As I Lay Dying1 Essay - 792 Words

As I Lay Dying1 William Faulkner uses language in a unique way in his novel As I Lay Dying. Language is a form of expression to show thoughts and emotions. Faulkner uses it to convey the individual characters’ thoughts and feelings. He also uses it to draw a line between language and true expression. He shows the limitations of language and the difference between language and words. As I Lay Dying covers the story of a family as they journey to bury the mother, Addie, in her hometown after her death. They all go through the same situations but each experience different emotions and thoughts. They express these through the language they use. What each character says as well as how he/she says it lets the reader see the†¦show more content†¦Cash uses language the most when Darl is taken away and he becomes the new authority or narrator. He can easily express what he thinks now. Jewel doesn’t see language as anything more than a way to communicate. He follows more along the lines of his mother by acting on his thoughts and feelings. Vardaman’s language is the simplest and seemingly incoherent, yet his childish thoughts come across strongly. Vardaman sees his mother as a fish due to his lack of understanding reality and metaphors. Language is a power tool for Darl, Dewey Dell, and Cash but for their mother Addie it is a limitation. She says, â€Å"words don’t ever fit even what they are trying to say at.† Addie believes that language is the experience and words will never match that. While the children feel defined by their language, she feels defined by experiences. She makes this clear when she describes a scene with Cora Tull, â€Å"And so when Cora Tull would tell me I was not a true mother, I would think how words go straight up in a thin line, quick and harmless, and how terribly doing goes along the earth.† The whole technique that Faulkner uses with language and his characters most fits stream of consciousness. He puts pure thought into the language. This technique helps to fix any of the limitations that language puts on conveying thought. This shows in