“As I lay dying, the woman with the dog’s eyes would not close my eyes as I descended into Hades.”
Faulkner takes inspiration from this quote from Homer’s The Odyssey for the title of his novel As I Lay Dying. Trojan-war commander Agamemnon proclaims this after his wife’s lover murders him. “The woman with the dog’s eyes” refers to Agamemnon’s wife (Clytemnestra), with the phrase “the dog’s eyes” calling out Clytemnestra for cheating. The latter half of the quote conveys Agamemnon’s inability to find peace in his death because of Clytemnestra. His wife “would not close his eyes,” as in letting him rest, as he “descended into Hades,” or died -- she refused to give him peace as he not only found that she was cheating on him but also died at Clytemnestra’s lover’s hand.
The fact that Faulkner uses this quote directly in the title of his book shows that he created a connection between As I Lay Dying and The Odyssey. In searching for parallels between the stories told by Faulkner and Homer, I found two separate ways to explain the similarities between the two plots. I want to interpret Faulkner’s choice of title in two ways: with Anse as Agamemnon and Addie as Clytemnestra, and then with Addie as Agamemnon and Anse as Clytemnestra.
One way in which Anse is connected to Agamemnon is through the behavior of their wives. Just as Clytemnestra cheated on Agamemnon despite their marriage, Addie also cheated on Anse, though it’s not known whether Anse knew about Addie’s infidelity. In Agamemnon’s quote, his main complaint is that his wife Clytemnestra haunts him even in death, not allowing him to find peace. Anse, in the same way, is affected by Addie long after her death -- her last wish pushes him on a dangerous journey to bury her in town, and she also leaves him a fake “son,” Jewel, who is a result of her disloyalty to Anse. One could even say that although Anse is very obviously alive, he is “dying” in his own way, rotting from the inside out (considering his horrible personality, this isn’t too far-fetched). Or perhaps Anse is “dying”/descending into Hades because he is a sinner; if God is real, then Anse is going to hell, not heaven, which means that Anse (in the long run) is dying. Though not as important, I think it’s notable that Addie calls Anse dead as well. Anse is dead to Addie, though he may not be dead in real life.
However, there are a couple of problems with this interpretation. Whether Addie was trying to haunt Anse or not, she ultimately fails at being a constant pressure and guilt in Anse’s life. Anse moves on quite quickly from Addie’s death, finding a new wife in town and looking none the worse after burying his wife and finally getting his new teeth. Also, it’s revealed at the end of the novel that Anse’s true reason for going to town is not for Addie, but for himself. He’s searching for a replacement for Addie as well as looking to finally get new teeth. Anse’s actions throughout the novel aren’t because of any kind of guilt or remorse for Addie, but for his own selfish reasons.
The other way to view the relationship between Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Homer’s The Odyssey relies on understanding Addie as Agamemnon and Anse as Clytemnestra. Although this changes the gender narrative and Anse doesn’t physically cheat on Addie, in this interpretation, both Addie and Agamemnon die, in part due to their respective spouses, while Anse and Clytemnestra live. Here, just as Agamemnon is unable to find solace, dying an unfair death at the hands of his wife’s lover, Addie also is unable to find solace not only in her death but in her life as well. Anse doesn’t cheat on her, but Addie feels cheated by Anse in that she feels he tricked her into marrying him and into a life she doesn’t want. Even in death, Anse doesn’t call the doctor until the last moment, essentially killing Addie, and even disrespects her dying wish by using her death as a cover to go to town for his new teeth and a new wife. Anse refuses to show consideration toward Addie even after she dies.
Viewing The Odyssey and As I Lay Dying from both directions paints the whole picture of Faulkner’s intent as he titled his novel. I don’t think that there’s a “right way” to understand the association that Faulkner creates between his work and Homer’s work. Perhaps there is a specific way in which Faulkner wanted his reader to understand his novel, but in my opinion, both interpretations are important. Addie as Agamemnon, or Anse as Agamemnon -- what do you guys think?
Nice post! I think the parallel between The Odyssey and I Lay Dying is really interesting, and I'm glad you wrote about it since we didn't discuss much in class. I wonder if Anse's "death" from Addie's perspective can also be connected to her infidelity since she begins to describe him as dead after Darl is born, which I assume is around the same time her affair starts. Maybe Faulkner had both interpretations in mind while writing the book since both Addie and Anse disrespect their spouses and are, in some way, dead or dying.
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