Bundren In As I Lay Dying

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The novel, As I Lay Dying, was written by the American author William Faulkner. This story took place during the 1920’s in a fictional town called Yoknapatowpha County in Mississippi. It told the death of Addie Bundren and her family’s quest to honor her wish to be buried in the town of Jefferson. While the family is transporting Addie to her burial place, the Bundren’s go through many obstacles. Many forces of nature occur, like the flooding of the river and bridges while crossing the river with the coffin that held Addie’s body. Even though they encounter these obstacles they do not give up because they want to fulfill her wishes of where she wants to be buried. Each family member plays a role in helping transport the body. Throughout the…show more content…
When examining Darl’s name, according to Faye Friesen and Charles Peek, we can see that it stems from the word darling. Darling, according to Webster, is a dearly loved person or very pleasing. Many looked at Darl as the one with the most affection and stood out from the rest of the family. One character, by the name of Cora, stated “I always said Darl was different from those others….. He was the only one of them that had his mother’s nature, had any natural affection.” (Faulkner 21). Darl was a character that expressed himself the most in his actions. His frustration about his mother’s death led him to try to end everything by burning down a barn that held his mother’s body. Even though Darl seemed sweet and innocent, he had some inner problems that no one really paid attention to. After the incident of him trying to burn down the barn, his family decided to send him to a mental institution. “It was either send him to Jackson, or have Gillespie sue us….” (Faulkner 232). The family had no choice but to send Darl away because he began to show a different side to him and started having split personalities. Darl’s name may have meant to be short for darling, but through his actions, he did not represent someone who was a…show more content…
Faye Friesen and Charles Peek stated that dew could point to youth and dell means a young girl of a vagrant class. In everyone’s eyes, Dewey Dell, seventeen years old, was a sweet and innocent young girl. Dewey Dell was young but she was dealing with adult problems. “He could do some much for me if he just would.”(Faulkner 58). Dewey Dell was referring to her mother’s doctor Peabody. Dewey Dell had become pregnant by Lafe. She was in need of an abortion and she felt that Peabody could do this for her but she only has ten dollars. Dewey Dell is so afraid but desperate for the abortion. She is dealing with this problem basically on her own with no help from anyone. Dewey Dell is young but is forced to make grown up decisions. One day she enters a store and meets a clerk named MacGowan and he lies to her about being a doctor and gives her some drugs do that he can take advantage of her. Dewey Dell faces troubles that normal teenagers do not have to deal with. Parts of her name may come to symbolize someone who is a young girl but Dewey Dell does not deal with young girl issues. In the way that Faulkner portrays her name is contradictory of her personality. In conclusion, the names in As I Lay Dying, contradict the character’s actual behavior. Darl, Jewel and Dewey Dell represented this action throughout the novel. When you examine their actions, it can be realized that they do not fully live up to the definition of their

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