William Faulkner is an American novelist whose major work is As I Lay Dying. Faulkner gave each of his characters traits that are expressed throughout the story. The reader learns about each character through their detailed and descriptive character traits. We are able to delve into the character's mind and see their personal and distinctive traits. He doesn't tell us anything about the characters, but he takes us into the minds of each character to analyze what we see there. Even though these characters lead parallel lives, we see the total alienation and breakdown of relationships between them. Darl, Jewel, and Anse possess character traits that contribute to or cause the breakdown of their relationship. Anse Bundren is a poor farmer, married to Addie for over thirty years. He is lazy and selfish and relies heavily on his family and friends. Anse's selfishness is what separates him from his two sons, Darl and Jewel. For example, the trip to Jefferson to bury his deceased wife was a promise he made to Addie, but his continued perseverance to improve himself reveals his true selfishness. Despite the trials along the way and Addie's body rotting and attracting buzzards, he only cares about getting to Jefferson to buy his new teeth. He uses Addie's death to fulfill his own selfish motives. After Addie's death, Anse says, "But now I can give them teeth." It will be a comfort. (Faulkner 28). The only reason Anse is going on this journey is to get his new teeth. He further shows his selfishness when their mules are drowned in the flood. He makes a deal with a relative to trade Cash's eight dollars and Jewel's beloved horse for a new team of mules. Third, Anse is so worrisome... middle of paper...... that they are separated from each other despite everything they share together. Faulkner shows us that with Addie's death, the flood, the fire, and the decay of flesh that should have brought them together, they are too absorbed in themselves to ever get closer. Works Cited Backman, Melvin. Faulkner: the great years; : A critical study. Indiana University Press 1966 Blotner, Joseph. Faulkner: A Biography (Southern Icons) University Press of Mississippi, 2005Faulkner, William. As I was dying. New York: Vintage, 1987.Getty, Laura J. “Faulkner's As I Die” The Explanator. 64.3 (2005): 230. Gale. Internet. October 3, 2011 Humphrey, Robert. Stream of Consciousness in the Modern Novel University of California Press, 1968 Vickery, Olga W. The Novels of William Faulkner: A Critical Interpretation, LSU Press, April 1, 1995