Captured in the Prison of Language: Identity Crisis of Anse Bundren

For William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying, readers pay instant attention to Darl and Addie, reflected in the large amount of academic criticism on these two characters. Lack of focus on the father, Anse Bundren, however, does not indicate the absence of significance. The whole text reveals Anse’s problematic patriarchal identity, as indicated in his relationship with his wife and children. His wife declares his death after the birth of the second child. Most of his orders are not obeyed by his children. Starting from the observation, this essay attempts to explore the causation, Anse’s response to it, and its social implication. Close reading and general psychoanalysis are employed to analyze this text, with Anse’s loss of the traditionally defined masculinity as the focus. The findings include that health problem prevents Anse from laboring and therefore executing his male power, which renders his identity uncertain. In his reaction to this crisis, he resorts to language, but falls into its prison, unconsciously creating a widening gap between words and deeds. As for the social implication, Anse’s loss of identity represents the societal struggle of the South after the Civil War. With this paper, the author hopes to contribute to the diversity of interpretation of this novel.