Anse (110-111)

In the novel, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, Anse addresses many important topics and conflicts he endures presently within the story. While addressing these issues he describes a very interesting scene of the river near Samson’s house. Faulkner uses syntax to draw attention to this line and help emphasize the importance of this scene to the novel as a whole. The author also includes biblical references to magnify the impact of this scene to the readers. By using both biblical references and syntactical devices, William Faulkner helps create the proper mood and gives the reader necessary knowledge for the novel.
One of the narrators of the novel, As I Lay Dying, is Anse Bundren who believes himself to be a very unlucky man. Earlier in the passage, Anse claims he works hard to one day be rewarded in Heaven, as he keeps his faith in God. In the statement in question, Anse illustrates the properties of the river and its unusual height. “There was old men that hadn’t never see nor hear of it being so in the memory of man,” this sentence is particularly interesting because of the syntactical structure of the thought. Faulkner first accommodates the image of the old men talking to the reader in the first half of the sentence, however, the end of the sentence contains “in the memory of man.” This statement is very important because it not only dramatizes the scene but it initiates a specific time frame for the reader. When someone says “the memory of man,” a person will automatically think back to what we believe was the first appearance of man. This term could also refer to a biblical reference in B.C. time. The imagery of the river rising to amazing heights could be referring to the Great Flood when God destroyed all on the earth that was bad. The connotation of water is pure and healing which can therefore justify the thesis of this statement having biblical background.
Hence, the novel by William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying, includes several key terms and concepts. Faulkner represents these concepts by incorporating both literary and rhetorical devices within the text. All of these techniques contribute to the novel either through enhancing mood or triggering the grasp of intense ideas. Faulkner inserts such devices to give the reader a better understanding of the work.






I chose the picture of the Great Flood and Noah’s Ark because the quote includes a biblical allusion to this event. The quote has qualities which foreshadow a similar event where “sinners” and all bad things will be washed away and healed. The picture is a perfect visual image of the process described. The waters near the bottom of the picture are rough and treacherous which indicate the difficult and unbearable emotions and occasions that are destined to occur. The waters near the ark however, are calm and serene which illustrate how after harsh difficulties or “storms,” a person will find peace.