“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 Lay Dying, as well as several of his other novels, resembles the bucolic nature of his hometown. He embodies his hometown through the fictional setting, Yoknapatawpha, which is consistent in all of his stories. Faulkner is well 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 experienced narrators in As I Lay Dying. Faulkner's stories do not attempt to depict the beauty of Southern culture, but rather its realistic and negative aspects. This also helps to develop the gothic nature of his writings. Faulkner's novel, As I Lay Dying, is the epitome of Southern Gothic writing and is a great contribution to Southern literature. Faulkner uses As I Lay Dying to address the strain placed on family bonds during impending 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 Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayFaulkner uses animal symbolism to maximize communication between the narrator and 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 “tempered rooster”, Jewel’s mother is said to be a horse and Vardaman claims that her mother is a fish (White, 2008, p.1). The use of these “animetaphors” invigorates the language and enhances the reader’s understanding of how each character perceives Addie’s loss (White, 2008, p.1). Because the book only gives the inner thoughts of the narrator, the observations and descriptions of the animals allow body language to be felt. Each main character exercises an animal metaphor in a different way. Dewey Dell's description of the cow shows her heightened sense of insight due to her pregnancy (White, 2008, p.7). She connects her emotional and physical state to that of the cow by chastising, “You’ll just have to wait.” What you have in you is nothing compared to what I have in me, even though you are also a woman” (Faulkner, 1957, p. 63). The intimacy of his relationship with the cow is linked to the loss of his female role model, even if his thoughts on the subject are selfish. Furthermore, Darl's description of the "unbridled and inarticulate" mules not only juxtaposes with his "superbly 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 emotional states and abilities of the characters. Faulkner employs a different type of symbolism to demonstrate individual personality and their ability to cope. By describing a character's eyes, Faulkner tells the reader about the character's emotional state. Jewel's eyes are the most described of all the characters, which is interesting since it is the least present throughout the novel. His personality is revealed to the audience through the description of “his eyes like eyes of pale wood” (Faulkner, 1957, p. 18). This symbolizes Jewel's unyielding strength and reliability, which is evident throughout the novel, supported by the dedication and hard work required to purchase herhorse. Another example of this is Darl describing Jewel's eyes as "alert and hard" (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 brokenness following the death of her mother as well as her harsh and cold nature towards the rest of her family. The description of Addie's eyes also provides important insight into the story. Addie's death is described as her eyes being "two flames [that] glow for a constant moment." Then they go out as if someone had leaned over and blown on them” (Faulkner, 1957, p. 48). The comparison between Addie and a flame shows her untamed nature which was broken during her life with Anse. When the flame goes out, it symbolizes the end of his life as well as the end of his untamed spirit. The description of Dewey Dell's eyes gives 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 his own problems. His eyes are often described by associations with dark and dangerous objects. The Bundrens' neighbor describes her as having eyes like “guns” (Faulkner, 1957, p 115). This alludes to her anger and distrust towards anyone due to her secret pregnancy. Dewey Dell's eyes are also described as "as black as ever" (Faulkner, 1957, p. 199). The color black symbolizes the fear and remorse she feels over her unwanted pregnancy, as well as mourning the death of her mother. Through extensive use of color symbolism and allusions to eyes, Faulkner provides insight into the characters' personalities. The tension between Jewel and Darl is the novel's enigmatic conflict that leads the reader to understand how family ties affect one's ability to endure after the loss of a family member. The most obvious example of this tension is Jewel's constant presence in Darl's stories. This is proof of Darl's unnatural obsession with his younger brother. According to Elizabeth Hayes, the conflict was the result of Addie's favoritism towards Jewel and her dislike of Darl (Hayes, 1992, p.5). Another example of family ties linked to a death is the absence of Jewel's stories 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 unrelated to Darl or any other family member, leading to his apparent distance and coldness from the rest of his family. The tense and nervous dialogue between the two brothers also proves this tension. The conflict between Jewel and Darl ultimately leads to Darl's estrangement from the family who may be primarily responsible for his madness. This proves that family ties contribute to a person's ability to remain rational after a traumatic loss. Each character's textual voice reveals their emotional stability and composure, which reveal their strength after the loss of the family matriarch. Faulkner varies his use of italics, punctuation, paragraphing, and speaker identification to reinforce his use of textual voice (Hayes, 1992, p.1). At the beginning of the novel, Darl appears to be the more logical character because his language is controlled and punctuated, but as he loses control of language, it is evident that he is also losing control of his reason. An example of Darl's textual voice change is present in his final monologue when his tense shifts from first to third person. His ramblings of “yes, yes, yes, yes, yes” prove his change in textual voice, which reflects his change in emotional state and