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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 3 page paper discusses the novel "As I Lay Dying" by Faulkner, and the themes of selfishness and selflessness expressed therein. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVLayDie.rtf
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discusses some of the themes in the novel, and argues that even though the events are tragic, the novel itself cannot be considered a tragedy, and instead might be a
very dark comedy. Discussion The first thing we are faced with is the fact that the book is really a series of monologues; each of the family members speaks about
the situation, but Faulkner doesnt arrange the scenes in a particular order; they just seem to appear arbitrarily (Bleikasten). This gives the novel a feeling of discontinuity, almost as if
we were looking through a kaleidoscope to try and discern a pattern (Bleikasten). But the pattern isnt steady: "In each section the perspective shifts, the lighting changes, so that each
time the reader is caught off balance and forced to make constant readjustments if he wants to follow the narrative through all its twists and turns" (Bleikasten). Why would Faulkner
do this? Possibly to remind us that we are reading a book, and that we need to pay attention to what were doing. Or possibly because its fun and adds
to the strange atmosphere that surrounds this family. The basic story is tragic, without question. Addie Bundren dies and her family takes her on a nine-day journey so she can
be buried in her familys plot (Lilburn). Its summer, its hot, the journey takes nine days - that in itself is macabre enough, but as they continue, things go
from bad to worse: "... the mules drown, one son breaks a leg, one goes mad, the daughter is taken advantage of by a lecherous drugstore clerk, and the widowed
husband-having stolen his childrens money and traded his sons horse-buys himself a new set of teeth, remarries, and obtains a record player" (Lilburn). The sheer volume of the misfortunes and
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