Addies Revenge Essay - 1768 Words

Addies Revenge In William Faulkners novel As I lay Dying the reader learns about each character through the eyes of that person so to speak. Most of the important characters minds are revealed through the unique personalities and idiosyncrasies of the Bundren family, and those they encountered. One of the characters is Addie Bundren, the matriarch of the clan, and the person whos death this story moves upon. Although Addie is dead for most of the book, Faulkner still shows Addies feelings and attitude in a chapter in which she seemingly speaks from the dead. From this scene we learn about Addies personality. As a whole Addie is a pessimistic and unfulfilled woman, who marries the ignorant Anse Bundren on a whim. Addie†¦show more content†¦This totally varying portrayal still garnishes the same sub- conscious feelings of sympathy from others that dont know Anse. This ability of Anse helps combat an aspect of Addies plan. This aspect of the plan was that Addie would make Anse suffer through the indignity of carrying around her dead stinking carcass. A good example is when the family is well on their way to Jefferson and stop in the city of Mottson. While stopping in the middle of the street they were told to leave because of the smelling rotting carcass by the Marshal of the town. In this scene it seems as if Addies plan is working to perfection as everyone looks at Anse as country fool from Yoknapatawpha county until; Anse starts to weave his sad tear-jerking tale of the familys tragic trip to carry out his dead wifes last wish. While the story is being told, one gets the feeling the Marshal, and the storyteller, Albert, have totally soaked up Anses story and were totally immersed its content. That is until Jewel comes and in and, true to his role as the protector of Addies revenge, tells Anse to shut up. Even though Anse is stopped in mid-flow by Jewel, the Marshal definitely loses his edge in expelling the Bundren clan. This certainly shows how Anse overcome s the indignity of the burden of Addie, by lulling the marshal to sleep with his tale. Another aspect of Addies revenge was the fact that this trip was so time-consuming. This would definitely make Anse do some work. TheShow MoreRelated As I Lay Dying Essay1212 Words   |  5 Pagesrelies on them to take her revenge on Anse. While the word â€Å"sin† means nothing to Addie, she is nevertheless consumed by the idea of Sin. The fundamental problem for the reader is how to decipher a chapter of words when Addie says they are empty shapes. Addie’s nihilistic approach to language reveals her attempt to escape her subjugation as a woman: as a â€Å"woman†, Addie cannot help but fall into the traps of â€Å"wife† and â€Å"mother†, and their associated duities. Addie’s chapter placement complicatesRead MoreWilliam Faulkner s As I Lay Dying1606 Words   |  7 Pagesexplores the social and psychological effects of the traditional southern female gender role with the character Addie Bundren. Through Addie’s narrative, Faulkner presents the struggles of a woman as she lives the oppressive consequences of expressing her sexuality: childbearing and motherhood. The same consequences are reflected in the destruction of the life of Addie’s unwed daughter, Dewey Dell. Through these women’s stories ,Faulkner reveals the damaging effect of institutional patriarchy in women’sRead MoreWilliam Faulkner s As I Lay Dying1671 Words   |  7 Pagesmasterfully avoids work by using his neighbors, sons, and daughter to work the farm, and his wife to work the household. As a result of the heat stroke, Anse Bundren is two very different characters in the novel. The younger Anse surreptitiously passes Addie’s house seve ral times before stopping to speak to her about marriage with more of an inference than an intention to propose, fully expecting rejection of her family of which she has none. At the time of the proposal, he still possesses pride from beingRead MoreI Lay Dying By William Faulkner1017 Words   |  5 Pagescould be interpreted millions of ways. The use of stream-of-consciousness also served to obscure the journey toward finding an objective truth. Throughout Faulkner’s novel, he presented different types of interior monologues. In some chapters, like Addie’s, the author seems to be reading the character’s thoughts, rather than creating a credible narration in the character’s own terms. This amounts to interference between the novel’s textuality and its mimetic function. In most of the Bundrens’ sectionsRead MoreAddie Bundren in Faulkers As I Lay Dying Essay792 Words   |  4 PagesBundren is, but only through other characters’ memorie s and perceptions of her; excluding the chapter where Addie speaks for herself where she gives the reader a true account of her thoughts and feelings about the world and her family. Reading Addie’s section of the novel, the reader discovers several innermost thoughts and secrets the mother is harboring. Addie does not look forward to her life. Stating things such as: â€Å"I could just remember how my father used to say that the reason for livingRead MoreThe Role of a Mother in As I Lay Dying Written by William Faulkner1837 Words   |  8 Pagesconfessional to teetering on the line of awareness and consciousness. The characters each have their own view on life and on the way Addie Bundren lived her life: through these alternate character’s eyes, we can piece together the bits and pieces of Addie’s life, death and the haulage of her decaying body to Jefferson. The narrative seems to be fragmented however, it also exhibits a type of unity. The story takes place over the course of a few days yet the differing â€Å"sub-plots are logically and skillfullyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book I Lay Dying By Dewey Dell1309 Words   |  6 Pageshad t ricked Anse too, and that my revenge would never know I was taking revenge†(Faulkner 172-173). Addie wanted to betray her own husband as revenge because he gave her children. Dewey Dell betrayed her brother Darl. Addie could have influenced her to betray because Dewey Dell did not have another womanly figure in her life other than her mother. This is not the only instance that her mother influenced her. She also influenced her to not want a baby. In Addie’s chapter, she expressed how she didRead MoreEssay about Addie Bundren in William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying2831 Words   |  12 Pageslack of criticism regarding her from the first half of the century. The reason for this is self-reflexively connected to Addie’s dilemma in the book. Just as Addie is unable to define herself through anything but words that represent the oppressive patriarchal society to which she is opposed, early criticism only evaluated her in these terms, focusing less on Addie’s first person narrative, and more on what other characters in the novel (the men) had to say about her. However, theRead MoreWilliam Faulkner s As I Lay Dying Essay1672 Words   |  7 PagesI Lay Dying, a light (bigger and brighter for others) is brought upon all of the characters to give insight into who the Bundren family is. If Addie’s chapter (the mother) were to not be there, readers would never understand why the Bundren family is going so far to bury their mom (Faulkner 159). Addie had felt tricked into loving Anse and wanted revenge after she was gone, so she made him promise to bury her in Jefferson (Faulkner 159). Without Addie, who is in the coffin throughout the novel, weRead More William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying Essay2412 Words   |  10 Pagesbased upon the credence of the speaker. In this case the speaker is Cora, the overly religious neighbor. Although not initially apparent, it is later revealed that her view of Addie’s affection towards Darl is completely inaccurate. Cora bases her verbal reaction on Addie’s physical respo nse, but does not take into account Addie’s reasoning. This example makes the importance of credibility, especially based on knowledge of the situation, more pronounced. Furthermore, the onlookers’ narration needs to