As I Lay Dying

Mary Ann Neale

Mrs. Arnold

Honors English 10

17 May 2015

As I Lay Dying

As I Lay Dying is a fiction novel by William Faulkner that tells the story of the death of Addie Bundren and the journey her family takes across Mississippi to bury her body, told from the perspective of each family member. The story takes place in a time where there appears to be a system of classes, based on wealth. In their early 1900s society, the wealthy reside in the town, while the less affluent reside on farms or outside of town. The Bundren family are not wealthy and live outside of town with several children and neighbors. The story revolves around the death of the mother of the family, Addie, and her wish to be buried in a cemetery in Jefferson, not alongside those of her family. The father, Anse, decides to honor her wish and, with the help of his children, take her body to Jefferson. In the beginning, the story of Addie’s death is described, a funeral is held for her, and the family prepares for the journey. The remaining sections of the book tell the account of the family’s trek to Jefferson with their mother’s dead body and coffin.  

Personally, I found the novel hard to read. One hundred percent of my attention was required at all times. Although it was hard to comprehend, I enjoyed reading a novel of difficulty because I had to piece together the plot, the characters, and the backstories in my head in order to understand the novel. For example, throughout the novel, each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character, allowing you to meet each family member and discover their view on the situation. The characters referred to the people around them as he or she, not with names, so it was my job to put together who they were talking to or who they were talking about. Also, the family was quite large, and Faulkner doesn't tell you who is related to whom, married couples, or genders of the characters, so that was my job to figure out as well. Another thing that I liked was the variety of the characters. Each had a different personality and outlook on the situation. Not one stood out to me, but through the thoughts of the characters, a vivid identity was developed for each of the family members.

Overall, I would not recommend this book to everyone, only those who are willing to put the effort into the plot and characters. Although it is a difficult read, I found it worth the effort to be exposed to a classic author's work.
Nobel Prize Winner