"My mother is a fish" is perhaps the most famous quote from William Faulkner's Southern Gothic novel, As I Lay Dying (Faulkner, 1957, p. 84 ). William Cuthbert Faulkner was born in 1897 in Oxford, Mississippi. The setting of As I Died, as well as many of his other novels, recalls the bucolic nature of his hometown. He embodies his hometown through the fictional setting, Yoknapatawpha, which is consistent throughout his stories. Faulkner is known for creating the genre known as Southern Gothic, which exemplifies Southern culture and tradition. He established this genre of writing through his experimental writing, such as the multiple narrators he experimented with in As I Lay Dying. Faulkner's stories do not attempt to portray the beauty of Southern culture, but the realistic and negative parts. This also helps develop the gothic nature of his writings. Faulkner's novel, As I Lay Dying, is the epitome of Southern Gothic writing and represents a great contribution to Southern literature. Faulkner uses As I Lay Dying to address the strain placed on family bonds during a close death. Faulkner uses animal metaphors, eye symbolism, character tension, and textual voice to demonstrate a person's ability to cope with the loss of a loved one. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Faulkner uses animal symbolism to maximize communication between the narrator and the reader to reveal the emotional state of the characters. Faulkner skillfully juxtaposes the main characters and animals to reveal important characteristics. Anse is compared to a "dipped rooster", Jewel's mother is said to be a horse, and Vardaman states that her mother is a fish (White, 2008, p.1). The use of these “soul metaphors” invigorates the language and enhances the reader's understanding of how each character views the loss of Addie (White, 2008, p.1). Because the book provides only the narrator's internal thoughts, the observations and descriptions of the animals allow for a sense of body language. Each main character exercises the animal metaphor differently. Dewey Dell's description of the cow shows her heightened sense of perceptiveness due to pregnancy (White, 2008, p.7). He relates his emotional and physical state to that of the cow by scolding: "You just have to wait. What you have in you is nothing compared to what I have in me, even if you are a woman too" (Faulkner, 1957, page 63). The intimacy of his relationship with the cow is tied to the loss of his female role model, even if his thoughts on the matter are selfish. Furthermore, Darl's description of the “unrestrained and inarticulate” mules not only juxtaposes with his “exquisitely controlled language,” but also foreshadows his descent into madness (White, 2008, p.7). Faulkner's use of animal symbols and metaphors creates a deeper understanding of the characters' emotional states and abilities. Faulkner uses another type of symbolism to demonstrate individual personality and ability to cope. By describing a character's eyes, Faulkner relates his emotional state to the reader. Jewel's eyes are the best described of all the characters, which is interesting given that it is the least present in the entire novel. His personality is revealed to the audience through the description of “his eyes as pale wooden eyes” (Faulkner, 1957, p. 18). This symbolizes Jewel's unyielding strength and dependability, which is evident throughout the novel, supported by the dedication and hard work required to purchase her horse. Another example of this is that Darl describes eyesof Jewel as “alert and tough” (Faulkner, 1957, p. 146). Tull describes Jewel as having eyes that “look like pieces of a broken plate” (Faulkner, 1957, p. 26). This symbolizes Jewel's fragility upon her mother's death as well as her harsh and cold nature towards the rest of her family. The description of Addie's eyes also provides important information about the story. Addie's death is described as if her eyes were "two flames [that] shine for a fixed instant. Then they go out as if someone had bent down and breathed on them" (Faulkner, 1957, p. 48). The comparison between Addie and a flame shows her wild nature that was broken during her life with Anse. When the flame goes out, it symbolizes the end of his life and the end of his wild spirit. The description of Dewey Dell's eyes provides more information about his selfish nature than his feelings about his mother's death. However, Dewey Dell's selfishness reveals his lack of care for his mother due to her problems. His eyes are often described by associations with dark and dangerous objects. Bundren's neighbor describes her as having eyes like "guns" (Faulkner, 1957, p 115). This alludes to her anger and distrust of anyone due to her secret pregnancy. Dewey Dell's eyes are also described as "blacker than ever" seen (Faulkner, 1957, p. 199). The color black symbolizes the fear and remorse she feels over the unwanted pregnancy, as well as the mourning over her mother's death. Through extensive use of color symbolism and eye allusions, Faulkner allows us to better understand the personalities of the characters. The tension between Jewel and Darl is the novel's cryptic conflict that leads the reader to understand how family bonds influence one's ability to endure afterward. the loss of a family member. The most obvious example of this tension is the constant presence of Jewel in Darl's narratives. This is evidence of Darl's unnatural obsession with his younger brother. According to Elizabeth Hayes, the conflict is the result of Addie's favoritism towards Jewel and her dislike of Darl (Hayes, 1992, p.5). Another example of family ties surrounding a death is Jewel's lack of narration after Addie's death. His voice is presented through Darl's unreliable speech. Jewel's mother was the only thing that connected him to the rest of the family. Born from an affair, he was not fully related to Darl or any other family member, which led to his apparent distance and coldness from the rest of his family. The tense and cutting dialogue between the two brothers also demonstrates this tension. The conflict between Jewel and Darl ultimately leads to Darl's alienation from the family that may be primarily responsible for his madness. This shows that family bonds participate in a person's ability to remain rational after a traumatic loss. Each character's textual voice reveals their emotional stability and composure, which reveals their strength after losing the family matriarch. Faulkner varies the use of italics, punctuation, paragraphs, and speaker identification to reinforce the use of textual voice (Hayes, 1992, p.1). At the beginning of the novel, Darl emerges as the more logical character as his speech is controlled and punctuated, but when he loses control of his language it is evident that he is also losing control of his sanity. An example of Darl's textual voice change is present in his last monologue when his tense shifts from first to third person. His rambling, “yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,” demonstrates his change in textual voice, which mirrors his change in emotional and mental state (Faulkner, 1957, p. 253). The short monologues e