Darl

 In Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, Darl, when on the journey with his family to bury his mother, tries to cremate his decaying mother. This is due to his slowly decaying mind from PTSD. He wants his mother to be finally put to rest, like he wants his mind to be finally put to rest. So, he tries to burn his mother's coffin, made by Cash, and accidentally sets the barn on fire. Dewey Dell tells Vardaman, who has witnessed this action, to not say anything about it to anyone. The secrets and deceit in this family just keeps piling up as this journey proceeds, but I strongly believe that Darl thinks his mother's decay coincides with the decay of his mind. I believe he feels that the way to cure him is to stop the decay of his mother, thus stopping the decay of his mind due to PTSD. This scene in the book just really stood out to me because it clearly shows Darl's struggle with his condition and the rising tensions among the family with Cash's broken leg, Dewey Dell's pregnancy, Anse's selfishness, and now Darl's mental health declining.