At the same time, he seems unstable, and may or may not be insane. By contrast, Darl is the novel’s most cerebral character-in some ways he is the most sane member of the family, seeing their quest for the idiotic and destructive undertaking that it is. This is the case for Vardaman because he is only six. Both characters are less concerned with the pragmatic aspects of life and are focused more on these philosophical questions. These questions – relating to the meaning of life and death – appear most important to Darl and Vardaman. As a six-year-old, not yet fully aware of what death means, Vardaman is initially in denial: he thinks that because Addie’s physical body still exists, she must still exist and therefore need air in order to keep existing. I wish I had time to wish I had.” Vardaman’s initial reaction to his mother’s death is to drill holes in her coffin so she can breathe. That’s how the world is going to end.” The guilt-ridden Dewey Dell more sentimentally reflects on the fact that she was distracted by personal issues during the time in which her mother died: “I heard that my mother is dead. Reflecting on his mother’s death, the cynical Darl remarks, “It takes two people to make you, one people to die. In doing so, these characters realize deeper and more universal things about existence and the transience of human experience. Information is casually mentioned between characters that may not be explained until later in the novel. Your difficulties are expected and typical of a first time read through. More deeply, the novel explores the theme of mortality by showing each of Addie’s family members, loved ones, and other acquaintances offer unique responses to her death, attempting to make sense of the nature of existence. As I Lay Dying is one of my favorite novels.

As I Lay Dying is not only about mortality insofar as it concerns Addie Bundren’s death.

As lay dying book