To Die: A indifferent but concerned outlook on death.

Every human life, at some point, will be arrested by the idea of death. It could happen much more often, if it wasn't for our coping mechanisms and vital lies that prevent us from acknowledging the terror. A fear of dying is technically dying at a faster, much more brutal rate; a life is halted from living, because of how the idea of death sequesters souls. We are also aware of our frailty, ephemeral experiences, and finitude. This realization leads us to not do as much as planned with the little life we have. Somehow, we embrace the paradox of "I won't take risks, so I can make it safe to death". Pessimists, although realistic in their assessment of death, are the ones who are likely to say things along the lines of "You are born, and make your way to death", or, "You are born, and then you die, so you better do something in between". Positive or negative, the fact of the matter is that we can only live a little, so you best do something about it.

As I Lay Dying is culpable for stimulating all these thoughts. In it, we are finally transported to Yoknapatawpha county, and the reader finds that it is a land of dead people. If my previous paragraph has any believers, the Bundrens, as well as any human being are the walking dead. Of course, we are not talking about zombies, and as much as we resemble them at times, I am merely suggesting that, ironically, we are all in the process of dying. To me, and perhaps Faulkner would agree, the quicker you come to terms with this bitter reality, the more liberated you will be as a being, because of the indifference that would be developed for death. However, As I Lay Dying presents a different setting with contrasting traumas to which most readers can't relate. The poor, misguided souls here are jaded by death and violence, and what I just proposed cannot be digested properly because the level of suffering, and stagnancy that is produced from said tragedies, is too much for anyone to handle.

As much as suffering is a part of life, there is an average, universal dose that we are all familiar with. In the Bundren's case though, things are twisted to a maximum exponent, in typical Faulkner fashion. Anyone can get away with anything in Yoknawpatawpha county. Although influenced by the real world, this county is separated from the universe, it is a product of Faulkner's imagination. This is his personal habitat for twisted, social experiments that usually go awry. Death, as final as it may be, is what drives this novel. The novel cannot end prematurely even with the passing of Addie, a almost invisible protagonist, whose only sign of life is a death request. Addie is mostly talked about, but that doesn't stop her from taking over much of the novel as though she were a phantom. Much like Caddy in Sound and the Fury, Addie's influence allows every event to trickle down to several characters struggle and demise. With all but her memory (or lack of), and the promise, the Burden's are afflicted by her death, whether or not they care. Each subsequent contemplation and reaction to her death is unique, much like a gathering of individuals at a funeral who are all there for the same purpose, but exposing different emotions. The human condition permits us to celebrate, mourn, or deny death. Whichever we see fit. The title for the novel could well be Addie's Death, but I am pretty sure As I Lay Dying is the only possible title that conveys Faulkner's feelings towards death.