Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Meaning vs Significance
When we think about literature, often we think about the author's message: what was the author trying to tell us with her or his novel/memoir/story? At the same time, we take away many other things from these same books - often something totally different than the author's purpose. Take a few minutes and flip through the book. Look at your notes. Think about our discussions and your writing. Then decide what the significance of As I Lay Dying is for you. Write about that for 500 words. Proofread! And feel free to write in first person, informally.
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After reading As I Lay Dying, I took away two messages. The first one being, everyone sees the world differently and secondly, it is that life can be unfair sometimes. Faulkner tells the story of the Bundren family going on this prolonged and disastrous odyssey to bury their mother. With five kids and a father comes six very different emotions. They went through strenuous times and comical moments, but each character handled the situations differently. As I Lay Dying was not the typical story of death that we hear about today. Faulkner took us into the stream of consciousness of each character to show their true feelings. Each character reacted to situations differently. When Addie died Jewel isolated himself from his family. He wanted to be perceived as independent and refused to show any inkling of emotion. The one people who somewhat knew how he was feeling were the readers. He shared through a few small moments how he wanted to kill his family and be alone with his mom. It was morbid, but beautiful because he showed a side no one knew. While Jewel wanted to be isolated and independent, Cash spent every waking moment of Addie’s last living days building her coffin. I think he did this out of respect for Addie because he believed she deserved the best treatment. It was extremely disturbing that Cash built the casket right in front of Addie’s eyes, but it was the only way Cash could deal with the death of his mother. He put every ounce of sweat and tears into building it. He made everything precise and balanced, right to the details of her position in the coffin. Even though it was in an unusual manner, he showed how much respect he had for her. Both Jewel and Cash went through extremely odd moments coping with their mothers death, but just because their actions were abnormal does not mean they were not good for them. There is never really a perfect way to deal with something so drastic like the death of a parent. Each individual deals with things in all different ways. Life can never be perfect and everyone goes through life by their own terms.
ReplyDeleteThe other message I took away is that life is unfair, unpredictable, and strenuous. Anything that could of gone wrong on the journey to bury Addie, did go wrong. Faulkner portrays the Bundren family as unequipped and a little on the slower side. They are constantly going through multiple hardships and never seem to get things quite right. I think that in life, things never go perfectly, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Disappointments happen and people get hurt, but I think the outcome and the lessons learned are the most important part. The Bundren family had such a difficult time getting to their destination, but in those very few moments of burying their mother, I think made everything worthwhile. They may have had a large struggle getting there, but none of that mattered when they buried her. Life would have no meaning if everything was perfect. Part of life is making mistakes and then learning how to change them. In order to learn you need to go through moments that are not always the directions you wanted to be in. Life is short, and it might not be perfect and predictable, but you need to live and love every moment of it.
After reading As I Lay Dying, there are a couple of messages that stick out to me as a reader. First, I clearly see that Faulkner was trying to convey the thought that no matter how hard you can try to be a good person, life does not always work out for you, and secondly, I see that he is trying to tell us that sometimes family is not all that it seems to be.
ReplyDeleteDespite what others may think, I believe that Faulkner was not trying to glorify the strength of a family, but instead point out the flaws and weaknesses within one. Some may think that since the Bundren family completed their quest to bury Addie's body, that it shows the strength and composure of a family, but I see quite the opposite. In the end, the journey was completed on a series of individual efforts, all for different purposes. Anse went to get his teeth, and to do one good thing as a husband and obey Addie's last wish, Dewey Dell went in hopes of getting an abortion, Cash went to make sure that the coffin was not totally ruined, and Jewel went out of actual love and respect for his mother. If this does not show the weakness in family, than I do not know what does. In reality, they all kind of had it out for eachother. If I were in this family I would actually sleep with one eye open, because I have no idea what could happen next. Jewel lost his one prized possession that he worked so hard for, his horse, at the expense of one of the many poor choices by Anse. And when Darl was being taken to the hospital, Jewel was screaming "Kill that son of a bitch!". These are all examples of how depleting a family can be. I believe that Faulkner really wanted to show that family is not made up of a iron-like bond that cannot be broken, because truthfully, Addie did not even like her own children. The individual goals of the family, added on to the actions of selfish intent and pure hostility show that Faulkner believes family is not as strong as one would think.
The second message I think Faulkner tried to convey was that life is hard, very hard. No matter how good of a person you may be, life is going to push you down, and when you try to get back up, its going to push you down again, even harder. Cash, the most wholesome and caring member of the family, who works day and night to build a coffin for his mother breaks his leg right before they leave to take his mother for burial. To add onto that, his family decides to make a cast of cement, which leads to him having the potential to never walk again, lose 60 inches of skin, and if he does walk, he will limp and hobble around. As good of a person you may be, you could end up with nothing, while bad people end up with everything. Cash is left with basically no function of his leg, but his selfish, greedy father gets his new teeth and a new wife. Can it get much worse than that for Cash, or much better for Anse? Live just sucks sometimes. Faulkner is showing that life can be so hard and so miserable no matter if you are a saint.
