How Does Faulkner Present Anse Bundren In As I Lay Dying

It is always important to remember that with every story there comes more than one side to the story. William Faulkner presents this thought in a challenging way in his novel As I Lay Dying. He does this by having each of his fifteen characters in the novel narrate from their own perspective. This allows the reader to connect with the characters on multiple levels from what others say about them to what they have to say about themselves. There are only three chapters that are dedicated to the narration of Anse Bundren. Even though this is true, the reader still develops a picture of the way he acts and behaves through how his family members describe him. The ways that these family members perceive Anse change the reader’s view of him constantly throughout the novel. William Faulkner makes Anse Bundren the most complex character in As I Lay Dying through his role as a father, his flaws, and through the way he is perceived by others. When Anse is first introduced in the novel, the reader gathers a negative image of him because he is portrayed through the eyes of Darl. He says, “…he tells people that if he ever sweats, he will die. I suppose he believes it” (Faulkner 17). Darl describes his father as

His greed causes him to take money from his own kids without telling them. The fact that Anse takes Cash’s money from his pocket when he is unconscious shows how embarrassed Anse really is to ask for money and that he does not like confrontations. Anse is ashamed of himself for his lack of wealth and does not want his kids to view him as a failure any more than they already do. Anse refuses to accept favors from anyone that is not a part of his immediate family because he is prideful. This is established by his refusal to sleep in Armstid’s house by saying “I know it’s a imposition on you” (Faulkner 181). Anse also declines the use of Armstid’s team; instead, Anse sells Jewel’s most beloved possession: his