As I Lay Dying is a story full of characters who believe they are heroes. In their inner monologues, each of them believes that they are better than the others and that their goals are the most important. The characters can be seen as dignified and absurd depending on the situation they are in and who is judging them. I hope to prove that the characters are in some ways heroic on their quest to bury Addie in Jefferson, but at other times can be seen as selfish.
One obvious example of heroism in As I Lay Dying is the Bundrens’ perseverance through injuries and hardships to fulfill Addie’s dying wish. Vardaman and Darl are the closest to heroes, although Darl eventually goes crazy and Vardaman is an unreliable narrator because of his age. Regardless, Darl constantly tries to fulfill Addie’s wish of being buried in Jefferson, helps Cash when he is injured, and even keeps Dewey Dell’s pregnancy a secret. Vardaman is willing to do anything to get his mother to Jefferson. Even though his emotions are what guide him the most, he is an honest character who wants the best for his family.
At the same time, the characters show how little they really care about Addie. Anse is the most upfront about his true wishes, making it clear that all he really wants is to get a new set of teeth and remarry after his duties to Addie are finished. Dewey Dell, although having a better reason for her selfishness, also doesn’t prioritize her mother’s burial. She wants to get an abortion because of unwanted pregnancy and tries to find people to help her, including Peabody and eventually MacGowan, who gives her random and assumedly incorrect pills for a miscarriage.
As I Lay Dying features lots of characters who are willing to do anything to get what they want, even though what they truly want is usually not for the good of others. It is hard to tell whether all or any of the characters in the novel are heroes. They may just be selfish people who want the best for themselves, they may have been good people forced on a quest at bad a bad time, or they might be a group of true heroes, just following different quests. Either way, the characters in the story are uniquely human and honest people who ultimately fulfill Addie’s wish to be buried in Jefferson.
I think you did a very good job of laying out the possible perspectives on the heroic qualities of the Bundrens. Personally, I don't believe that any member of the Bundren family can be considered a hero in the traditional sense, as they all lack heroic qualities. Their individual quests are uniformly selfish, with the exception of Cash, who appears to be simply following orders, which, while not exactly immoral, certainly isn't heroic.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the journey of the Bundrens' does have aspects of heroism and Vardaman as a hero was something I'd never thought of before. I would somewhat disagree that Darl is heroic in his journey however, in my opinion most of his actions are less for burying Addie and more for getting it over with. When the journey becomes too long for Darl to handle he breaks down and tries to end the journey early through the fire. So while I agree about Vardaman I think the faith in Darl is misplaced.
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