Date of Award
Spring 5-2-2025
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English and Linguistics
Department Chair or Program Director
Lorentzen, Eric
First Advisor
Gary Richards
Major or Concentration
English (Creative Writing Concentration)
Abstract
William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and James Joyce’s Ulysses utilize both multiple perspectives, but what they both share is a single chapter granted to a complex maternal figure. With Addie Bundren in As I Lay Dying, her chapter comes in the middle, and she quickly breaks down any notions the family had of her in the first half of the novel, altering the tone and complicating the family’s grief. Conversely, Molly Bloom’s singular chapter in Ulysses are the final words of a novel hundreds of pages in length. Through pure stream of consciousness, she shares the grossest parts of her mind, adding a realistic end to the novel’s affirmation of life. These women are vital parts of their respective stories, deepening their meanings by adding a realistic complexity. They are only given singular chapters, but they stick in the minds of their readers with as much prominence as those given pages upon pages of their voice.
Recommended Citation
Tully, Rowan I., "“Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes”: Singular Female Perspectives in As I Lay Dying and Ulysses" (2025). Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects. 618.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/618