As I Lay Dying: Insanity
In the novel As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner, Darl sees the world as a corrupt place filled with a crooked society. Through symbolism, Darl's multiple points of view, and simple diction plus illogical syntax, Faulkner shows that Darl views society as corrupt which eventually leads to Darl's loss of identity as well as his sanity. This commentary will begin by explaining situation of the passage. After, it will explain how the three literary techniques reveal the implicate theme. Thirdly, the commentary will express how all three techniques combine together to form the theme. In the passage on pages 253-254, Darl, although the language used doesn't sound like him, is actually speaking. Before this passage, Darl was captured by men 'who wore mismatched coats', or guards, and his own family (p.237-8). Dewey Dell and Jewel, two characters that despise Darl, 'jumped' on Darl 'like a wild cat' because they hated him and didn't want him to be part of the family. This 'corruptness' in Darl's family sparked him to realize that the world is corrupt. However, we will soon see that Darl's use of the three literary techniques listed above show that Darl's view on society as being corrupt leads him to losing his own
Through symbolism, we perceive that Darl views society as corrupt. This 'corruptness' that Darl witnesses leads to his loss of identity. The incestuous coin and the spyglass represent the two characters, Jewel and Dewey Dell, who betrayed Darl by committing him to a mental institute. Because Darl is ashamed of being a Bundren when he sees the corruption existing in his own family, he loses his identity as 'Darl' and takes up a new character. The corruption that Darl perceives in his own family also exacerbates his insanity. Like Darl's loss of identity, Darl's insanity originates from his ashamedness of the family. By carrying a putrid coffin around town and committing Darl to a mental asylum in Jackson, Darl goes insane because of the disgust and corruptness that he witnesses in his own family. Darl's loss of identity is also linked with his insanity. By changing identities, Darl doesn't want to see himself as Darl anymore and therefore alters his pattern of speech to make him sound like another character. This shows that Darl's insanity and loss of identity are associated together. The origin of these problems comes from Darl's view on society as being corrupt. Altogether, Darl's view on society as being corrupt leads to Darl's insanity and loss of identity. Lastly, Faulkner use's multiple points of view to show Darl's loss in his own identity. Throughout the whole novel, Darl refers to himself as 'I'. However, unlike Darl's other chapters, two different points of view are present is this passage. One of them is expressed through 'Darl', such as 'Darl has gone to Jackson'. The other point of view is spoken through 'I', such as '"What are you laughing at?" I said'. This shows that Darl, who is also 'I' (this is known because the chapter is titled 'Darl', therefore inferring that 'I' is Darl), has lost his identity. By referring to himself as both 'Darl' and 'I' Faulkner reveals that the speaker doesn't consider himself to be 'Darl' since he regards another character as 'Darl'. More importantly, the loss in Darl's own identity shows us that Darl is ashamed of who he really is. Due to the fact that his own family committed him to a mental institute has shown Darl that he is no longer respected and loved as a Bundren. Therefore, in believing that he isn't a Bundren, Darl does not refer to himself as 'Darl' but as another character. Secondly, Faulkner uses simple diction, co
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1614
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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