Finding a Hero's Journey in As I Lay Dying

William Faulkner's Tragic Air Circus

I think the narrative pattern of the hero’s journey can still be deciphered in such a storytelling style. Although complicated and at times difficult to figure out, there is still a journey and a larger story. It may not be particularly heroic, and most of the characters aren’t sympathetic, but I think there is room within the hero’s journey for sad stupid people and their journeys. 

Many of the stylistic choices of As I Lay Dying aren’t barriers to it being a hero’s journey. While a much more clear-cut hero’s journey, and simplified for his younger audience, Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series has a similar style, with 7 main characters and ~9 different POVs, nonlinear plotting, and somewhat stream-of-consciousness interior monologue. While none of the narrators in the series are unreliable, they all have secrets they keep from each other and the reader, and they all have different goals that give them different perspectives, like in As I Lay Dying. 


Also like the Heroes of Olympus series, I would argue that each character in As I Lay Dying embarks on their own journey and is their own hero, and they have a group journey as well. In the Heroes of Olympus series, across various books, Percy wants to regain his memory, Annabeth has to follow the mark of Athena, Frank learns how to use his powers, etc, but collectively the demigods are trying to defeat the forces of Gaea. Likewise, in As I Lay Dying, the characters are collectively trying to bury Addie, but Anse wants to get teeth, Dewey Dell wants an abortion, Vardaman wants to see the train, etc.


Another potential issue with it being a hero’s journey is its emotional distance from many of the characters, especially near the end. We only have one Jewel chapter, and we stop getting Anse POV chapters around the start of the journey. We don’t get to see the children’s reaction to the new Mrs. Bundren, or Dewey Dell’s thoughts after the pharmacy visit. This is a bit of a barrier to understanding the Apotheosis or Master of Two Worlds step. However, other undeniable hero’s journeys also have emotional distance from the protagonist, for example, fairy tales, and they have clear apotheoses, because you can infer what the characters are feeling. 


Overall, individually, none of the aspects of As I Lay Dying prevent it from being a hero’s journey. So although all together these aspects make it more confusing, none of them detract from the hero’s journey. 


Comments

  1. KralDecember 20, 2022 at 1:21 PM

    I think that As I Lay Dying omits or otherwise acts unconcerned with vital parts of the Hero's Journey, which inherently present obstacles to interpreting As I Lay Dying as a Journey. I wrote my essay about how even though Ultimate Boons are present, they are treated with such unimportance at the end of the book that the Return stage barely exists, therefore making As I Lay Dying not a Hero's Journey.

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  2. JeanaDecember 20, 2022 at 1:54 PM

    I liked the way you formatted your blog post. It was interesting to see you draw connections between Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus (literally has the word "hero" in the name, haha) and As I Lay Dying in the broader context of the hero's journey. Though it's true that both books have similar ways in which the plot is established, I still have a little bit of trouble finding the specific steps of the hero's journey within As I Lay Dying, so I can't say for sure whether As I Lay Dying conforms to the hero's journey monomyth. Nice post!

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