William Faulkner. Multiple characters in As I lay dying - Essay Example

It is possible to say that "As I lay Dying" is comic and tragic novel at the same time, because of the family's life casualties caused by self-conceit. One of the major themes of the book is the theme of poverty, personal relationships and human values. The multiple narrators help readers to understand inner world of the family members, their attitude towards each other. The specific structure of the story helps to distinguish how differently people interpret events and facts occurred in their life.

The action wakes the characters up from their monotonous life, and force them unveil their real human nature and desires. The main difference can be found in the interpretation of death and the purpose (secret wish) to travel to Jefferson. All of the family members have something in mind except funeral of their mother. For instance, Anse wants to buy a new set of teeth and marry. Cash wants to have "graphophone" (a phonograph), Vardaman hopes to buy a toy train, and Dewey Dell wants to see a doctor and have an abortion.

These facts do not clearly defined by Faulkner, and readers gather them from narration of different characters. The significance of multiple narrations is that readers have a possibility to compare self appraisal of the characters with family's perception of them and their values. From the perspective of the reader, these coincidences quickly stretch the bounds of realism and become almost comical and over-the-top narrative twists by virtue of their improbabilityBecause of their communication problems, members of the family exist being alienated from each other.

With the help of multiple narrators it is possible to compare different frames: inner world of the heroes, reality and eternal values. From the very beginning readers see that the theme of desperation and isolation prevails in the story. This feeling is supported by isolated stories of the characters suffer from loneliness and lack of cordiality and understanding. While reading the stories of the characters readers feel that people waiting for better days. The theme of desperation is shown through other minor themes and symbols and helps to unveil the realities of family's life.

For instance, Cash believes in working one's way up the ladder of success. From the very beginning of the story readers see him working, but in his chapter he is depicted as lazy as his father pretending unable to help the other family members. It is difficult to claim him because he was brought up (as well as the other children) in constant poverty suffering from lack of love and understanding. Cash's chapter describes the his recollections and his attempt to justify the family actions. He thinks that: "I wasn't noting else to do", but sent his brother Dart to prison.

This situation illustrates the family relationships and attitude towards each other. At the end of the novel he becomes crazy, but as he says: "Sometimes I aint so sho who's got ere a right to say when a man is crazy and when he aint. Sometimes I think it aint none of us pure crazy and aint none of us pure sane until the balance of us talks him that-a-way " (Faulkner, 1985). As though to emphasize his vision of the life-denying nature of most modern existence, Faulkner does not use the imitative method to portray characters through motivation and conditionality.

Though his images were often violent, he was a poet of the