Within novels, the writer often has an intended message. In William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, I took away two different messages. The first message or idea that I took away from this novel is that the only one who truly understands your feelings is yourself. This message is most evident within Jewel’s character description and development. Throughout the whole novel Jewel kept his feelings to himself. This introverted nature allowed for many misconceptions and misunderstandings of Jewel’s personality. For example, Jewel is seen by Dewey Dell as a very person who does not care about the family or his dying mother. Since Jewel has been silent about his emotions, the others think he never had or has love for his mother. This is particular in Darl, who doesn’t understand the seemingly unreciprocated feelings Jewel had for his mother. Jewel’s own father Anse says that Jewel never had any affection for Addie. In reality, Jewel’s feelings and actions are misconstrued by his family as he is struggling how to cope with the loss of his mom. Jewel is the only one in his family who understands the pain he is experiencing. Another example of this message of you being the only one who truly knows your feelings is Dewey Dell’s pregnancy. Dewey doesn’t feel comfortable enough sharing this information with anyone because it is not common within their society. More specifically, a young teenager who is not married and is pregnant is strongly frowned upon. Since Dewey Dell doesn’t share any of her feelings or struggle, the rest of the family just assumes that something is a little off about her. In reality, Dewey Dell is going in and out of various pharmacies to try to gain access to something that offers her an abortion. Dewey Dell is dealing with emotional instability for her future, on top of grieving with the loss of her mother, but yet no one has any idea what the truth is. These two examples offer the reader evidence that you only really know someone if they completely open up to you or if you are the person experiencing those feelings.
ReplyDeleteThe other message I think Faulkner was trying to relay in this novel is that in life things are not fair. As I Lay Dying is a grotesque that when reading it often seems like a soap opera with its recurring tragedies. These tragedies include the death of the Bundren’s mother, Addie, the bridge being unstable and having to use the river, the burning of the barn, the use of cement on Cash’s leg and many more. For a family traveling a far distance to bury their dead mother, the Bundren’s did not need any more adversity to overcome. Another part of the novel that is not fair is how all of the different characters end up: Darl ends up in some form of a mental institution, Cash will most likely never walk again because of the harm the cement had on his leg, Dewey Dell never terminated the pregnancy, Jewel has no horse, Vardaman is a lost child without guidance and Addie Bundren is dead. While the rest of the family is left distraught from the journey, what is most unfair is that Anse, the laziest of all the Bundrens, ends up with a new set of teeth and a wife.
There is not one glaringly obvious thing that I could say I took away from this book, nor for what its significance might have been. Frankly I did not care much for the book; I often had trouble getting through reading assignments simply because it did not capture much of my interest. I think was mainly due to the book’s twisted structure and complete disregard for any writing conventions in general.
ReplyDeleteMy general impression of this book was that it is one long, ridiculous story of foolishness and downright stupidity, portrayed by the most dysfunctional and sometimes neurotic family I have ever heard of, fictional or not. There are honestly so many things that Faulkner could have been trying to do with this story that none to me stand out from the rest, as I said before. He could have been warning us on the consequences of not being religious, of not being close as a family, of not working hard, and many more.
I think it is too simple and cliché to say simply that life isn’t fair. Everyone who has grown at least to adolescence knows that, and if they don’t, they will eventually. Life would be boring if it was fair. I think Faulkner is simply trying to underscore the irony that is so present in life, which ties in with the fairness idea, but is also slightly different. For example, when in the very end Anse is the one to actually get what he wants, even though he has done nothing to help the family, and in fact usually just makes things worse. That is just pure, frustrating irony, an f you to all those who expect everything to turn out a certain way, the way that they want. Cash, one of the hardest and dedicated workers in the family, one of the good ones if you could call it that, is the one to get absolutely screwed by having cement poured on his leg simply because he is too nice and means to well to object.
If there is one thing I have learned from reading this is that (in the context of the book) everything and anything is not how you think it should be, and there usually is some underlying layer of something stupidly ironic and backwards that you just want to shake one of the characters until they listen. I think Faulkner takes pleasure in being the oddball, making people frustrated for reasons they can’t quite put a finger on, and just generally being different. For that I applaud him, but I still didn’t like the book.
