William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying

Study Guide

“As I lay dying the woman with the dog’s eyes would not close my eyes for me as I descended into Hades’ (Agamemnon to Odysseus in The Odyssey.

 

1.       Explain the significance of the title of the book.

2.       Discuss the process of dying versus death.

3.       Trace the Odyseey or journey of the Bundern’s, the significance of each location, and how it affects the characters. Find textual evidence to support your answers.

4.       Discuss how the tone changes from comical to tragic, from calm to hysterical, from being emotional to being detached-depending on the narrator. Explain how this affects the understanding of the book.

5.       Discuss the themes of the book (Find textual evidence for each):

·         Impermanence of existence and identity/being/consciousness

·         Tension between words and thoughts

·         The relationship between childbearing and death

·         Isolation/alienation

·         The physical landscape and its importance (don’t forget the river’s importance)

·         Work

·         Poverty

·         Religion

·         Duty

·         Morality

·         Fact versus interpretation

Reality and value judgments

6.       Discuss the motifs of the book (find textual evidence for each):

·         Pointless acts of heroism

·         Interior monologues

·         Issues of social class

7.       Discuss the symbols of the book (Find textual evidence for each):

·         Animals

·         Addie’s coffin

·         Cash’s tools/tools