Faulkner's Characterization of Dewey Dell in As I Lay Dying
Velee Patel
Ms. C. Fornini
English IV, Period 5
28 April 2014
Faulkner’s Characterization of Dewey Dell in As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner’s diction, point of view, and syntax in his polyphonic novel, As I Lay Dying, strategically employs the miserably pessimistic yet juvenile voice of Dewey Dell to characterize her as the novel’s naïve victim. The only surviving female in the Bundren family, Faulkner presents the hardships that Dewey Dell must endure. In addition, as an uneducated girl with no guidance, Dewey Dell experiences an uncertainty in many issues that arise in her life.
Dewey Dell’s diction in As I Lay Dying functions to unravel the novel’s deeper themes of suffering and selfishness. As she “bleeds quietly”, Dewey Dell endures the “dead air” on this “tub of guts” (Faulkner 58-63). Burdened with an illegitimate pregnancy after her rape, Dewey Dell grieves alone as she is isolated in her guilt and shame. She views the world as a sickening visceral pile of guts, implying that death is her only relief, furthering the theme of mortality. It is interesting to note that Dewey Dell also describes her pregnancy as a “tub full of guts”, which implies the connotation of birth as a miserable obligation, rather than a joyful desire (Ross 305). As the novel progresses, “Dewey Dell” labors on past “New Hope”, drowning in “agony and despair” (Faulkner 121). The etymology of Dewey Dell’s name stems from dew, which symbolizes youth and how it swiftly evaporates, and dell, an uneducated, vagrant wench (Ross 307). In the efforts to bury Addie in Jefferson, Dewey Dell passes through New Hope Church, praying for an abortion. In fact, the Bundrens’ entire journey is a recurring motif functioning to present the novel’s theme of selfishness. Though Dewey Dell describes the journey as a means of transporting Addie’s body through the countryside to Jefferson, it is actually a ploy to visit a pharmacy that can abort her baby, thus easing her agony (Bassett 127). Faulkner’s diction
Ms. C. Fornini
English IV, Period 5
28 April 2014
Faulkner’s Characterization of Dewey Dell in As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner’s diction, point of view, and syntax in his polyphonic novel, As I Lay Dying, strategically employs the miserably pessimistic yet juvenile voice of Dewey Dell to characterize her as the novel’s naïve victim. The only surviving female in the Bundren family, Faulkner presents the hardships that Dewey Dell must endure. In addition, as an uneducated girl with no guidance, Dewey Dell experiences an uncertainty in many issues that arise in her life.
Dewey Dell’s diction in As I Lay Dying functions to unravel the novel’s deeper themes of suffering and selfishness. As she “bleeds quietly”, Dewey Dell endures the “dead air” on this “tub of guts” (Faulkner 58-63). Burdened with an illegitimate pregnancy after her rape, Dewey Dell grieves alone as she is isolated in her guilt and shame. She views the world as a sickening visceral pile of guts, implying that death is her only relief, furthering the theme of mortality. It is interesting to note that Dewey Dell also describes her pregnancy as a “tub full of guts”, which implies the connotation of birth as a miserable obligation, rather than a joyful desire (Ross 305). As the novel progresses, “Dewey Dell” labors on past “New Hope”, drowning in “agony and despair” (Faulkner 121). The etymology of Dewey Dell’s name stems from dew, which symbolizes youth and how it swiftly evaporates, and dell, an uneducated, vagrant wench (Ross 307). In the efforts to bury Addie in Jefferson, Dewey Dell passes through New Hope Church, praying for an abortion. In fact, the Bundrens’ entire journey is a recurring motif functioning to present the novel’s theme of selfishness. Though Dewey Dell describes the journey as a means of transporting Addie’s body through the countryside to Jefferson, it is actually a ploy to visit a pharmacy that can abort her baby, thus easing her agony (Bassett 127). Faulkner’s diction