Book Review: As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner)

by Jiayun

Also dubbed "as I die reading," many people regard As I Lay Dying as a baffling, disjointed, difficult novel to understand and read. This is true; however, if one reads with extreme concentration it is an excellent book. The major concern with this book is getting the characters straight in one's mind. *Hint: Print the characters list from www.sparknotes.com.

The story concentrates on the burial of a family's journey to bury their deceased mother. Faulkner provides an awesome analysis of the physiological minds of peoples. How does he do this? He does not write in continuous chapters. Each chapter is constituted of a person's point of view at a certain place and time. For instance, in one chapter, Vardaman attacks Doctor Peabody's horses and the animals escape the stable. In one of the following chapters, another character describes the horses escaping, but they do not know why they are running from Peabody. This seemingly random writing is called stream-of-consciousness. Faulkner is famous for his confusing style. 

My favorite character is Jewel. It seems as if most people misinterpret him. They think he is a heartless male. Jewel truly cares for his mother and family, he just doesn't express himself openly. However, Anse Bundren, Jewel's father, was a terrible, inconsiderate father.

 One of the most memorable chapters has only one sentence: "My Mother is a Fish." This actually makes sense after reading this book, because the fish symbolizes something.  

 As I Lay Dying is a difficult read, no doubt. Just remember to read in short sittings and concentrate. Sometimes I tried to read 100 pages, and that was too much. (That's what I mean by reading in little parts!) Enjoy reading.
Perhaps a list of major families will help:

The Bundrens: Addie, Anse, Cash, Darl, Jewel, Dewey Dell, Vardaman
The Tulls: Vernon, Cora, Kate, Eula