As I Lay Dying Text Response Essay

687 Words3 Pages
Response #2
Thomas Mann was quoted stating that “Speech is civilization itself. The word, even the most contradictory word, preserves contact- it is silence that isolates”. The quote is trying to illustrate the need for language to connect people together. Both Beckett and Faulkner agree that words are meaningless entities trying to express an idea. Faulkner’s beliefs go farther to demonstrate how unreliable and the separating nature of language; meanwhile Beckett would agree with the quote that even the meaningless word protects the individual from isolation, keeping them strongly planted in routine and the boredom of living. Faulkner would strongly disagree with the idea the language connects. In As I Lay Dying the character central to