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This talks about the importance of family communication in a more modern sense, yet they values still hold true to AILD and Frankenstein. It discusses how children raised with poor communication skills cycles into family crisis, confusion and lack of self-esteem. These are all things faced by the characters of these 2 books. 

"When we are born we are conscious only of ourselves, we are the universe. We perceive little  other than our basic needs, and if these needs are met we are content. As our consciousness  expands we become aware of a world outside ourselves. We discover that there are people,  places, and things around us, and that they fulfill our needs" "Most children, through experiences over a period of time, come to realize that the outside  world cannot provide all their wants and needs. They begin to supplement what is given to  them with their own efforts." This article discusses how children grow to self sufficiency when they realize their is more to the world than their own selfish needs. We see, however, that in AILD almost none of the characters grow out of this childish ideology.

This site discusses the grief process of young children. In a normal situation, kids are typically suppose to do a lot of questioning to somehow rationalize the situation. In AILD, however, we see that Vardaman is unable to ask these questions, which is detrimental to his growing process. 

"A mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and/or behavior, resulting in an inability to cope with life's ordinary demands and routines."

"Your family member's behavior may be as dismaying to them as it is to you. Ask questions, listen with an open mind and be there to support them."

This article discusses mental disorders within the family unit and how to respond to mental disorders of family members. The first tactic the article stresses is the communication one must maintain with the effected family member. Contrary to this approach, in As I Lay Dying, the Bundrens refuse to discuss the corrupted mental function of Darl. They try to find the root of the issue or even support their struggling family member.

"When coping with a death, you may go through all kinds of emotions. You may be sad, worried, or scared. You might be shocked, unprepared, or confused. You might be feeling angry, cheated, relieved, guilty, exhausted, or just plain empty."

Grief is an emotional, physical, or spiritual ramifications experienced after the loss of something precious. This website focuses of humans' reactions to grief and how to cope with sudden loss. This website is catered to the teenage audience and perspective. The website gives a general overview of the ways grief can manifest in daily life and ways to cope with it. The website emphasizes the importance of confronting and dealing with grief. This relates to the different ways grief appears in each character of As I Lay Dying and the inability of them to deal with the death of Addie.

"In As I Lay Dying, Anse Bundren is a grotesque character partly because of his moral deformity: his lack of self-understanding, his parasitic and manipulative relations with others, his pious posturing."

"Insofar as the journey seemed to be a collective effort courageously undertaken by the whole family for the whole, involving heroic suffering and heroic action, that perception is undermined by the sudden dismissal of Addie, the expulsion of Darl, and the scurrying aftermath of selfish pursuits."

This article discusses the use of grotesque art in As I Lay Dying. Grotesque art is art with bad manners that challenges ideals and notions of proper order with dissonant elements. The article emphasizes the backwardness of the events of Addie's burial like the burying of a week old stinking corpse. The article also highlights the unusually motives each narrative maintains through their journey to bury Addie even though their sole concern should be about the burial of the matriarch of the family. This article would support an essay dwelling on the detachedness the Bundren family experiences.

"It gradually becomes clear that each member of the family has an ulterior, selfish motive for wanting to get to Jefferson."

"Irving Howe has pointed out that the novel's central theme is the tension between individual self-definition and the contingency of selfhood upon others, particularly parents and family."

This article is a general overview of As I Lay Dying and the main theme of identity and identity within the family structure. Throughout As I Lay Dying, the selfish motives of each family monopolize the characters' attentions. The characters struggle to find their place within the family and how to communicate their feelings with each other. The most disturbing effect of this inability to form an identity results in the incarceration of Darl in a mental institution.

"Psychological factors that may contribute to mental illness include: Severe psychological trauma suffered as a child, such as emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, An important early loss, such as the loss of a parent, Neglect, Poor ability to relate to others"

"Certain stressors can trigger an illness in a person who is susceptible to mental illness"

This article discusses mental illness and its causes. Mental illness can result from physical, biological, and psychological factors. Extreme emotion circumstances can also trigger mental illness. This relates to Darl's mental illness in As I Lay Dying. Addie's death triggers Darl's mental illness.

"The fact is, many mental disorders have their beginnings in childhood or adolescence, yet may go undiagnosed and untreated for years."

"Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan"

This article discusses mental illness, its causes, its effects, and its treatment. Mental illness often results in a person's inability to cope with normal situations like Darl who is not able to cope with Addie's death in an acceptable way. Darl inability is most likely caused by a poor upbringing from parents like Addie, who hates children, and Anse, who views children as a labor force. Also, Darl's situation is treatable, however no one in the Bundren family bothers to try and help him opting instead to send him to a mental institution, against Darl's will.

"Adding to a child's shock and confusion at the death of a brother, sister, or parent is the unavailability of other family members, who may be so shaken by grief that they are not able to cope with the normal responsibility of childcare."

"Parents should be aware of normal childhood responses to a death in the family, as well as signs when a child is having difficulty coping with grief. It is normal during the weeks following the death for some children to feel immediate grief or persist in the belief that the family member is still alive. However, long-term denial of the death or avoidance of grief can be emotionally unhealthy and can later lead to more severe problems."

This article explains how children react and deal with grief over the loss of a loved one. This article relates to the confusion and angst Vardaman experiences after the death of Addie. Vardaman experiences shock and confusion over the substantial matter of death and how it applies to his newly deceased mother. No one in the family bothers to explain to him the finality and irreversibility of death. Without guidance, the Bundren family leaves Vardaman to stumble around and form false conclusion such as the belief Peabody killed Addie.

focuses on darl and his role in AILD as well as his ability to oversee everything