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Bundrens Family Journey In William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying

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In the novel as I Lay Dying, William Faulkner describes the Bundrens family journey to the burial of their mother. Each character's emotions and problems to this situation are displayed throughout the many character chapters that Faulkner uses to recreate the trip in the reader's mind. From this we learn a lot about each character's traits and behaviors. A pivotal moment that takes place in this book is when Darl decides to burn down the barn his mother's coffin laid in because it serves as a last reminder that not all events set off a universal reaction, events are shaped by the perspective and experience of the person witnessing them.
When Darl sets the barn on fire it is his way of showing respect and love for his mother as he feels he is benefitting her by giving her a cremation and laying her to rest. This whole situation has even given him a feeling that his mother was speaking to him as he tells his younger brother Vardeman “She wants Him to hide her away from the sight of man.”(215). Although Darl was doing this only for …show more content…

Everyone was just waiting to finally get the opportunity to bury their mother and continue living their lives, except Darl. From this point we see his emotional state change from collective and wise to unstable. As he is being put on the train Darl describes the event, “they put him on the train, laughing, down the long car laughing”(253). Here we can see that Darl was not able to resist the death of his mother. He was not tough enough to cope with the loss and it got to him. He is stuck in himself where the grief has taken over and illustrates this by speaking in third person, a common occurrence for people like him who were never vocal or expressive of their feelings. This was a triggering moment for Darl as he realised the purpose and focus of this journey, which was not his mother but each family member's

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