"As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner was a quick read, except for my continual need to reread the dialect to comprehend it. Interpreting the dialect and following the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) changes between each character's narrative style was challenging.Quick Plot Summary with Spoilers:
The Bundrens' mother Addie has passed away. Anse Bundren, the father, has decided that Addie must be buried in Jefferson, despite many obstacles, including a storm that has made the trek to Jefferson very perilous. His children, Darl, Cash, Jewel, Dewey Dell, and Vardaman are dragged along for the ride. Despite appearing callous and irresponsible, Anse gets help from many neighbors along the way and ultimately comes out on top- considering his goals seem to be to get a new set of teeth and a new wife in Jefferson, both events he succeeds in. His children and original team of mules are not so lucky. Cash, the carpenter, breaks a leg and has it sealed in cement by Anse. Darl, the most thoughtful & articulate of the bunch, loses his mind, sets fire to a barn, and ends in asylum. Jewel loses his horse in a trade made by Anse and gets identified as a bastard son. Dewey Dell is mistreated while in pursuit of getting an abortion for her unwanted pregnancy. Vardaman, relatively unscathed compared to his siblings, becomes preoccupied with the idea that his mother is a fish. And the team of mules are drowned trying to cross a flooded river. The point of all this hardship seems to be for Faulkner to highlight what it means to be human. The philosophy of what it means to "be" is repeatedly visited.
Rating: 3/5- Lacking a true hero figure and concluding with injustice prevailing , this read, although thought provoking and stylistically interesting, was kind of a downer.
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