As I Lay Dying: A Template for Grief
Psychoanalytic
interpretations of literature are important to culture because they often open
our eyes to the cause and effect of things we read, and even experience, but
are sitting too closely to understand in context. All literature is threaded
with psychoanalytical concepts because we cannot write about human interactions
without emulating some form of psychological response. In Catherine Belsey’s Critical Practice she claims that in order
to “participate in the society into which a child is born, to be able to act
deliberately within the social formation… [it] must submit… to the discipline
of the signifying systems of culture, among which the supreme example is
language” (56). Thus, by applying knowledge gained through literature as a
template to which one should or should not adhere to, we gain better
understanding not only of literature, but our own human interactions. William
Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying is a
perfect example of how a piece of literature can have so many facets and the
various psychological responses contained therein represent different responses
to grief.
Before
using As I Lay Dying as a template
for grief we must first have a basic understanding of the five stages of grief
as described by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her book about terminally ill patients
and their families, On Death and Dying.
The first stage of grief is Denial and Isolation, in which a person denies what
is to be grieved, often isolating their self from those around them whom may
serve to help in the grieving process (Kübler-Ross 34). Denial, “functions as a
buffer after unexpected shocking news, allows the patient to collect himself
and, with time, mobilize other, less radical defenses” (Kübler-Ross 35). Those
in the denial stage have begun the grief process, but cannot actually grieve
because they have not acknowledged what is there to grieve. Anger is usually a
quick replacement for denial, resulting from a person’s acknowledgement of the
reality of the situation and allowing one’s self to begin the grieving process
(Kübler-Ross 44). When one tires of anger they begin Bargaining, often with god
and/or immediate loved ones (Kübler-Ross 72). This stage of grief manifests
itself in false promises and by finding a replacement for what was lost as an
attempt to, “postpone the inevitable” (Kübler-Ross 73), but can also result in
power-struggle between family and/or friends. There comes a point when one acknowledges
they have nothing to bargain or realizes the replacement is not sufficient. At
this point loss is fully realized, and Depression occurs (Kübler-Ross 75). The
fifth stage of grief, in which one finally attains the ability to move beyond
grief and into Acceptance is when the healing process begins (Kübler-Ross 99).
Only
one character in the novel exemplifies the stages of grief, reaching acceptance
with the type of resolution and personal growth that psychologists hope for in
grief counseling. Cash Bundren is the eldest son, an experienced introverted
carpenter, easily commanded in the beginning of the novel as his silent
building of Addie’s coffin suggests. Cash’s brief denial is illustrated by his
first narrative, in which he itemizes the building of Addie’s coffin without
elaborating on his relationship with Addie or showing any emotional connection
to her whatsoever (Faulkner 48). This half page narrative does not provide any
emotional language to interpret; therefore his denial is illustrated by
omission of his emotions. After Addie’s death and completion of the coffin Cash
becomes more vocal and his narratives slowly become more cognitive. This
reflects Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s description of denial as, “a temporary state
of shock from which [a patient] recuperates gradually” (37).
Each
of the other Bundrens represents a unique and unhealthy manifestation of the
stages of grief as they are confronted by Addie’s death and funeral, “events
which are by no means identical” (Vickery 237) because each influences the characters
grief separately, but illicit similar responses. Therefore we can use them as
examples of how grief can become unhealthy and cumbersome. The fact that
Addie’s death occurs slowly is important to shaping how the Bundrens grieve
because her death does not come as a shock. For this reason most of the
Bundrens are able to move quickly through denial, or skip it altogether as is
the case for Darl. Anse however, who does not appear to grieve at all, is
likely in denial throughout the entire novel and is never seen reaching
acceptance. One explanation for his lack of grief is his blatant selfishness,
lack of care, and rejection of personal responsibility; however he also
bargains for replacement of the loss through his search for a new wife and
teeth. By settling into these replacements Anse denies himself the personal
growth that comes from acceptance. Dewey Dell, like Anse, has a stagnant
relationship with denial, but hers borders on anger. Dewey Dell uses this anger
like a blanket to mask any emotional response she may have to Addie’s death.
Darl is the only other character in the novel who knows that Dewey Dell is
pregnant, therefore her anger towards Darl is not only an agent of her denial
of Addie’s death, but also a result of denying her pregnancy, which she is also
grieving.
