‘As I lay dying’ and ‘The Bear’ share a lot of similarities and themes which William Faulkner tends to use a lot. First of all the writing style is also quite similar. In both books he makes use of the ‘stream of conscious technique’. This technique got attention because of Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, since they also used it a lot in their writing. A good example from ‘As I lay dying’ is when we get to know what Darl Bundren is thinking, literately.
"I am I and you are you and I know it and you do not know it and you could do so much for me if you just would and if you just would then I could tell you and then nobody would have to know it except you and me and Darl". Page 51.
Because of this technique, many people find Faulkner’s books hard to understand at times, which is also the case with ‘The Bear’ and ‘As I lay Dying’.
It is quite noticeable that both stories take place in an imaginary country called Yoknapatawpha County, which was made up by William Faulkner. Apparently, he based in on a place in Mississippi and the landscape often shares a lot is similarities.
More specific recurrent themes in the two books are the battle against nature, death and social class. Regarding to nature, the characters in both books struggle against it. In ‘The Bear’ it is the hunting party trying to kill the bear, and in ‘As I lay dying’, the family has to endure extreme weather conditions during their travel. Faulkner wants to make clear nature is a strong and unpredictable force and that although humans think they control her, they have to think again at times.
The way Faulkner tells his stories is often quite depressing in a sense there are not many joyful events taking place. Both stories have a bad ending, (although some might disagree), which makes the reader think about what happened and how to interpret the story.
Faulkner lets one use his imagination and does not explicitly explain everything that happens. Maybe this is why his readers often disagree, but it is also considered a skill Faulkner is highly trained in. Because of this he males an impact on many people who read his works.
To conclude with, we think Faulkner’s stories are still relevant in today’s society. Since ‘The Bear’ and ‘As I lay dying’ were published, the world did not really become a better place. We think William Faulkner should be definitely included in the course, because of his unique writing skills, messages and topics that still make people think about the world and the American South. A truly unique gift.