Throughout the Bundrens’ numerous obstacles in the novel As I Lay Dying, the most significant and life-altering difficulty is the crossing of the river. The river is a subtle symbolic meaning for the accumulation of all of the recent struggles that the family has gone through pertaining to Addie’s devastating death. The crossing of the river signifies the family’s ability to carry on with life and acquire the capability of coping with the loss of Addie. It is the most significant event to illustrate the necessity of family unity. The voyage is seen in three characters’ perspectives: Tull, Darl, and Vardaman. Through each character’s analysis of the scene, it is apparent that this is a traumatizing experience for each family member. The crisis promotes teamwork, which is a quality that the family has been lacking since Addie’s death. The river scene is a perfect depiction of each family member’s role. The apprehension and alertness of the river calls for the Bundrens to ignore their predispositions of one another and move forward with their lives for the sake of Addie. Through the river’s symbolic meaning of life’s greatest barrier, the novel provides a different perspective on prevailing over inevitable impediments.
The river is initially introduced through the perspective of Tull. The character provides an effective insight because he is extremely logical and levelheaded, which in turn influences his approach in describing the river. Although he is hardworking, Tull has a unique style of thinking in comparison to the other characters. He creates numerous evaluations between the river and life. Through his comparisons, the symbolic ideal is introduced. Tull’s primary focus in respect to the crossing of the river is to replace the absentminded Anse. He notes that “even when we were on the bridge Anse kept on looking back, like he thought maybe, once he was outen the wagon, the whole thing would kind of blow up, and he would find himself back yonder in the field again and her laying up there in the house, waiting to die and doing it all over again” (137). It is obvious that Tull has a keen interest in Anse’s view on the approach of the river. He is fully aware that Anse is dreading the upcoming journey and believes it is his civic duty to acknowledge this and move forward towards the crossing of the river. As Tull prepares for the journey ahead, he creates a detailed illustrative analysis quoting, “The water was cold. It was thick, like slush ice. Only it kind of lived. One part of you knowed it was just water, the same thing that had been running under this same bridge for a long time, yet when them logs would come spewing outen it, you were not surprised, like they was a part of water, of the waiting and the threat” (138). Through this powerful statement, Tull produces his first introduction of relating the river to the current of life and its accompanying difficulties. The river symbolizes an enormous obscurity. The logs represent the frequent obstacles that arise. He even mentions the idea that the logs are a part of the water. It is not surprising when the logs appear. Similarly, obstacles in life are inevitable; they are a vital component of the process of life. The Bundrens’ journey is filled with life-altering changes, but it is essential to rise above them in order to avoid defeat. Tull views the river as a test of strength. He focuses on the thought that “it was like we hadn’t expected the bridge to end on the other bank, on something tame like the hard earth again that we had tromped on before this time and knowed well” (138). Tull is providing a representation of the land as a sense of security and comfort. His intentions portray the idea that barriers are temporary and the rhythm of life carries on. Tull’s perspective on the family changes as the trek through the river begins. His narrative quickly jumps to a conversation he has with his wife, Cora. He relieves his bitterness towards Anse and creates a sense of duty and defense for him. Cora immediately places the blame of the devastating disaster that occurred in the river onto Anse. Cora notes that “if he had been a man, he would a been there instead of making his sons do what he dursn’t” (153). Tull retorts with “he couldn’t a done no good, if he’d been there” (153). It is obvious that the disaster in the river provides Tull with a new outlook not only on the Bundrens’ interrelationships, but also on the patterns of life. Cora repeatedly interweaves religious references and places the happenings onto the ultimate power quoting “it was the hand of God” (153). Cora displays the idea that God has the power, above all human form, to control the events of life. Tull argues, “nobody cant guard against the hand of God. It would be sacrilege to try to” (153). Tull realizes that life is not a controllable progression. Parallel to the river, the logs appear randomly and the river does not have the authority to interrupt their route. Tull originally felt the root of the problem derived from Anse’s lack of caring towards his family and its endeavors. He has come to a prominent conclusion that the events in life, corresponding to the river, are expected and irrepressible, but can be defeated with a sense of determination and will to move on. Darl is chosen to be one of the narrators describing the happenings of the river because of his thoughtful input concerning the wellbeing of his family. Darl is the component of the family that has the strongest will and motivation to continue