Sin and Salvation

Sin and Salvation, Book 1

Sartoris

Sin and Salvation, Book 2

The Sound and the Fury

The Corrected Text

Addie Bundren, the mother figure of an impoverished Southern household, is gravely sick and predicted to pass away shortly. Her eldest son, Cash, using his adept woodworking skills, constructs her coffin within her sight. As Addie’s health deteriorates, two of her sons, Darl and Jewel, depart to run an errand for their neighbor, Vernon Tull. Following their departure, Addie passes away. Vardaman, the youngest of the Bundren children, equates his mother's death to the death of a fish he had caught and cleaned earlier that day. Upon Addie’s death, the family holds a funeral service where women sing hymns in their home while the men converse outside. The family, despite its hardships, is committed to fulfilling Addie's dying wish of being buried in the town of Jefferson.

Darl and Jewel return days later to find their home swarmed by buzzards, signifying their mother’s death. Despite the burdensome journey to Jefferson, Anse, Addie’s husband, insists on fulfilling her dying wish, influenced by his own desire for false teeth. The journey is tumultuous, marked by a mishap at a river where a stray log upsets their wagon, causing the coffin to be knocked out, reinjury to Cash's broken leg, and the drowning of their mules. With the help of their neighbor Vernon Tull, they manage to retrieve the coffin and continue their journey.

Their journey reveals more about the family's past and the various tribulations they face. Cora Tull, Vernon's wife, reveals Addie's past affair with the local minister, Whitfield, which resulted in Jewel's birth. During their journey, they face negative reactions from townsfolk repulsed by the smell from the coffin. Dewey Dell, Addie's only daughter and pregnant from a recent sexual encounter with a local farmhand, is denied a drug to abort her pregnancy. Amid their journey, Darl, disillusioned with their mission, attempts to burn their mother's coffin, only to be stopped by Jewel. Upon their arrival in Jefferson, the Bundrens bury Addie, declare Darl as insane to avoid litigation for the attempted arson, and commit him to a mental institution. The ordeal concludes with their father, Anse, introducing them to his new wife, a local woman he met while borrowing shovels to bury Addie.


Sin and Salvation Books in Order (7 Book Series)

Sartoris

Sin and Salvation, Book 1

The Sound and the Fury

Sin and Salvation, Book 2

As I Lay Dying

The Corrected Text

Sanctuary

Sin and Salvation, Book 4

Light in August

Absalom, Absalom!

Sin and Salvation, Book 6

Requiem for a Nun

Sin and Salvation, Book 7

What To Read Next

Sin and Salvation Books in Order (7 Book Series)

Sartoris

Sin and Salvation, Book 1

The Sound and the Fury

Sin and Salvation, Book 2

As I Lay Dying

The Corrected Text

Sanctuary

Sin and Salvation, Book 4

Light in August

Absalom, Absalom!

Sin and Salvation, Book 6

Requiem for a Nun

Sin and Salvation, Book 7

What To Read Next

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