While reading As I lay Dying, by William Faulkner, I learned two main lessons that will help me as I make my way through life. Firstly, I learned that although death is scary, family and friends help one another to get through it. Secondly, I learned that depending on the situation, instead of trying to over-help, sometimes it is better to simply leave matters alone.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, the Bundrens are faced with the death of Addie, the mother, but they get each other through it. At first, the children are completely distraught. Dewey Dell throws herself over her mother and continues to fan her, despite the fact that she is dead. Vardaman just stands above her with his mouth open and his eyes wide. He later cries frantically, runs around, and is destructive. Jewel, Cash, and Darl are more covert about their sadness, but it is nonetheless existent. Anse, although consumed by the selfish motive of getting teeth, feels a loss as well. With the death of such a loved and influential figure, the dysfunctional family and its neighbors come together to complete the seemingly impossible task of burying her, and their sadness about Addie fades as the journey progresses. Personally, I have been lucky in that I have never experienced the death of anyone close to me. My grandparents are alive and well, and so is everyone else, including my two dogs. Therefore, I am currently very scared of losing someone. I feel like when it happens, my life will kind of pause, and I will be overwhelmingly depressed. I know that I will have to face the deaths of loved ones eventually, but I cannot even bear to think about life without them. Therefore, the Bundren family working together to bury the mother and the neighbors being so supportive made me feel like at least I will not be alone when someone I love dies. I realized that my family will be there to keep me on my feet and that my friends will be supportive as well. Although I will be dramatically changed, my life will continue on.
When Cash breaks his leg on the journey to bury Addie, Anse decides that it would be a good idea to conceal it in cement rather than leaving it be. This undertaking makes matters significantly worse. Cash’s leg changes color, he loses skin when the cement is removed, and he may never be able to walk the same way again. Anse and the rest of the family should have left his leg alone before bringing him to the doctor, like Cash himself wanted. In life, there are many opportunities to help others. If they want help, or if it is necessary -- from a practical standpoint -- to step in in a beneficial way, then it is great to be of assistance. Otherwise, I learned from the book that it could sometimes be better to let the people involved settle the problem as to not create any more issues. This way, the problem could naturally fade away, if it is not too extreme, or be fixed by the people involved. I know that this lesson will apply to when I am in college and when I am out in the world, so I am glad to have taken it from As I Lay Dying.
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ReplyDeleteWilliam Faulkner effectively delivers his position on life through the novel As I Lay Dying. When I finished the novel, the theme that stuck with me the most was Faulkner’s demoralizing stance about life. Throughout the entire book, Faulkner illustrates how unpredictable and unfair life can be. The Bundren’s journey is disrupted several times because of seemingly random roadblocks. For instance, the family has to cross a river with all of their equipment because a bridge had collapsed. As they were crossing the river, a massive log came downstream and destroys their progress. Cash nearly drowns during the incident and the mules actually do. This whole event is an example of a random occurrence that life throws at you. The Bundrens encounter several unfortunate situations similar to this one. Faulkner is telling the reader that life is unpredictable and extremely tough. Life can be extremely hard for even the most hard-working and admirable people. Just because you are a great person doesn’t mean that life is going to treat you with the same respect. This is the other big theme that I took away from the book. The people who work the hardest are prone to failure while those who are lazy could possibly succeed.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, most of the characters end up in bad situations. Cash, someone who never complained, ends up not being able to walk for the next year. On the other hand, the selfish Anse ends up with a new wife and teeth. One’s character does not reflect their results in life. Also, this novel features the “nice guy” finishing last. Since Anse is so selfish, he is able to get everything he wants. Both Cash and Jewel unselfishly try to help the family, but only end up getting set back. Faulkner’s cynical views are illustrated through the fact that Anse ends up ahead while Jewel and Cash end up hurt. The final big theme that I got from the book was the importance of expressing yourself. The Bundrens bottle in their emotions which only ends up damaging their lives. Cash, after breaking his leg, manages to hide all of his pain so the family can continue their journey. When Anse pours cement on Cash’s leg, Cash doesn’t protest. As a result, Cash ends up not being able to walk for the next year. Similarly, Dewey Dell doesn’t tell anyone she is pregnant and tries to take care of the situation herself, which isn’t successful. Faulkner shows how those who don’t express themselves end up hurting themselves in the long run.
All in all, I appreciated Faulkner’s cynical and downright depressing opinion about life. However, I wasn’t the biggest fan about his writing style. It was interesting to read something so different at first, but after a while it got tedious. It’s hard to discern the themes and symbols in the novel when you don’t even know what’s happening half of the time. As I Lay Dying was an unconventionally-written novel that delivers a somewhat depressing idea about the labors of life.
