On surface level, Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying is about the Bundren family’s quest to fulfil the wish of Addie Bundren to be buried in Jefferson, Mississippi. The journey itself may seem like an act of true heroism, to honour Addie Bundren with her last wish. The simple definition of heroism according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is to exhibit “great courage”. In this regard, the Bundren’s do indeed exhibit this “great courage” in enduring the plethora of obstacles thrown at them en route to Jefferson. However, we come to learn that each one of the family members possesses an ulterior motive of their own expressing motivations based less on familial duty, and more on self-interest. The characters Anse and Jewel show very contrasting ideals
…show more content…
Inarguably, Anse is one portrayed to be one of the most self-interested characters in Faulkner’s novel. Whilst being in the same room as Addie just as she had passed away, Darl narrates, “Pa breathes with a quiet, rasping sound, mouthing the snuff against his gums. “God’s will be done,” he says. “Now I can get them teeth” (Faulkner 52). Faulkner writing about Anse’s fixation on getting new teeth causes his character to create an aura of selfishness and self-interest that diminish his act of heroism of going to Jefferson. Another contributing reason for Anse’s motivations to Jefferson is to find a replacement for Addie. The memorable closing sentences of the novel reads, “It’s Cash and Jewel and Vardaman and Dewey Dell,” pa says, kind of hangdog and proud too, with his teeth and all, even if he wouldn’t look at us. “Meet Mrs Bundren,” he says” (Faulkner 261). Anse’s inability to look at his children at that moment in time perhaps shows the shame he feels of replacing Addie so quickly. However, he quickly moves on to introduce the new “Mrs Bundren”, and shakes off this feeling of guilt. Perhaps Anse is a contributing factor to why Addie’s health progressively weakened before Peabody could get to …show more content…
With no mention of Whitfield supporting Jewel, Addie was all he had to a legitimate blood-tie. With Addie’s blessings, Jewel’s self-interested act is to distance himself from the Bundren’s following Addie’s death. On the journey to Jefferson, Jewel wanted to ride on his horse. Anse expresses: “I told him not to bring that horse out of respect for his dead ma, because it wouldn’t look right, him prancing along on a durn circus animal and her wanting us all to be in the wagon with her that sprung from her flesh and blood, but we hadn’t no more than passed Tull’s lane when Darl begun to laugh” (Faulkner 105). Here, Anse convinces himself that he has the authority to judge other people’s behaviour to be too self-interested when ironically, Jewel has been shown to feel the most sentiment towards his mother. Perhaps Jewel riding his horse is his subtle way of distancing himself from the family, as following Addie’s death, Jewel no longer has any familial ties to them anymore. Jewel rants: “It would just be me and her on a high hill and me rolling the rocks down the hill at their faces, picking them up and throwing them down the hill, faces and teeth and all by God until she was quiet and not that goddamn adze going One lick less. One lick less and we could be quiet” (Faulkner 15). His decision to ride on his horse seems to be justified as he seems not only isolated, but extremely cold
Inarguably, Anse is one portrayed to be one of the most self-interested characters in Faulkner’s novel. Whilst being in the same room as Addie just as she had passed away, Darl narrates, “Pa breathes with a quiet, rasping sound, mouthing the snuff against his gums. “God’s will be done,” he says. “Now I can get them teeth” (Faulkner 52). Faulkner writing about Anse’s fixation on getting new teeth causes his character to create an aura of selfishness and self-interest that diminish his act of heroism of going to Jefferson. Another contributing reason for Anse’s motivations to Jefferson is to find a replacement for Addie. The memorable closing sentences of the novel reads, “It’s Cash and Jewel and Vardaman and Dewey Dell,” pa says, kind of hangdog and proud too, with his teeth and all, even if he wouldn’t look at us. “Meet Mrs Bundren,” he says” (Faulkner 261). Anse’s inability to look at his children at that moment in time perhaps shows the shame he feels of replacing Addie so quickly. However, he quickly moves on to introduce the new “Mrs Bundren”, and shakes off this feeling of guilt. Perhaps Anse is a contributing factor to why Addie’s health progressively weakened before Peabody could get to …show more content…
With no mention of Whitfield supporting Jewel, Addie was all he had to a legitimate blood-tie. With Addie’s blessings, Jewel’s self-interested act is to distance himself from the Bundren’s following Addie’s death. On the journey to Jefferson, Jewel wanted to ride on his horse. Anse expresses: “I told him not to bring that horse out of respect for his dead ma, because it wouldn’t look right, him prancing along on a durn circus animal and her wanting us all to be in the wagon with her that sprung from her flesh and blood, but we hadn’t no more than passed Tull’s lane when Darl begun to laugh” (Faulkner 105). Here, Anse convinces himself that he has the authority to judge other people’s behaviour to be too self-interested when ironically, Jewel has been shown to feel the most sentiment towards his mother. Perhaps Jewel riding his horse is his subtle way of distancing himself from the family, as following Addie’s death, Jewel no longer has any familial ties to them anymore. Jewel rants: “It would just be me and her on a high hill and me rolling the rocks down the hill at their faces, picking them up and throwing them down the hill, faces and teeth and all by God until she was quiet and not that goddamn adze going One lick less. One lick less and we could be quiet” (Faulkner 15). His decision to ride on his horse seems to be justified as he seems not only isolated, but extremely cold