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As I Lay Dying Literary Analysis

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As I Lay Dying Literary Analysis
In the novel As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner contrasts symbolism of the cows and buzzards to represent nature as a cycle. Faulkner uses the cows to show the beginning of the cycle of nature — life. After Addie’s death, Dewey Dell visits the family barn. Dewey Dell notices the cow “blowing her breath in a sweet, hot blast, … moaning” (61) and breathing “into the bucket, moaning” (61). Faulkner uses the symbolism of the cow to relate to Dewey Dell and her situation. Just as how Dewey Dell is burdened with an unwanted pregnancy, the cow is burdened with being unmilked as shown through her continuous moaning. Milk represents fertility and is used as a way for a mother to nourish her child. Both the cow and Dewey Dell have the duty of giving
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