What Is Darl Bundren's Response To As I Lay Dying
ENG 362: American Lit
Matt Lessig
March 18, 2014
Group D
Response paper:
The novel As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner took place in a rural area in Mississippi during the 1920s. The Bundren family were living in poverty and it was difficult to earn a living off the land because the river that kept over flooding. Social classes were a big motif in this novel; the family was so poor that they depended on their neighbors who were wealthier farmers. Darl Bundren is the protagonist, he is the second oldest son to his mother Addie Bundren, who is deathly ill and his father, Anse Bundren who is stupid, lazy, irritating and has no love or concern for his children. The novel is a combination of a comedy and a tragedy because each character has their own unique interpretation and the point of view is constantly shifted between narrators. …show more content…
The youngest brother, Vardaman, is very sympathetic as well because he was traumatized when his mother died and he didn’t understand why his brother Cash was so insensitive and careless. We sympathize with Jewel because he is the result of Addie’s secret affair with Whitfield; which would make him the illegitimate child. He also requested to be left alone with his deceased mother for a few days. Last but not least Dewey Dell is one of the most sympathetic characters as well. She is the only daughter, the second youngest child, she is pregnant and she wants to get an abortion. Which leads to one of the least sympathetic characters, MacGowan. He tricked Dewey; he told her he was a doctor and gave her a bogus abortion in exchange for sex. The least sympathetic of the Bundrens is between Anse and Cash. Neither of them care about their family, Cash only cares about his work and they both showed no remorse when the Addie was dying. Instead of mourning, they couldn’t throw her in the coffin fast
Matt Lessig
March 18, 2014
Group D
Response paper:
The novel As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner took place in a rural area in Mississippi during the 1920s. The Bundren family were living in poverty and it was difficult to earn a living off the land because the river that kept over flooding. Social classes were a big motif in this novel; the family was so poor that they depended on their neighbors who were wealthier farmers. Darl Bundren is the protagonist, he is the second oldest son to his mother Addie Bundren, who is deathly ill and his father, Anse Bundren who is stupid, lazy, irritating and has no love or concern for his children. The novel is a combination of a comedy and a tragedy because each character has their own unique interpretation and the point of view is constantly shifted between narrators. …show more content…
The youngest brother, Vardaman, is very sympathetic as well because he was traumatized when his mother died and he didn’t understand why his brother Cash was so insensitive and careless. We sympathize with Jewel because he is the result of Addie’s secret affair with Whitfield; which would make him the illegitimate child. He also requested to be left alone with his deceased mother for a few days. Last but not least Dewey Dell is one of the most sympathetic characters as well. She is the only daughter, the second youngest child, she is pregnant and she wants to get an abortion. Which leads to one of the least sympathetic characters, MacGowan. He tricked Dewey; he told her he was a doctor and gave her a bogus abortion in exchange for sex. The least sympathetic of the Bundrens is between Anse and Cash. Neither of them care about their family, Cash only cares about his work and they both showed no remorse when the Addie was dying. Instead of mourning, they couldn’t throw her in the coffin fast