Reading Questions

1. Anse Bundren may be one of the most feckless characters in literature, but why do you think his neighbors repeatedly come to his aid? Is it out of pity, respect, guilt, charity, community...or is Anse that good at manipulation?

2. Faulkner allows Darl and Vardaman to express themselves in language that would be impossible given their lack of education and experience in the world. Why does Faulkner break with the realistic representation of character in this way?

3. Which are the most sympathetic voices in the novel? Discuss which characters you most and least identify with.

4. What does Darl's tale of how Jewel bought his first horse reveal about Jewel's personality and his relationship with his family?

5. What does the novel reveal about the ways in which human beings deal with death, grieving, and letting go of loved ones?

6. Is Tull and Jewel's search in the river for Cash's tools an act of love or obligation?