The damaged epic family pathology in As I Lay Dying

The aim of this paper is to elucidate the narrative strategies that build the pathological family relationships in one of William Faulkner’s most remarkable novels, this being a representative literary expression of the increased complexity in affective relationships after modernity, an outstanding issue still today. By combining a narratological interpretation and a psychological interpretation, the proposed analysis examines the motivations, problems and contradictions of the characters of As I Lay Dying in connection with the particular historical context they live in. That context is characterized by lack, repression and the imposition of strict social roles, which strongly influences their subjectivity, as Faulkner typically shows. Ultimately, the paper also investigates the social origin of the emotional dysfunctionality defining the personality of every character and its entrenchment in the family institution as a basic socialization structure.