As I Lay Dying Psychological Analysis

William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying is a novel with great psychological complexity that examines its characters’ minds. The five members of the Bundren family each have their own reaction to the death of Addie, their mother or wife. Each of them falls under separate Freudian psychoanalytic theories and complexities: the developmental stages, defense mechanisms and the process in which they mourn the dead. With the use of each character’s psychoanalysis Faulkner sends a message about the human mind: that they are complex and that humans are self-centered when dealing with problems, such as the death of a loved one.

Set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, the story is about the Bundren family as they take their mother Addie to her native county

Cash had a special place in Addie’s heart. He was born before Addie’s disappointment with Anse, when she realized that she was not in love with him. Cash had a secure relationship with Addie, and therefore felt secure in himself and in his mother’s love for him. This security allows Cash to mourn his mother’s death appropriately. Cash, unlike the other Bundren children, grows as a person from his mother’s death, and is able to develop the skills to effectively cope with the her death. As Cash mourns Addie’s death he focuses on his work. Darl sees Cash working on Addie’s coffin, “...stooping steadily at the board in the failing light, laboring on toward darkness,” showing how Cash devotes himself and all of his time to his work, to manage the psychological pain through labor (Faulkner 48). Cash always defined himself by his work, not by his mother; so when she is gone, he is able to handle the loss and move on with his life. Freud thought, “…the nature and quality of the relationship between the child and the primary caretakers was important… that stable, warm mothering encourages basic trust in the benevolence of the world...” Since Cash had a loving connection with his mother, he is able to see the world in a positive way. Cash also uses defense mechanisms in a healthy way. Cash thinks, “It wasn’t on a balance. I told them that if they wanted it to tote and ride on a balance, they would have to”

As the youngest Bundren child, he is least the least capable of comprehending Addie’s death. He believes that his mother is not actually dead, but instead “…is a fish,” because he caught a fish on the same day that Addie died (Faulkner 84). Vardaman’s childish mind makes the connection between Addie and a fish. But his mind cannot completely accept this logic. Even while Vardaman is trying to appease his psyche by determining his mother to be a fish, he knows deep down that she is really dead. He is clinging to his idea that his mother is alive, but without her actually being alive, he will not be able to separate himself from his concept of her. Vardaman’s ego causes him to regress. Vardaman acts childishly, in order to avoid interacting with the coffin. Since he does not have to handle the coffin, he does not need to confront the truth about his dead mother. More psychologically speaking, Vardaman, whose mind is dealing with the loss of an object-relationship with his mother, is deconstructing that