To Whom Should We Listen?

As I Lay Dying is one of William Faulkner's most successful works in his distinctive writing skills of multiple points of view and the inner psychological voices of the characters. The unexpected shifts of points of view fragment the continuous linear development of the story and the inner physiological voices offer various and sometimes conflicting views on the same point and thus put the verities and truths of the story in question. Without an authoritative voice, it is difficult for the readers to find out the truth in this heteroglossia world; even the values and ethics embedded in the novel are misjudged.Based on the theories of rhetoric narration, this dissertation employs the concept of the implied author and undertakes the task of finding the truth intended by Faulkner himself. The implied author is the author reflected by the text, thus the paper seeks to construct the emotions, values and intentions implied by or hidden behind the careful design of literary elements of the author, these elements including voices, narrative distance, narrative frequency and figurative images.