Literature Samples

Faulkner’s Dichotomous Construction of Female Characters in As I Lay Dying and The Sound and the Fury (an excerpt)

In his works, Faulker seems to both acknowledge specifically gendered struggles of women while also looking forward and examining the potential of increased female agency. In As I Lay Dying, Addie Bundren’s economical view of motherhood and the family unit, coupled with her eventual death, demonstrate the toll of domestic work on the country woman. Addie is granted only one chapter of narration from beyond the grave; yet, the narrative revolves around her death as the catalyst for the Bundren’s journey to Jefferson, granting her a form of agency, in a way, even after her death. Alternatively, in The Sound and the Fury, Caddy serves as a strong-minded, opinionated young woman who at first appears sexually liberated, but then becomes pregnant, suffers a failed marriage, and is disowned by her family. Although she is not granted the power of narration, her presence governs the lives and narrations of her three brothers.  This paper will examine how Faulkner does not construct female characters who are invincible, rather, he devises women who are strong in the face of oppression and seek alternative paths. The ultimate demise of these characters—whether a literal death or a rejection from society—does not, then, entirely undermine their agency nor their character, but instead works to illuminate the deeply rooted patriarchal flaws of the Old South.

One could argue that despite Addie’s crucial role in the progression of the plot, in reality, she is essentially dead from the start of the novel. Thus, killing off a potentially powerful female character before the action of the novel begins is indicative of Faulkner’s preference to male narratives. One could support this argument by claiming that Addie is a replaceable figure to the Bundren’s family structure; the minute Anse claims a new wife, the novel ends:

[…] and then we see her behind him […] a kind of duck-shaped woman all dressed up, with them kind of hardlooking eyes like she was daring ere a man to say nothing […] And then I see that the grip she was carrying was one of them little graphophones […] ‘It’s Cash and Jewel and Vardaman and Dewey Dell,’ pa says, kind of hangdog and proud too, with his teeth and all, even if he wouldn’t look at us. ‘Meet Mrs Bundren,’ he says.” (Faulkner, 2010, 149)

Here, we see Anse as he secures two commodities: his teeth and a new woman to fit into his family structure. While one reading of this passage may suggest that the transactional treatment of women on Anse’s part undermines the agency of Addie even after her death, an alternative reading may suggest that this passage is satirical in construction. Equating a new wife to a new pair of teeth seems absurd—by including the phrase “with his teeth and all,” Faulkner may instead critique Anse’s behavior by portraying it as somewhat ridiculous rather than treating it with complete severity. Further, Cash narrates that Anse “wouldn’t look at us” which suggests that he, too, is aware that replacing Addie with another woman found on the streets of Jefferson does not restore balance to the family, while also showing that Anse is reluctant to face the judgement of his children.

About this content:

This piece was written for the University of Richmond English department in 2019. Research was conducted under Dr. Peter Lurie.