As I Lay Dying Body Paragraphs Thesis: Throughout Addie’s death, the Bundrens begin to grasp at animals as symbols of themselves and their mother in order to create indirect connections and fill a hole their mother left. Throughout Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying animals characterize and symbolize different characters in the story, revealing motives and feelings. Faulkner connects Dewey Dell to a cow, leading to several of Dewey Dell’s unsaid characteristics. One of the most obvious and popular characterizations in As I Lay Dying is Addie and a fish, initially perceived by Vardaman. Addie is one of the most controversial characters, both violent and loving, and is connected with a horse, which is an archetype of all these characteristics. Animals …show more content…
Although Jewel is most commonly referred to as the owner and caretaker of the horse, the horse projects the characteristics of Addie. On Page 101 Vardaman says “Jewel’s mother is a horse.” It is implied that Jewel’s horse is a representation of his mother. Because Jewel is the result of a secret affair between Addie and Whitfield, Jewel is characterized as a very intense and violent character, reinforced by his violent imagery throughout the story, as well as his “tough love” with his horse. Jewel learns to tame the horse on page 12 “Then Jewel is enclosed by a glittering maze of hooves...With the other patting the horse’s neck in short strokes myriad and caressing, cursing the horse with obscene profanity.” This explains the relationship between Addie and Jewel because after Addie had Jewel, it forced her to cut ties with Whitfield and begin to settle down to live a life with Anse. As Jewel does with the horse, he forces Addie to give up her unsuitable personality and become a mature parent. While Jewel’s actions with the horse symbolize the love he has for his mother, the horse also represents his freedom from the Bundren family by working secretly to get enough money to buy the horse. While Jewel is sneaking out at night to make money Addie doesn’t tell anyone why he is doing it. This identifies the loyalty and power of Addie when it comes to her family. Loyalty and power are both archetypes of the …show more content…
This trade signifies Jewel’s willingness to help the family even if it requires a great loss on his part. It is apparent that the horse symbolizes the last reminence of Addie’s influence on Jewel and the Bundren family, and when he traded it in, it was Addie’s way of helping the family one last time before she was buried. Later, Jewel walks all the way back to connect with the Bundren’s once again. If the horse signified his freedom from the Bundren’s, the lack of this horse signifies that Jewel is now a full part of the Bundren family. Now that Addie’s dead, the favoritism that had previously split the family was gone and Jewel is finally able to connect with the
...ring for him he has to find something to care for and by talking to the horse he is, in a nutshell, caring for it. So, as the reader can see, desire is a recurring theme that permeates the novel.
During his journey to the burial site of his wife, he always was worrying about his well being before the family’s well being. The only reason that he decided to carry out Addie’s wish was that he wanted to improve his image by getting false teeth. He did care for his wife, but this caring was overshadowed by his love to improve himself.
“As I Lay Dying, read as the dramatic confrontation of words and actions, presents Faulkner’s allegory of the limits of talent” (Jacobi). William Faulkner uses many different themes that make this novel a great book. Faulkner shows his talent by uses different scenarios, which makes the book not only comedic but informational on the human mind. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner is a great book that illustrates great themes and examples. Faulkner illustrates different character and theme dynamics throughout the entire novel, which makes the book a humorous yet emotional roller coaster. Faulkner illustrates the sense of identity, alienation, and the results of physical and mental death to show what he thinks of the human mind.
Is the love hate relationship between Jewel and his horse similar to the relationship between Jewel and Addie? Cora tells us that Addie favored Jewel, but Addie says that she had two children that were hers before Jewel is born, and then she says, “I gave Anse Dewy Dell to negative Jewel. Then I gave him Vardaman to replace the child I had robbed him of. And now he has three children that are his and not mine”(176). Who are the three she is referring to?
The Mother is among a family of four who lives on a small farm and takes immense pride in what interests her, however her passion does not particularly lie in her two children; James and David; nor in her husband and their interests; but instead lies within her chickens. Though chickens bring the most joy to the Mother, they are not the sole animals that live on the farm. The animal that draws the most interest from the father, James and David is their horse, Scott. At a young age, Scott was used as a working mule for the family and grew up alongside the Father and two Sons. To the father, Scott was like one of his own sons, and to James and David, Scott was like their brother; but according to the Mother, “He’s been worthless these last few years”(Macleod, 267). Ever since Scott was young, he was a burden on the Mother’s lifestyle; she never took a liking to the horse even when he served as a source of profit for the family. The Mother had never appreciated the sentimental value that Scott possessed because he had never been a particular interest to her. Once Scott had aged and was no longer able...
In As I Lay Dying (1930), Faulkner creates the deceitful, insensitive character, Anse Bundren, who will do anything to get what he wants, even if it means stealing and injuring his own children, symbolizing the avarice and apathy that can result from a world of non education, poverty, and overall suffering.