being a unified family after the loss of their matriarch. He feels an immense change within the family dynamics that is internally tearing him apart. Upon approaching the river, he utilizes his description of the river to release pent up emotions. The river is an escape for him to relate to something concrete and physically stable. Darl focuses on his surroundings as he examines the river from afar. He notices his relatives on the other side as he states, “Yet they appeared dwarfed. It as though the space between us were time: an irrevocable quality. It is as though time, no longer running straight before us in a diminishing line, now runs parallel between us like a looping string, the distance being the doubling accretion of the thread and now the interval between” (145). Darl connects the distance between the two land areas surrounding the river to the emotional distance he feels towards the relationships within his family. The river is not only a physical issue, but also an icon for his personal greatest barrier: detachment from his relatives. According to Darl, the river is viewed as “that single monotony of desolation leaning with that terrific quality a little from right to left, as though we had reached the place where the motion of the wasted world accelerates just before the final precipice” (146). Darl recognizes that the river could perhaps be the conclusion of not only their expedition, but in a greater aspect, their family unison. He is projecting his personal thoughts pertaining to his family onto the river, which describes the complications in both his family as well as the river. He describes the scenario as a fusion of all the bottled emotions amplifying into something bigger than him. In order to keep the legitimacy of not only a vital family member, but also a trustworthy narrator, he subtly releases tension through his descriptions of the river. As Darl enters the river, he experiences the true importance of the voyage. He describes the river, “beneath that false blandness the true force of it leans against us lazily” (158). Darl provokes the idea that not everything is as it appears on the surface. Things are often examined through a shallow perspective, but beneath the surface is an underlying issue. Corresponding to the river, beneath the family’s aloofness is a greater, overbearing issue that has not been directly addressed. Each member of the family has his or her own distinct mechanism of coping with the death of Addie. Although it is obviously taking a toll on their interrelationships, her death has hardly been formally addressed. Because of the suppression of feelings, Darl is projecting the sadness of his mother as the “true force” of the current. Differentiating from two subtly objective narrators, the expressive and chaotic scene is depicted through Vardaman’s perception. It is perfectly placed in between Darl and Tull in order to allow the opportunity of emotional arousal. Vardaman provides the real, concrete feelings that are repressed in the narrations of Tull and Darl. Vardaman’s childlike qualities and immaturity permit him to be honest and intense. Vardaman views the river as the rival. He is frozen on the land, forbidden to be of assistance to his struggling loved ones. Vardaman’s only source of aid is to “holler” in order to make an effective impact on their attempt at retrieving the loose coffin (150). Vardaman notes that in the water “she could go faster than a man” (150). According to Vardaman, the river is a source of trickery and deceit. When Addie is moving along the current, she can escape the hands of the men that are “grabbeling to catch her” (151). The water embodies Vardaman’s worst fear: the absence of his mother. Vardaman comes to the realization that “Darl was strong and steady holding her under the water even if she did fight he would not let her go” (151). He watches as his mother is racing through the current in an effort to flee from the family, even after her life has ended. He has a sense that he will never be able to be with her again, which is something that is beyond his control. Vardaman has consistently referred to his mother as being a fish. The water instills a sense of fear because he considers this his mother’s home. He quotes, “You knew she is a fish and you let her get away” (151). He angrily accuses the river as the cause of Addie’s desire to be free, alive or dead. Vardaman has the inclination that the river is a symbol for the cause of his Addie’s nonexistence.
Although the river is never necessarily referred to later on in the novel, the happenings are instilled within each of the family member until the conclusion of the story. The river is a pivotal scene from the novel, not only because it is a physical barrier, but also because it is an emotional one. The family begins to self-reflect as they are devising plans to cross the rivers. Each member contains a different outlook on the situation and projects his thoughts onto the struggle. Through each separate narration, it is apparent that the family is completely dismembered and shattered. The loss of Addie seems to tear the family apart, rather than unite them together as a whole. The crossing of the river is seen as a mass of struggles combining to an enormous issue. As much as it could have benefited the family’s cause, it only allows their situation to remain the same, stuck in the misery of a loved one.
Works Cited
Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying. 1930. New York: Vintage, 1985. Print.