"We've got to hold on to what we've got"

“‘The Lord giveth,’ we say. ‘The Lord giveth.’” (86)

Faulkner chooses to only say part of this famous line. It is the beginning of Job’s verse, “The Lord giveth and He taketh away.” Clearly, all of the mourners repeat this line to emphasize the final part of the verse in an effort to comfort the family’s grief, however, they never actually say the ending.

Faulkner knows that most who are reading the book would know of the verse and infer the meaning in this context, however, Faulkner may be connecting this line with another aspect of the text.

The entire book of As I Lay Dying focuses on the cycle – primarily the end – of life; so much so that the word ‘dying’ is placed in the title. Yet, another part of the cycle of life enters the plot through the impregnation of Dewey Dell, the teenage daughter of the dying woman, Addie Bundren. In fact, Dewey Dell becomes pregnant as Addie lays dying.

Many times, life and death go hand in hand. As one person dies, another is born to show the never-ending cycle. Faulkner uses this to his advantage; by only saying “The Lord giveth,” he tells the readers that God gave the baby to Dewey Dell. The verse is repeated many times over to stress the power of God. In fact, the manner in which he does this can almost imply that he reverses the famous line: the Lord takes and He gives. The Lord takes Addie and gives a new generation of Bundren to the family.

However, this baby is not seen as a gift. Dewey Dell looks upon her pregnancy only as a problem that needs to be fixed. She wants an abortion before her family finds out. The weight of her pregnancy is only another burden that she is forced to handle during her mother’s passing. Since Dewey Dell is now the only female of the house, she must take up the role of cooking and cleaning for the five Bundren men. With the family’s poverty and physical injuries (such as Cash’s leg), it becomes even harder for Dewey Dell to care for her family’s needs.

All of these burdens on the family are partially commented on by Anse. He still believes in God, but is surprised that he is given so many problems with which to deal. This again connects with the repetition of Job. “The Lord giveth” the family their problems or their burdens almost by fate. The title references the curse of the Atreus house, a family those problems were literally fated by the Greek gods. The Bundren family is meant to represent this family and the burdens that they bear over generations. The foreseen ‘fate’ of the family is noted in their name: Bundren, a very close spelling to burden.

“Now he's holding in what he used to make it talk

So tough, it's tough

Gina dreams of running away

When she cries in the night

Tommy whispers: Baby

It's okay, someday

We've got to hold on to what we've got

'Cause it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not”

-          “Livin’ On A Prayer” By Bon Jovi