Throughout as I lay dying by William Faulkner there are several overlying themes. One of these themes is the unjustness of life. The Burdens encounter every tragedy possible. From natural disasters to arsen, this family cannot catch a break. This is Faulkner’s way of displaying life’s unfairness and unpredictability on the most basic level. By the end of the book, the reader is almost laughing at the ill fate of the Bundrens despite themselves. Through his writing, Faulkner pokes fun at life and twists this serious topic into a tragic comedy. Furthermore, the feelings of pity and hysterical laughter -- similar to an emotional breakdown -- are depicted through Darl as he snaps and lights somebody’s barn on fire. Darl is seen to be more emotionally available than the other family members, thus he should be able to handle his mothers death and the horrific journey to bury her. Still,this is how Darl displays how the perils of life have slowly worn him down. Faulkner uses Darl, in this moment, to emphasize the tragedy and down play the comical aspects. Then the reader must ask him or herself: what was the point of their journey? Probably coming up with the answer, there was no point. The Bundrens could have easily buried Addie nearby or along the way as the journey became too treaturous. Their immense hardship could easily been solved through resolution that this task was implausible.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme in the book is the misunderstanding of each other. The Bundrens are a family, yet not one member of the family completely understands the other. From chapter to chapter, the reader watches characters make uninformed comments about each other. People judge each other and people are judged. This is just a way of life and Faulkner chooses his writing style in order to display this. We hear from Cora that the only caring member of the Bundren’s is Darl. She claims that he is a saint, yet he is the only one that commits what she would claim to be a sin -- arsen. Then she states that Jewel cares more about his horse than his family. This is disproven when Jewel gives up his horse, after Anse unrightfully sold it, to provide mules for his family. Even within the family, there are no close connections. Each person tends to look out for themselves and discounts the others. Ultimately, this misunderstanding of each other is ineffective and even harmful. This story of epic tragedy is Faulkner’s way of stating that connection to one another is vital. If the Bundrens had been a closer family or at least had a better understanding of one another, would this trip have happened? Would the death of Addie weigh so greatly on each individual? How could the entire situation not be better?
After reading the book As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, I took away two meaningful messages. The first message is that life can be unfair and the second message is that women can be exploited in marriage.I can personally understand Faulkner’s idea that life is unpredictable and unfair. Life does not give people what they want even if they work hard for their goals. Nothing comes for free in life; you have to work very hard to achieve what you want, but events in life are random. Jewel Bundren worked every day for six months on a farm to get this beautiful horse he really wanted. Then on the family’s journey to bury Addie in Jefferson, things got complicated with the family. Anse had to kill the mules and sell Jewel’s horse, the one he perfectly deserved and worked hard to earn for six months. What Faulkner was telling us as readers is that no matter how hard you work for something life can keep disappointing you. This is an important message because it helps readers develop compassion. It is too easy to judge others who don’t achieve their goals in life, blaming them for not working for them hard enough. The reality is that life is not fair and some people have more luck than others. When I was young I lost my mother. I felt so confused and so mad at the world and at life. I would just sit on my bed and ask if God really existed why would He allow a poisonous snake to bite my mom and kill her. Why would God do this to me and to my family? Why did it have to be her? What did she do wrong to get this punishment? I had tons of questions going through my mind, but as I grew I begin to kind of understand the life cycle. We lose one person close to us, but then a new one is born. I still don’t think it was fair how God took away the only person I loved to death in this world, but at the same time I have to accept this fact and move on with my life, I know this what my mother would have wanted, but I also know how Jewel Bundren felt, losing his precious horse. I cried and cried for months when I lost my beloved mother and I can imagine that was how Jewel reacted when he lost his dear horse. Life is not fair, but unlike Jewel I have not let my sadness and disappointment in life break me.
ReplyDeleteI also relate to Faulkner’s picture of the way women can be exploited in a family system. Faulkner shows how Addie Bundren lacks value for Anse other than for what she can do for him. Anse does not see Addie as a separate person from him. She is just like one of the animals he owns, someone having his children and taking care of his needs. Faulkner is showing the limited choices women have in marriage. Addie wants validation as a person human so that is why she has an affair. If Anse showed Addie love and affection, Addie wouldn’t have looked for love outside her marriage. One way Faulkner shows the lack of affection between Anse and Addie is his awkwardness in trying to smooth the quilt over her body when she dies and his next thought about getting them teeth. The illustration of Addie’s marriage reminds me of the male dominated Sudanese culture in which women are expected to take care of all the needs of a husband, children and home. Women’s needs don’t matter that much. Having both a Sudanese and an American family gives me a different perspective on what I want from a marriage when the time is right. I can understand Dewey Dell’s relief when Anse remarries so quickly. This “new mother” frees Dewey Dell from all the family responsibly she is expected to take over when Addie dies. The lesson in Faulkner’s novel shows me the importance of choosing future relationships carefully and not letting men use me.