Religion: As i lay dying

As a modernist author in the early 20th century, Faulkner criticizes the institution of religion in ''As I Lay Dying'' as the characters within the novel misuse their belief for their own self service.

HIstorical time period

• Literary modernism popular during the early 20th century
• Due to World World I, "Modernist writers broke convention by writing frankly about sex, by insulting religion, and by arguing passionately that the poor were not poor simply because of moral depravity" (Milne)

Whitfield

• Whitfield represents the corruption within religion through his use of God as an excuse.
• He tries to convince himself that he is innocent by saying “Have I not wrestled thigh to thigh with Satan myself? Let me not have also the sin of her broken vow upon my soul”(Faulkner, 178).
• He states that he has already taken care of his sins and fought for them, so the affair should not be on his soul.
• Although both Whitfield and Addie are at equal fault, Whitfield calls it “the sin of her [Addie] broken vow” (178). He solely puts the blame of Addie for allowing him to break her vow of marriage.

anse

• Anse constantly uses God as a way to justify his laziness.
• He claims that "I done my best, I tried to do as she would wish it. The Lord will pardon me and excuse the conduct of them He sent me." (106)
• Anse's act of playing the victim surfaces as he tries to assert himself as hardworking and caring by saying that he's done his best abiding to Addie's wishes.
• Although all he really wants is his new teeth. So he rationalizes it by believing that God will "pardon" and "excuse" him for it.

cora