AS I LAY DYING, William Faulkner Questions for Study
1. Which are the most intelligent and sympathetic voices in the novel? With whom do you most and least identify? Is Faulkner controlling your closeness to some characters and not others? How is this done, given the seemingly equal mode of presentation for all voices?
Darl is the most intelligent voice in the novel. He often seems to play the role of omniscient narrator, because he describes events that took place when he was not present. For example, he describes Addie’s death, even though he was not with her when she died. Darl appears to be the character that knows the most about what is going on and has the most consistent voice in the novel.
The character that seems to be the
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Faulkner’s point in doing this was to present the reader with an articulate omniscient narrator on whom they could rely. Darl, the main omniscient narrator, explains events to the reader that he did not witness first hand. Also, Vardaman is only a child, and strangely enough provides insight about the life of a big family, that no other character was able to do.
4. What makes Darl different from the other characters? Why is he able to describe Addie’s death [p. 48] when he is not present? How is he able to intuit the fact of Dewey Dell’s pregnancy? What does this uncanny visionary power mean, particularly in the context of what happens to Darl at the end of the novel? Darl has fought in World War I; why do you think Faulkner has chosen to include this information about him? What are the sources and meaning of his madness?
Darl is different from the other characters because he is the omniscient narrator in the novel. Being able to describe his mother’s death when he was not present proves that Darl had insight that other characters in the novel did not. Darl has the ability to connect and comprehend more than any of the other characters in the story who are limited by their sparing education. Darl states he has such a deep understanding of events because of his closeness and deep connection with them. For example, his knowledge of Dewey Dell’s pregnancy and his admittance in an insane asylum support his claim.
5. Anse Bundren is
He, obviously, is the narrator, and the person whom we see the story through. He gives us his opinions on the matters at hand, and we see the book through his viewpoint. The traits described above allow him to be such a great narrator, for he can get people to confide in him, and relay this information to the reader.
In As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner the reader gets to see how hard life is for the Bundren family. The Bundren’s face many obstacles throughout the book and somehow manage to come through most of them okay. The family fulfills their desires along the way to relieve them of these struggles. The main theme in As I Lay Dying is family dysfunction, and this family dysfunction leads to Darl’s insanity.
In the book, the narrator is Death, who foreshadows Liesel about her past and the family and friends she has lost. Throughout the novel, Death is a symbol of abandonment to Liesel. One of the reasons Zusak uses Death as the narrator instead of a live character is because of death’s prominence in Liesel’s life. An example is when Death states, “Curiosity got the better of me, and I resigned myself to stay as long as my schedule allowed, and I watched”(Zusak 7). Death continues to follow Liesel around and watch over her. Death meets Liesel three times in the book to watch everyone leave
Who can people relate to in Maycomb, Alabama? Identify your impressions of Dill, Calpurnia, Jem, the narrator, Atticus, the Radleys, Miss Stephanie Crawford, and Miss
The aim of a hospice is to improve the quality of life of the dying
The writer composes the story from the perspective of an analyst. She alludes to occasions later on, facts, and information that no character could have known in the setting of the story. Incorporated into the content are genuine quotes said or composed by the general population she expounds on, including the primary character. She utilizes an extremely objective voice, giving successive analysis of distinctive individuals' outlook and continually alluding to insights to demonstrate her point. Since the book does not focus on the point of view of any single character, it peruses more like a news article than a story, which frequently exhausting its groups of readers. Accordingly, Hillenbrand's written work style once in a while obstructs the correspondence of her thoughts because she regularly includes actualities, quotes and investigation in the book; it usually bores audience on the grounds that it peruses more like a news article instead of a
A narrator, who is without a name, tells of his first hand experiences throughout the story. This is in contrast to ‘Miss Brill’ in which narrative is delivered in the third person, with the use of free indirect speech to depict the story and portray the characters. By Wells selecting a first person narrative he draws the reader closer into the character’s mind set. This gives Wells the ability to convey the primary characters full spectrum of emotional thought, from open mindedness to the conflict and fear within him. First narrative provides the reader insight to thoughts and observations therefore adding suspense of the unknowing into the gothic style.
In Ernest J. Gaines novel A Lesson Before Dying, a young African-American, Jefferson, is caught in the middle of a liquor shootout, and as the only survivor is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. During Jefferson’s trial, his attorney calls him a hog in an effort to persuade the jury that he could not have possibly planned a crime like this. Having heard this, Jefferson’s godmother, Miss Emma, calls on the local school teacher, Grant Wiggins, to visit Jefferson in prison and help prove to the community, more importantly the white people, that Jefferson is indeed a man, not a hog. Throughout the book, Grant often contemplates why he is helping Miss Emma; he debates within himself whether he should stay and help Miss Emma and
In the novel, As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner, two characters ,Darl and Jewel Bundren, each cope with their mother’s death and deal with their isolation from their family by expressing their feelings in deeply emotional behavior. Darl, the second eldest sibling out of five, questions his existence because of his isolation and the lack of love he received from his mother growing up. Jewel, on the other hand, was his mother’s favorite of all five of her children. Jewel was the bastard son of Addie Bundren and the minister she had an affair with, Whitfeld. Due to the violent situation by which he was conceived, Jewel expresses all of his actions, including love, through violence and hatred. Both Darl and Jewel Bundren, convey their
William Faulkner uses language in a unique way in his novel As I Lay Dying. Language is a form of expression to show thoughts and emotions. Faulkner uses it to convey the individual characters’ thoughts and feelings. He also uses it to draw a line between language and true expression. He shows the limitations of language and the difference between language and words.
William Faulkner’s novel, As I Lay Dying, tells the story of a family that journeys cross-country with the intentions to find a proper resting place for their mother, Addie Bundren. After reading for only a short time, it becomes clear that two of her sons, Jewel and Darl, play a much larger role in the story than the other siblings. One could find many good points to support either character being labeled as the protagonist of the story, such as the various tensions that can clearly be seen between them. That being said, Darl is, without a doubt, the best possible choice. He is forced to overcome more obstacles, including alienation from his entire family, than any other character, and is truly a changed person by the end of the novel.
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O’Connor uses the limited omniscient point of view in the story so that the reader learns more
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