What happens in Chapter 35 of As I Lay Dying?
In this chapter, Vardaman stands on the riverbank, watching Cash struggle before she falls in. Darl dives in after her, vanishing beneath the water. Vardaman races along the bank, shouting, while Dewey Dell calls out to him. Vernon passes Vardaman on the bank. The mules thrash with stiff legs, creating a chaotic scene. Vernon hesitates, refusing to jump in and help. Vardaman believes Darl is the best at grabbing and will manage to save her. As Darl makes his way past the mules and approaches the bank, Vardaman thinks he has her and that everything will turn out fine. Vardaman steps into the water to help. But when Darl comes up, his hands are empty. Vardaman asks where their mother is, accusing Darl of knowing she was a fish but letting her slip away, and he continues to run along the bank, observing the mules dive up and down again.
Analysis
The chapter unfolds entirely through Vardaman's first-person stream of consciousness, capturing a child's voice with minimal punctuation. The long run-on sentences and the repetition of words—particularly "hollering" and "catch her Darl"—create a frantic, breathless rhythm that reflects a young boy witnessing events beyond his control. Vardaman refers to the coffin and his mother's body as "she" and "her," blending the line between the container and the person inside. He even calls his mother a fish, applying a child's logic to the river: if she is in the water and moving through it, she must be a fish.
The recurring motif of the drowning mules—with their stiff legs rolling as they dive up and down—gives the river a harsh, mechanical feel. Vernon's refusal to enter the water highlights Darl's struggle and underscores the family's isolation. The chapter builds on a rising wave of false hope: Vardaman's insistence that "it was all right now" leads to what seems like a rescue, only to shatter when Darl's hands emerge "empty out of the water emptying the water emptying away." The repetition of "empty" three times embodies the sense of loss. The transition from present-tense panic to the concluding quoted exchange, where Vardaman speaks directly to Darl, signifies the moment hope gives way to grief. The chapter closes with Vardaman still running and the mules still diving—an image of unresolved motion.
Key quotes from Chapter 35
“it was all right now it was all right now it was all right.”
As Darl comes in slowly toward the bank, Vardaman convinces himself the rescue has succeeded.
“his hands came empty out of the water emptying the water emptying away.”
Vardaman watches Darl surface after the struggle in the river, expecting him to have the coffin.
““Where is ma, Darl?” I said. “You never got her. You knew she is a fish but you let her get away. You never got her. Darl. Darl. Darl.””
At the end of the chapter, after Darl surfaces with empty hands, Vardaman speaks directly to Darl.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 35
- grabbler
- A regional term for someone who catches fish by hand, reaching into the water or under banks to grab them directly.