As I Lay Dying
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
1. Darl 2. Cora 3. Darl 4. Jewel 5. Darl 6. Cora 7. Dewey Dell 8. Tull 9. Anse 10. Darl 11. Peabody 12. Darl 13. Vardaman 14. Dewey Dell 15. Vardaman 16. Tull 17. Darl 18. Cash 19. Vardaman 20. Tull 21. Darl 22. Cash 23. Darl 24. Vardaman 25. Darl 26. Anse 27. Darl 28. Anse 29. Samson 30. Dewey Dell 31. Tull 32. Darl 33. Tull 34. Darl 35. Vardaman 36. Tull 37. Darl 38. Cash 39. Cora 40. Addie 41. Whitfield 42. Darl 43. Armstid 44. Vardaman 45. Moseley 46. Darl 47. Vardaman 48. Darl 49. Vardaman 50. Darl 51. Vardaman 52. Darl 53. Cash 54. Peabody 55. MacGowan 56. Vardaman 57. Darl 58. Dewey Dell 59. Cash
Themes
All Themes Self-Interest Versus Heroic Duty Mortality and the Nature of Existence Family, Birth, and Death Religion and Faith Language versus Action
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Darl Bundren Jewel Cash Bundren Dewey Dell Bundren Vardaman Bundren Anse Bundren Addie Bundren Lafe Whitfield Snopes
Symbols
All Symbols The Coffin Jewel's Horse Fish Tools
Literary Devices
All Literary Devices Allusions Anthropomorphism Dialect Dramatic Irony Flashbacks Frame Story Genre Hyperbole Imagery Irony Metaphors Mood Personification Setting Similes Situational Irony Soliloquy Stream of Consciousness Style Tone Unreliable Narrator
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As I Lay Dying

by

William Faulkner

As I Lay Dying: 47. Vardaman Summary & Analysis

Self-Interest Versus Heroic Duty Theme Icon
Mortality and the Nature of Existence Theme Icon
Family, Birth, and Death Theme Icon
Religion and Faith Theme Icon
Language versus Action Theme Icon
Themes Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in As I Lay Dying, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Self-Interest Versus Heroic Duty Theme Icon
Self-Interest Versus Heroic Duty
Mortality and the Nature of Existence Theme Icon
Mortality and the Nature of Existence
Family, Birth, and Death Theme Icon
Family, Birth, and Death
Religion and Faith Theme Icon
Religion and Faith
Language versus Action Theme Icon
Language versus Action
Summary
Analysis
Vardaman, Darl, Jewel and Dewey Dell walk up the hill. Vardaman mentally narrates the situation in simple, declarative sentences: "Jewel came back"¦He was walking. Jewel hasn't got a horse anymore. Jewel is my brother. Cash is my brother. Cash has a broken leg." Vardaman then shifts his attention to the buzzards once again and asks Darl where they stay at night. Darl doesn't answer and Vardaman resolves that tonight, he will explore where the buzzards stay at night.
Vardaman struggles to express the particulars of his present situation, including the details of each of his sibling's personal experience. In addition to obsessing over language, Vardaman continues to obsess over the buzzards around Addie's coffin, indicating his continued interest in probing even the basest realities of his mother's death.
Themes
Mortality and the Nature of Existence Theme Icon
Language versus Action Theme Icon
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