As I Lay Dying

Quote

“Jewel’s mother is a horse,” Darl said.
“Then mine can be a fish, can’t it, Darl?” I said.
“Then what is your ma, Darl?” I said.
“I haven’t got ere one,” Darl said. “Because if I had one, it is was. And if it was, it cant be is. Can it?”(Section 24)

In beginning to analyze this quote, one must understand that the perspective is written from the youngest son Vardaman Bundren. Vardaman is presented as a particularly imaginative fellow and connects the death of his mother, Addie Bundren, to the death of a fish. At first, the connection made by the youngest son seemed quite juvenile but his observation allowed the two characters to discuss one of the main themes found in this book, As I Lay Dying. This theme can be described as, the questioning of existence, what is reality, and what is imaginative. This quote focuses more on the questioning of existence and the reality of death. Both of these characters cannot cope with the death of their mother either because of linguistic confusion or objective interchangeability. This quote is important to the novel as a whole because of its presentation of the theme previously described that reoccurs throughout the book.

Connections

1. There was a reoccurring theme in As I Lay Dying that can be describes as a lack of communication between the characters but an abundance of emotions and thought within themselves. While reading the novel, I noticed that there were many monologues from different characters’ inner thought process. While the characters did not say much to others around them, they had much to say within themselves. It seems as if the characters felt too vulnerable to share what they were feeling or thinking inside, so they just kept it to themselves. This may have seemed logical to them, but it proved to lead to many misunderstandings and mis communications. The following is an example of Anse’s, inner monologue.

"I have heard men cuss their luck, and right, for they were sinful men. But I do not say it's a curse on me, because I have done no wrong to be cussed by. I am not religious, I reckon. But peace is my heart: I know it is. I have done things but neither better nor worse than them that pretend otherlike, and I know that Old Marster will care for me as for ere a sparrow that falls. But is seems hard that a man in his need could be so flouted by a road."(pg. 37)

In looking at this quote, one must understand that among others Anse did not share these thoughts. In reality, Anse did not share any of these thoughts with the people he was with and even went so far as to talk about something completely different. They were discussing things that were not remotely close to what he was thinking inside his head, and were not close to what should be discussed.

2. There was one thing I noticed that kept recurring throughout this novel. I noticed that there was a substantial amount of heroism. Countless acts of bravery and stamina were displayed throughout the whole of this novel and yet, they were all mostly made fun of. It was if these acts of bravery and heroism were a joke. These acts were presented as a joke because of their questionable purposes. For example, the overarching quest for the characters in As I Lay Dying was to bury Addie in the town of Jefferson. However, towards the end of the book Addie’s husband, Anse, makes the whole quest seem ironic and fake. The following quote displays the irony.

“It’s Cash and Jewel and Vardaman and Dewey Dell,” pa says, kind of hangdog and proud too, with his teeth and all, even if he wouldn’t look at us. “Meet Mrs Bundren,” he says. (pg. 271)

Ironic? I think so. The ultimate goal of this journey was to bury his wife, not to get a new one; not to mention new teeth. It seems as if his character had some alternative purpose that he finally achieved. It seems as if the overall act of heroism, which was the baseline of the novel, was a lie and full of ulterior motives.

3. While reading As I Lay Dying, I noticed a connection to one of Hemmingway’s other novels, The Sun Also Rises. In As I Lay Dying, Hemmingway depicts the character, Dewey Dell Bundren as a sexually independent woman gone wrong. He shows that she went wrong in getting pregnant and desperately searching for some means of abortion. In The Sun Also Rises, Hemmingway also displays this sexually independent woman in the character called Brett. Brett, in a sense, is also a sexually independent woman gone wrong in her inability to be with the man she truly loves, Jake. As I see it, Hemmingway had a significant problem with sexually independent women like these. It is my belief that he might have even perceived all women as sexually derailed. This is true because he also depicted the mother, Addie, as sexually mishandled in her affair with the minister, Whitfield. Hemmingway’s depiction of the women might be something born out of experiences in his own life and are thus reflected in his writing. It will be interesting to read a biography on him to see if this is the case.

Visual Representation

This image represents one of the main characters, Addie. It is an accurate representation of her for several reasons. First, the body position of the woman in the picture suggests some sort of haunting disenchantment or disappointment, which is a trait in the character of Addie. Second, the demon resting on the woman’s chest could represent the loss of love and distress Addie felt in her life. Third, I feel as if the white gown the woman is wearing represents the absolute undying love Addie had for her bastard son Jewel. It seems as if the gown is the last shining hope in the aggravation of Addie’s role in the novel.

Questions

Why does Jewel show such little emotion towards his mother in front of other people? Is it because he does not know how to accurately express them? Would not her be able to accurately express them if he cared for her so much? Is the lack of communication between the characters in the novel a representation of poor education? Does Hemmingway suggest through this novel that education is essential to life? What experiences have led Hemmingway to depict woman in somewhat of a harsh light?

Reflection

Overall, I really enjoyed reading As I Lay Dying. At times it was difficult to read because of the way the characters discussed things amongst themselves or in their head. They were supposed to be poorly educated and so that is why it was difficult at times. However, I enjoyed this style of writing at the same time because you got an accurate feel for what the characters were truly like and how Hemmingway wanted to portray them. I enjoyed the overall irony and dark comical sense to this novel. It was somewhat depressing in a way, but absolutely hilarious at the same time. I highly recommend that others read this book because it is a classic example of Hemmingway’s genius and an overall great read.