In As I Lay Dying, characters' thoughts are presented in chaos, it lacks any presence of an objective narrator, for it is told by fifteen different characters, this a very unique way of storytelling not many authors possess. The difficult thing about the novel is that all the stories you read are pieces and you have to make your own puzzle. Positively, the reader is able to learn more about a character than in a novel where the characters keep to themselves pretty much. In this novel we experience the characters as they experience themselves. Faulkner wrote it putting an emphasis on what a character thinks, because he thought this was more important than what a character would say.
He really integrated the theme issues of social class. This is because where he lived -in the south- there was a greater gap between the classes. Obvious is the lack of education the Bundren family has had by their grammar and limited vocabularies.
Characters have to face a battle with nature. Because of the terrible weather, a bridge is destroyed which the family wanted to cross. Instead, they have to go by water which obviously takes more time. Because of this, the mother's corps starts to rot.
In As I Lay Dying the use of objects as a means to introduce a character is also used. When Cash has not even spoken yet we are reminded of his saw. The family’s neighbor –Tull- we recall because of his wagon, he is a man of industry and prosperity. And also Addie, who we associate with the coffin Cash has been crafting at the beginning, is an example. There are also a lot of things that aren’t said out loud, I’ve never come across a book in which mute interaction was of essence.
As I Lay Dying has no fixed narrator and is told by different members of the family. They each have their own way of telling the story as it happened. Darl –for instance- narrates in a storytelling manner while people like Cora and Jewel are often speaking in a confused way. Because of the fact that there is no objective narrator present throughout the book, the reader cannot really find out the truth. Positively, the reader is able to learn more about a character than in a novel where the characters keep to themselves pretty much. In this novel we experience the characters as they experience themselves. Faulkner wrote it putting an emphasis on what a character thinks, because he thought this was more important than what a character would say. The way we get to recognize the characters is through recalling objects, when Cash has not even spoken yet we are reminded of his saw. The family’s neighbor –Tull- we recall because of his wagon, he is a man of industry and prosperity. And also Addie, who we associate with the coffin Cash has been crafting at the beginning, is an example. There are also a lot of things that aren’t said out loud, I’ve never come across a book in which mute interaction was of essence.
