Faulkner was born in Mississippi and spent almost his whole life there, in Lafayette County. This region served as example for his fictional Yoknapatawpha County, in which some of his novels are set. One of those is "As I Lay Dying" from 1930. It is the story of the Bundren family and its journey to Jefferson City to bury the wife and mother Addie, who dies in the first half of the novel. Their journey is made difficult due to several complications and incidents and hence gives insights into the characters thoughts and intentions.
In this work, Faulkner extended his complex methods which he had developed in his earlier books "Sartoris" and "The Sound and the Fury" both from 1929. These methods include an extensive use of irony. It serves to reveal the "profound similarities or ironic contrasts between the modern world and earlier times" and was part of Faulkner's experimental attempts to articulate the inexpressible aspects of individual psychology. In the following, I would like to examine the novel for this extensive application of irony by showing how it is created, and furthermore, explain its purpose, which is to bring the real personalities of the individual characters to light.
Table of Contents
Irony in Faulkner
1. Introduction
2. Analysis of the Story
2.1 Noah and Anse Bundren
2.2 The Ark and the Coffin
2.3 The Flood and the Journey
2.4 Conclusion
3. Analysis of Individual Characters
3.1 Anse Bundren
3.2 Cora Tull
3.3 Dewey Dell Bundren
3.4 Addie Bundren
3.5 Jewel Bundren
3.6 Darl Bundren
3.7 Cash Bundren
3.8 Vardaman Bundren
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
5.1 Primary sources
5.2 Secondary sources
Research Objectives and Themes
The objective of this paper is to examine the extensive application of irony in William Faulkner’s 1930 novel As I Lay Dying. The study investigates how religious motifs and biblical allusions, specifically the story of Noah and the Ark, serve as narrative structures to highlight the ironic discrepancies between the characters' external personas and their internal realities.
- Analysis of biblical patterns as structural juxtaposition
- Character-focused exploration of moral hypocrisy
- Examination of internal consciousness versus external action
- Evaluation of the role of Addie Bundren as the ironic center of the novel
Excerpt from the Book
3.6 Darl Bundren
Now we come to the foil character of Jewel. We have already seen some aspects of Darl's personality in connection with his relationship with his younger brother. But Faulkner does not only use irony to explain his relationship with Jewel. The irony concerning Darl goes much further, as I will try to show in this chapter.
By reading the first three chapters of the novel, from which two are narrated by Darl, one can already see that Addie's second eldest son is a remarkable character. He knows how to express himself and this distinguishes him from the rest of the family. His description of the environment is detailed and the language he uses is sprinkled with embellishments: "The path runs straight as a plumb-line, worn smooth by feet and baked brick-hard by July" (3). "The cottonhouse [...] leans in empty and shimmering dilapidation in the sunlight" (4). So his ability to express his perception in words leads to him being what one could call an "artist" (Slaughter 28). Since Addie and Jewel, the actual main characters, "are, by choice, the silent ones", Darl takes over the "role as essential spokesman for the Bundren family" (Wagner 74). But speaking is not his only special ability. Darl is able to see things, which others cannot. He has "the imaginative insight lacked by others" (Fisher 149) and has a vision "beyond time" (Palumbo 146). That is why he knows the truth about the birth of Jewel, Dewey Dell's pregnancy and Vernon Tull says about this aspect: "It's like he had got into the inside of you, someway. Like somehow you was looking at yourself and your doings outen his eyes." (125). What we hear from Darl throughout the story is not essentially the event itself, but how he experiences it in the inside.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Provides a contextual background on 1920s American modernism and introduces William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying as a key work utilizing complex ironic methods.
2. Analysis of the Story: Examines how the biblical narrative of Noah and the Ark is twisted by Faulkner to structure the Bundren family's journey, creating thematic irony.
3. Analysis of Individual Characters: Delves into the specific psychological profiles of each family member, contrasting their self-perceived righteousness with their actual moral failings.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes how the synthesis of religious patterns and individual character analyses reveals the "painful comedic irony" at the heart of the novel.
5. Bibliography: Lists the primary and secondary academic sources used to support the literary analysis.
Keywords
William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying, Southern Gothic, Irony, Modernism, Biblical Allusion, Character Analysis, Darl Bundren, Addie Bundren, Consciousness, Narrative Structure, Religious Motifs, Moral Hypocrisy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on identifying and analyzing the function of irony in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, specifically how it reveals the true nature of the characters.
What are the primary themes discussed in the study?
The key themes include the use of religious patterns, the contrast between external appearance and internal reality, the impact of Addie Bundren’s legacy, and the exploration of individual character psychologies.
What is the main research question of this analysis?
The research explores how Faulkner employs irony through biblical allusion and character presentation to articulate the inexpressible aspects of individual psychology within the Bundren family.
Which methodology does the author apply?
The author uses a literary analysis approach, specifically applying structuralist and character-focused interpretations of the text, supported by references to academic critics and biblical intertextuality.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
The main body is divided into a structural analysis of the "Noah and the Ark" motif and a deep dive into the individual members of the Bundren family to uncover their moral discrepancies.
Which terms best categorize this study?
Essential keywords include irony, Southern Gothic, modernism, consciousness, and characterization.
How does the paper characterize the irony surrounding the character of Anse Bundren?
The irony stems from a significant discrepancy between Anse’s self-righteous belief that he is a "chosen" and hardworking man and his actual parasitic behavior and lack of genuine grief.
Why is the character of Darl Bundren considered central to the ironic narrative?
Darl is unique as an "artist" and observer who can see into the minds of others; his transition from narrator to an institutionalized figure highlights the failure of the family's values.
What role does the character of Addie Bundren play despite her early death?
Addie serves as the "ironic center" of the novel; her lingering presence and the family's obsession with her final wishes drive the plot and expose the selfishness of the surviving family members.
- Quote paper
- Jonathan Vogel (Author), 2020, Irony in Faulkner. An Analysis of Stories and Individual Characters, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1153999
