulkner divides the section into each character’s point of view it creates a theme of isolation for each character. By structuring the book this way, he is able to reveal deep thoughts of each character to the reader rather than focusing on one character, perspective, thoughts and feelings; although it seems that Darl is the character that leads most of the story, even though the book is focused on Addie. By slightly focusing on Darl’s character and relations, we are able to see that he out of his family is the one person that connects to his mom, Addie, on a deeper level than anyone else. The story and conversations between the characters of the family go into much detail and dialogue that the reader can relate to, especially the arguing and fighting. One thing that I noticed in this section is the way that Faulkner describes the repeating behaviors of each character. Anse, for example, he constantly rubs his hands against his knees. Another example is Cash constantly hammering the coffin he’s making for
ReplyDeleteAddie. This behavior may be a result of dealing with their family issue.
First and foremost is the most obvious structure point- that the book is told from multiple perspectives, with each given perspective being a different chapter. However Faulker does do one rather strange thing: when most stories are written in a multi-perspective structure, each part is pretty much in a first-person narration with the narrator being at the scene as it unfolds. However there are times in the book where Faulker will have Darl narrate with a third-person narration, even if Darl is physically located miles away from the scene as it takes place. Faulker, as mentioned by others, also likes to use a lot of repetition, in both phrases and actions by the characters. The phrases are more noticeable (and annoying) and are pretty much just thoughts that the characters are fixating on (i.e. "it is going to rain tonight" or something along those lines)and are usually worrying about. The other, actions, are pretty much just the things that the characters are doing over and over that Faulker keeps bringing our attention too, such as Anse rubbing his knees, Dewey Dell fanning Addie or Cash building the coffin.
ReplyDeleteIn As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner, the story is told from multiple perspectives. The way Faulkner writes makes it hard for me to tell how old exactly each character is. Yet, at the same time, he does a great job of giving detail. The thing that stuck out most to me is how repetitive each character is. Every section of the book , each character is set on something and wont stop repeating it. It is very strange and makes the characters seem like they have this problem. Not sure of what the problem is, but reading the chapters of constant repeating has been rather annoying for me. I do understand that the author is trynig to make us notice what the character is doing and why is he repeating.The feeling i get from reading this book so far is fear and worry. Every single character is stuck within the boundaries of fear.
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