1. As I Lay Dying
Characters

2. Addie Bundren She’s the dead lady that Cash is making the coffin for.
Mother of Cash, Jewel, Dewey Dell, Darl and Vardaman (who at one point suggests that she is a fish)
Former schoolteacher—bitter about her life with husband Anse
Favors Jewel among her kids.
Doesn’t have much to say in the book but more than you might expect from a dead person.

3. Anse Bundren He’s the dad, a poor farmer. Hunchback
Lazy, self-pitying, incredibly selfish
Not in the running for “Father of the Year”
Not held in high regard by those who know him

4. Cash Bundren Oldest Bundren offspring Skilled and careful carpenter
Stoic and selfless, the opposite of his dad
His stoicism gets a little ridiculous at the end.
As close to normal as the Bundrens get

5. Darl Bundren Next oldest after Cash The sensitive “artistic” Bundren
Articulate, which makes his sections interesting but sometimes difficult
More than any of the others, Darl is bummed about hauling dead Mom’s coffin all over the countryside

6. Jewel Bundren Illegitimate child of Addie and the local minister.
Like another ministerial mistake, Pearl, he is very willful
A little hard to understand his motivation sometimes
Dedicated to the coffin idea
Your view of him will change by the end of the novel.

7. Dewey Dell Bundren Only daughter 17 and secretly pregnant
Desperate to end the pregnancy
100% ignorant of biological issues

8. Vardaman Bundren Youngest child
Seems, at first, to be a little mentally challenged, but by the end you understand him better.
Strangely connects his dead mom with a dead fish—this does not speak well of either the mom or the fish

9. Vernon Tull A neighbor to the Bundrens
Also a farmer but a more successful one
Helps the Bundrens but is a critic of the dad
Comparatively reliable voice in the book

10. Cora Tull Vernon’s wife
Deeply religious—to the point that it can cloud her judgement
Is with Addie when Addie dies
Thinks Addie was impious, sinful, and full of pride

11. Cast of thousands
There are 8 or 10 more characters that inhabit this novel.
I know it seems like a lot of folks to keep track of, but you will come to know the Bundrens so well that they will be easy.
These other characters all have their function in the novel but are minor compared to the Bundrens and the Tulls.