Topic > Analysis of “As I Lay Dying” by William Faulkner

The entire novel “As I Lay Dying” by William Faulkner is full of great heroic efforts but at the same time it sometimes seems somewhat absurd. Anse, the family man and the laziest person, was supposed to be the provider but unfortunately it was exactly the opposite. He had the mentality of a rich man without wealth or wealth. He is a poor hunchbacked farmer and is also selfish. His wife Anse Bundren had five children, Cash, Darl, Jewel, Dewey Dell and Vardaman. His death triggers the action of the novel. She is a former school teacher whose bitter life leads her to do unfortunate deeds. He loved and invested all his love in his favorite child, Jewel, instead of family and God. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Bundern family is about to annoy Addie. Jewel is very close to being considered a hero. He wasn't traveling for any reason other than to bury his mother. He also sacrificed his horse, which was very dear to him, for the chariot team. Although he knew nothing, he had a more personal reason for burying his mother Addie away from the farm. In the middle of the whole mission they defeat water and fire in Jefferson where Addie is to be buried. The steps towards these complications seem heroic, even if they get to the point where the consequences of the family's action are quite foolish. The Burdrens' attempt to find a new way to cross the flooded river seems okay at first until it gets too dramatic. An example of this would be the part where a log approaches them and Cash rushes towards the coffin while it hurts. his leg. This appeared to be a heroic action on the part of Cash who sacrificed his leg and even his life for his mother. While Darl also says that his jumping off the wagon to save his life is somehow saving their family's future too. Although in my opinion this gesture does not seem heroic at all, it is rather disrespectful and selfish towards the dead mother. But at the same time, if we take things in a different way than this, Darl's action could be considered heroic since he already knew that his mother was dead and that now there was only her body with them, so he tried to protect his family's future by giving it more priority. Addie is more of a "villain" than a hero of the story (which may seem obvious, but when we were first reading - before her chapter - I thought for sure that she would prove to be compassionate, hardworking, etc.), and l Anse's heroism is questionable. It's interesting to look at Addie as an antihero. I initially saw her as a hero before I really got to know her, as she had to deal with the many problems of being a Bundren. I pitied her position and felt compassion for her. The way those around her treat her after her death (preparing to make a long trip to Jefferson to bury her) seems like a sincere move, which made me feel like Addie cared about the poor, unfortunate Bundrens. I really like that Faulkner didn't give up on the "hero" stuff. Anse and Addie are people, not elevated by a happy ending for children or a heroic twist. It starts halfway through one episode with Addie and ends halfway through another with the new Mrs. Bundren. I think the story (especially the ending) is very original. I think Cash is the closest thing to a hero. He's much more compassionate than he was at the beginning of the story, although I agree with you that Jewel is "probably" a hero too. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Plus,.