WELCOME

to the

Bundren Family Homepage

From the novel As I Lay Dying
by William Faulkner

Life and Background of William Faulkner

William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi in 1897. In addition to As I Lay Dying, Faulkner is known for his novel, The Sound and the Fury, which criticizes the aristocracy of the South, while As I Lay Dying mocks the life of country folk. The characters in the two novels resemble each other in several ways. Faulkner received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1949. As I Lay Dying is one of Faulkner's most popular accomplishments. Faulkner died in 1962 at the of 65.

Summary

The novel, As I Lay Dying, is a story that deals with a family's loss of their mother and a journey that they under-go to grant her request of being buried with her kin. The family consists of Addie Bundren, her husband Anse, and their children, Cash, Darl, Jewel, Dewey Dell, and Vardaman. The entire novel is based on a nine day escapade, that on the surface appears to fill the mother's request, but really is an excuse for them to travel to town for their own selfish reasons. Throughout the journey they encounter many obstacles such as flooded rivers, over turning wagons, injuries, and other strenuous circumstances.