# As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner - Blinkist

One big idea: Journey into the human psyche.

Welcome to this Big Idea Blink.

For this type of Blink, our editors choose one thought-provoking insight from a book so you can learn something new within just a few minutes.

The concept we’d like to discuss today is how Faulkner’s tale examines the human psyche in times of hardship.

With As I Lay Dying, Faulkner takes us on a gripping journey into the minds and hearts of his characters during their arduous mission, showcasing a vivid tapestry of varied human reactions, emotions, and coping mechanisms.

The labyrinth of human emotions

Imagine a single journey witnessed through fifteen different sets of eyes.

As I Lay Dying allows us to experience the Bundren family’s laborious trek to bury their matriarch in her hometown, through the eyes and thoughts of fifteen different individuals.

Replicating the diversity of human perspectives and emotions in real life, each character’s narration reveals their distinct outlook on the situation and life, their unique fears, desires, and coping mechanisms.

This remarkable narrative technique forces us to reassess our understanding of events as we glean new information – sometimes contradicting or even shocking – from each character in turn.

The characters are human, flawed, and relatable.

For instance, the physically handicapped Cash is relentless and dutiful in building the coffin, yet his single-minded determination is almost portrayed with a touch of absurdity.

Or Darl, whose astute observations hint at his deep-seated feelings of alienation and inability to relate to the world he inhabits.

Via observing Addie Bundren's family with her demise, we witness how not only her mortal demise impacts the family but also her existential death when alive.

Her disappointment and bitterness percolate into the family dynamics, unraveling how interconnected family emotions can harden or erode individual's personalities.

At the same time, the characters' unshared emotions like Darl's intuition or Dewey Dell's internal struggles resonate how limited our understanding can be within shared familial spaces.

A stark example is the episodic narration by multiple characters that masterfully executes Faulkner's exploration of contrasting human experiences.

Characters like Cash and Darl view the world differently, yet are interconnected through shared experiences and genetics.

It exposes us to how contrasting subjective realities play out in the same objective framework of family and society, remarking an urgent heed towards empathy and non-judgement.

The Bundren’s arduous journey can be likened to the testing trajectory of life itself.

Just like reality, they encounter the unanticipated; rains, flooded rivers, a broken leg, and a burning barn.

Each family member reacts differently and handles it uniquely, contributing their void or surplus into the journey just like people add to the shared timeline of life.

Final summary

To recap, evolving through a series of tragicomic events, Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying isn’t just about a family's arduous journey to honor a burial wish.

It’s beyond mourning the bodily death, it's about the mosaic of perspectives within a shared experience.

The journey, layered with physical hardships and psychological trials, portrays how realities are often shaped by personal perceptions and individual thresholds of resilience.