The
error in Cash’s grief is a result of his docile nature, which limits his
capacity for anger. He is never seen getting angry, which, in terms of grief,
could be an indication that his emotions will at some point erupt, but they
never do. Upon moving the coffin containing Addie’s body Cash expresses his
opinion that the coffin won’t balance (Faulkner 56), but his narrative ends
mid-sentence. Once again Cash’s emotions are omitted from his narrative,
suggesting that he is hiding them even from himself. In contrast, Jewel Bundren
beats his horse because he is upset about the loss of his mother; this
transference of the emotional response to Addie’s death onto his horse is an
excellent illustration of how a griever can allow their anger to get the better
of them.
In
the river-crossing scene Cash takes the lead, finally asserting himself as the
elder brother, signifying his transition into the next stage of grief. Cash
blames himself for not having “suspicioned” the condition of the bridge and
inspected it prior to their journey (Faulkner 83). At this point his anger is
internalized and bargaining is illustrated by his assertion of power over Jewel
and Darl in assuming responsibility for how to traverse the sunken bridge.
Cash’s desire to stay with the wagon and release Jewel and Darl is an example
of, “the wish for punishment because of excessive guilt” (Kübler-Ross 74), a
common concern of patients in the bargaining stage. After the failed attempt to
successfully drive the wagon across the bridge with Addie’s coffin Cash is
silenced by the pain of his broken leg and internalized anger and guilt for
failure of his assumed responsibility (Faulkner 93).
The
final illustration of Cash’s denial comes just after the river-crossing scene,
when he expresses his last unfinished thought, “I told them that if they wanted
it to tote and ride on a balance they would have to” (Faulkner 95). This brief
omission of his emotions and ideas completes his gradual recuperation from
denial. It is only after denial has been abandoned completely that one can
settle into depression (Kübler-Ross 75). His silence from the pain of his broken
leg allows him to retreat into a mild depression. I argue that Cash finds his
silent depression contemplative and healing: “An understanding person will have
no difficulty in eliciting the cause of the depression and in alleviating some
of the unrealistic guilt or shame which often accompanies depression” (Kübler-Ross
76). Leaving Armistid’s home Cash is back to his usual docile and polite self, void
of emotion, accepting his penance, “it don’t bother none” (Faulkner 113). Thus
he has found the necessary comfort in brief depression to contemplate the loss
of his mother and changes in his family dynamic that will result from that loss
allowing him to transition into acceptance and settle into his new role as
elder brother and assume the responsibility of patriarch.
A
perfect example of how grief can result in crippling depression is illustrated
by Darl’s manifestation of grief, the slow and steady decline of mental faculty
resulting in depressive psychosis. At the beginning of the novel Darl is the
most intelligent character whose perception is matched by no other character,
but after Addie dies he becomes combative, angry, and irrational. In the first
scene of the funeral procession, when the Bundrens have arrived in town, Darl
is just sitting in the wagon laughing (61) and progressively, this already
strange character, grows ever stranger. After burning down the Gillespies’ barn
(126) he begins to speak in third person and upon entering Jefferson they are
approached by police (137). His siblings give him up to be institutionalized, sitting
at a window on the train, heading to Jackson, thinking in third person, mumbling,
“yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes” (146). As a war veteran it is possible that
Darl was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome prior to Addie’s death.
Nevertheless, her death was the tipping point to sending Darl into deep
depression resulting in institutionalization.
From
Cash’s first narrative, the itemized list which demonstrates his brief denial, to
his last few narratives in which he is seen as patriarch and grounding force
for his siblings, Cash is the only character who truly grows and comes to accept
the loss of his mother and Darl. He sympathizes with Darl’s burning of the
Gillespies’ barn and when the police arrest Darl, Cash is the only one who
remains calm and convinces him to go quietly (Faulkner 137). “This increase in
sensitivity and perception makes Cash the only character in the novel who
achieves his full humanity in which reason and intuition, words and action
merge into a single though complex response” (Vickery 242). During the stages
of grief people often act in ways that are uncharacteristic for them: they
become silent, isolative, lash out in anger, become abusive to the things they
love. Grief can manifest in ways that make our actions seem illogical and
extreme. Through acceptance we reconnect with ourselves and begin a stage of
self-improvement. At the end of the novel Cash emerges a very docile, logical
person whose ability to accept and influence the changes around him affect his
siblings positively. In this sense Cash represents exactly what the five stages
of grief strive to achieve: a resolute acceptance of loss that results in
personal growth.
Bibliography
Belsey,
Catherine. Critical Practice. Methuen
& Co. Ltd. New York, USA. Second Edition. 1987
Faulkner,
William. As I Lay Dying Norton
Critical Ed. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2010
Kübler-Ross,
Elizabeth. On Death and Dying.
Macmillan, New York. 1969
Vickery,
Olga W. “The Dimensions of Consiousness” As
I Lay Dying Norton Critical Ed. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment