A Hidden Flower: Why Darl is the Hero of As I Lay Dying
Darl Bundren, throughout the narrative of As I Lay Dying, serves as a kind of narrator and voice of God, to the degree that we find ourselves able to take his descriptions as almost matter of fact. In the context of the story that Darl plays a large part in conveying, he appears aloof and disillusioned, mocking the selfish motivations of his family members, even when they have serious consequences. In this blog post, I will investigate how examination of Darl’s choices and attention in narration might elucidate his own “hero’s journey.” Darl’s “call to adventure,” or awakening from the “ordinary world” seems to begin before the actual events of the novel, in the flashback where he recalls the incident of Jewel purchasing the horse. Darl’s position in the Bundren family within the flashback seems drastically different from his attitude while Addie lies on her deathbed. Jewel suffers from a strange affliction of chronic fatigue that initially seems worrisome to the rest of his fami...