As I Lay Dying Literary Analysis

In William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, nature acts as brutal yet guiding force, showing the characters what is the most reasonable path for the dead through hints and roadblocks.
Nature first provides strong hints about the urgency accompanied with death. Before the Bundrens begin their journey, buzzards are already present, seeking the deceased to scavenge. Again, a buzzard is seen closer, inside Samson’s house immediately after the Bundrens depart. Then, more buzzards with Armstid, and they can be seen directly going for Addie for the first time. The body has decomposed and lingers long enough for buzzards to not only wait for the body to be exposed, but actively seek it out in a coffin. Jewel is forced to chase “that buzzard out,” while everyone

According to Tull, the river “already covered the highest water-mark,” and had far surpassed the highest mark he had ever seen (28). Nature raises the river to what no normal person would try to pass. It would be unnatural to cross the river in its raised state, yet Anse leads his party onward. They are then misfortuned in seeing a log moving toward them, “in the thick water the shape of the disaster,” (49). The log does not flow toward the people or try to physically hurt the party. It aims for the wagon, the package it carries and the reason for their journey. The Bundrens have taken too long and nature sees Addie will rot and decompose in the journey to Jefferson, so it attempts to redirect the family. Nature first creates the storm, summoning the torrential rain to raise and bring out the “violence” in the river (53). Though it is in humans nature to forge one’s own path, the Bundrens pay a price. Theys are able to avoid fatality while crossing, but the brutal, viscous river claims the lives of their mules as a token of passing. After the Bundrens recover and ford the river, the conditions change. The easiest, most natural path is no longer to go back, since they had already crossed the river. The destined place of Addie’s resting becomes Jefferson, as it became less troublesome to go there. Therefore, nature backs off and does not place any more roadblocks in their path to Jefferson, yet leaves the buzzards as a reminder of haste. Anse is determined to defy nature despite its best intentions so that he keeps the dying with of Addie. Nature only makes attempts to aid the Bundrens through raising the river: to make it impassable, turn the Bundrens around and force them to bury the deceased quickly. They still choose to go against Nature and the river, resulting in hardship