In "As I Lay Dying", there are moments scattered throughout the book that imply that there are some supernatural things going on. The one that's really obvious is how Darl just sort of... knows things. It's not clear how he knows these things, but he does. He knows that Dewey Dell is pregnant, he knows that Jewel is not Anse's son, he knows when Addie dies, and possibly weirdest of all, he can understand Vardaman. Actually, that's not really a supernatural ability, but Darl was able to understand and articulate to Vardaman what Addie was saying in the coffin before he burned the barn, if we take Darl's word that Addie was actually speaking. Also, there's the whole 'eyes full of the land' line, and how Darl regularly narrates events that he is not present for that implies that Darl might be an omniscient character.
Maybe this ability to know things is hereditary. Addie seems to have this way of knowing things too, like when she tells Cora that Jewel will save her from water and fire. How could she have possibly known that Jewel would pull her coffin out of the flooded river and out of the burning barn? Those things happen after she dies. Also, it seems odd that Jewel would save anyone from anything. He seems pretty self-centered throughout the book, so Addie was probably not making an educated guess based on Jewel's personality.
Speaking of the flood, even that seems a little supernatural. Sure, people were expecting rain, but it seems strange that there would be a massive flooding of the river just after Addie dies. Also, the wagon broke down. Possibly a coincidence, given that the Bundrens are poor and the wagon is not the most impressive. But considering all the obstacles and sacrifices made during the journey, I wonder just how much of it was Addie torturing Anse.
Nice post. I didn't really think of these occurrences as supernatural, other than Darl's psychic abilities. I think Darl is just used as a narrative device, but considering the other Hero's Journeys we've been shown throughout the course, it wouldn't be the first time. One nitpick I'll make is that Addie's knowledge of Jewel saving him from water and fire is probably just a Faulker joke. Either way, lots of things to think about with this novel.
ReplyDeleteAnd when, in the final reading, Darl's narration stops being first-person and starts using "we" to mean the whole family, it's clear that the narrator, whatever it is, has completely slipped the bonds of Darl after his psychic break. I think in this case Faulkner is playing us all a little: he tries to make it look like he's using the shoddy "take one character and make them an omniscient character so that they can provide exposition" technique, but it's actually entirely deliberate and goes in a whole new direction.
DeleteI got chills. Nice post. I think you're right, while the book never explicitly seems like it's trying to be "haunted" or whatever, there's this underlying sense of the supernatural. I like the idea that it is genetic - and that instead of Jewel inheriting it, it was Darl, who Addie hates just as much of the rest of her other children. Even though Darl tries to "help" Addie by burning the barn, he will never have her love the way Jewel does. Which is weird - what did Addie want to happen to her dead body? The flood too seems like it could be Addie's doing. I'm not sure what to do with this concept of the supernatural, other than perhaps it suggests a lack of God in the novel - God is missing and therefore the righteousness of the world is off, and spirits control it. I don't know. Cool post.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I hadn't even realized how the predictions that Addie made about Jewel came true. But, understanding that now, your idea that Darl inherited this trait from Addie is really interesting. There's something somewhat insane about Addie's hatred of everything and joy in whipping children but, similarly to how Darl's insane act of burning down the barn makes some logistical sense, Addie's insanity also is well motivated (spot my post).
ReplyDeleteRelated to Darl's "supernatural" abilities, it made me remember that at the beginning of the book, I saw Darl as the Athena type character: sort of omnipotent, and somewhat all-knowing. However as the book continued, I realized he's definitely not any type of mentor or guiding character. Athena generally uses her omnipotence to guide and help the heroes of the story, yet the only thing that sticks out about Darl's ability is that he uses it to tease Dewey Dell and Jewel about the information he miraculously has on them.
ReplyDeleteOoh, Addie's revenge is supernatural? I'm here for it. I particularly liked your idea that her seeming clairvoyance is hereditary, especially since it's passed to Darl. Throughout much of the book, we see Darl punishing others, mainly Jewel, for having a relationship with Addie, that he so desperately wanted. I think for Darl's sake, knowing he shared this ability with Addie could've led him to internal peace instead of lashing out. Great post, Cedric!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the flood (which affects not just the river but the levee elsewhere, so they have to go around to Mottson) also has a supernatural aspect to it--literally, it's nature's wrath but somehow "extra." I recall in particular Anse's description of the storm clouds approaching from the distance, as if coming down the road directly toward this household "like a man." If there were an American god of rainstorms, it would seem that Anse has recently done something to displease him!
ReplyDeleteThe "supernatural stuff" in As I Lay Dying has been on my mind a lot. It leaves me so hooked but yet so unsatisfied. It was helpful to have you "lay it all out there" so I could mull it over. Maybe Darl and Addie have some connection to a spiritual plane that isn't dependent on their bodies. That could be an explanation of why he can "hear" Addie. Perhaps Vardaman has this spiritual inclination too so he can also "hear" though to me this doesn't explain why they think they can hear the body moving positions. To me I wonder if this is maybe just Darls decent into madness and Vardaman being very suggestible but it's hard for me to totally disregard all the supernatural themes.
ReplyDeleteI was also thinking about Vardaman’s supernatural tendencies. Vardaman just seems to exist on a totally separate wavelength from the rest of the characters – the whole “my mother is a fish” thing, drilling holes in the coffin, the buzzards, and like you said, hearing Addie. Part of this is the fact that Vardaman is really young, but also, the way he perceives the world is kinda poetic in the same way Darl’s narration is, which makes it seem supernatural.
DeleteI think the supernatural elements of As I Lay Dying can be read as good prediction skills and epic elements. Darl being able to understand what is going on all of the time (I'm thinking here about how he narrates Addie's death, as well as Vardaman, Jewel, and Dewey Dell) seems to me more like him being incredibly observant than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI've never considered myself to be a superstitious person. I don't really follow any of the usual superstitions about black cats being bad luck, not walking under ladders, or avoiding the number 13. At the same time though, there is absolutely no denying that some things that occur in the world seem almost supernatural in nature and can't quite be explained by science. As for my lack of worry about the number 13, I recently had a very serious encounter with that number and the bad luck it supposedly carries. The accident I was so severely injured in occured on june 13th...
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