The Importance of Animals in William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying"

In William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying", there are numerous references to animals. When the Bundren family loses their mother, each child has a different animal that they relate to so they can deal with their situation. The characters compare themselves to animals, in the case of Dewey Dell, or they compare their dead mother to animals, which can be seen in the case of Jewel and Vardaman. Animals are a key part of the …

…Darl is more shook up about Addie's death. He makes himself the victim saying that Jewel never really cared for his mother. In conclusion, the characters of As I Lay Dying use animals as comparison to help them understand the death of their mother. Faulkner also uses these animals to further develop his characters. Each animal reference gives us a look at the mind of the characters, which is important to truly understand the novel.