The justification that Mikolka gives for killing the horse is that she is unable to fulfill her role to contribute to society. He describes her uselessness by saying, “This brute, mates, is just breaking my heart, I feel as if I could kill her. She’s just eating her head off” (46). Mikolka feels apathetic towards the life of the horse. It represents Rodia’s belief that killing the pawnbroker is not a crime but merely an act that is justified and shows his loss of value for human life. In contrast, the little boy represents his affectionate side. The boy shows immediate emotion to the violent beating. His compassionate heart does not understand why the blameless soul is being killed. Through his perspective, the mare’s life still has significance and he views Mikolka as a murderer. Both sides do represent Rodia’s thoughts, however as he awoke by “gasping for breath [and] his hair soaked with perspiration” reveals that Rodia himself is terrified by Mikolka’s actions and subconsciously rejects that aspect. Thus, Rodia naturally embraces more of the good natured thoughts in his
First of all, Julie is an insecure individual. When Julie meets with her boyfriend, he says that her real name Jewel “sounds like one of those names from the soap opera my mom likes to watch. My dad says they are garbage.” This results in Julie yelling at her mom when mom calls her Jewel. Julie states that a jewel is “something you buy in a gem shop.” By questioning her own name, Julie is showing the reader how she is
Dewey Dell a character in William Faulkner's novel, As I lay dying, takes place in Mississippi in the 1920s and is about the Bundren family dealing with Addie’s death.. Dewey Dell has significantly changed as the novel reached its end but some of her main aspects from her personality did not change .She has changed in the novel, she went from seeming innocent and being with her mother in her death-bed to her getting pregnant and trying to get rid of Darl. Dewey Dell's personality was affected by events and the notable changes in Dewey are noticeable in multiple parts from her first chapter to her last two chapter. The noticeable changes are displayed when reading the chapter where Dewey gets pregnant and the last two chapters where Dewey Dell turned
Robert shares a special relationship and bond with animals, in particular rabbits. The rabbits are a symbol of Rowena, not only because they were her prize possession, but also because the rabbits remind Robert of his younger sister. Both Rowena and the rabbits are characters of innocence and purity. Being considered as small, fragile and precious to those who love and look after them. Findley uses the rabbits to evoke feelings of guilt from Robert, during the constant appearances in the novel. When Rowena dies, R...
In Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying we can meet with 15 different characters, who narrate the story from own perspective. One of those characters is Dewey Dell, to whom life changed completely after mother’s death. She is the only girl in the Bundren family of boys and on top of all, she is pregnant. Owing to the consequence of the affair, she is much more interested in getting rid of her pregnancy than her mother’s funeral. However, the situation is not easy for her, because she doesn’t want this child and she can’t talk about her secret with anyone. She approaches the world in her own, unclear way, which is partially shaped through circumstances she grew up. At once, she has to cope not just with the consequences of her romance, but also she has to accept a new role of mother and women in the house of the Bundren family. While other relatives have chance to manifest their feelings about the journey to Jefferson, she is ignored and feels rather alone.She is looking for a solution from her precarious situation, but she fails all the way. Her childish and artless nature is suddenly forced to behave as a woman, who seems to be lost. Therefore, the character of Dewey Dell becomes a victim of the whole story.
William Faulkner, a Nobel Prize winning author, wrote the novel "As I Lay Dying" in six weeks without changing a word. Considering the story's intricate plot, not changing a single word seems like it would take a literary genius to complete. Many people agree that Faulkner could very well be a genius due to the organization of this story. Faulkner uses fifteen different characters to narrate and allow the reader to analyze each of their point of views. Through the confessions of each character, the reader is able to form his or her opinion about different characters and issues. Since some narrators are unreliable for different reasons, it could be confusing to form opinions. One character that is easily understood is Dewey Dell Bundren. She is the only daughter in the Bundren family and ends up being the only woman in the family. "As I Lay Dying", the story of a family's journey to bury their mother and wife, is also the story of Dewey Dell's journey toward maturity. Along their journey to bury their mother, the characters, like Dewey Dell, seem to evolve through their encounters with other people. Faulkner depicts Dewey Dell as a very monotonous person in the beginning of the book. In the beginning, Dewey Dell is seen fanning her mother, picking cotton, or milking cows. However, towards the end of the book, her repetitiveness is lost. Towards the end of the novel, Faulkner specifically shows Dewey Dell in numerous situations becoming a mature individual.
Darl, who narrates much of this first section, returns with Jewel a few days later, and the presence of buzzards over their house lets them know their mother is dead. On seeing this sign, Darl sardonically reassures Jewel, who is widely perceived as ungrateful and uncaring, that he can be sure his beloved horse is not dead. Addie has made Anse promise that she will be buried in the town of Jefferson, and though this request is a far more complicated proposition than burying her at home, Anse’s sense of obligation, combined with his desire to buy a set of false teeth, compels him to fulfill Addie’s dying wish.
...are, he starts to chat with her, while she was eating. He confides his anguish and tragedies within his mare. She is the only thing he has that is close to him. It is also the only thing that connects him to his son; his son followed him to St.Petersburg to become a sledge-driver. He was young and ready to become what he saw his father do growing up.
“Now suppose you had a little colt, and you were your own mother to that little colt… And all of the sudden that same little colt went and died… You’d be sorry, wouldn’t you?” When dealing with death, an individual is encompassed with all kinds of feelings and emotions. Depression, denial, and guilt are all the components of mourning through death. This quote, relates to the thought that everything one experiences is associated with their environment. Iona and the mare experience two different environments. For Iona, it’s adjusting to a life without his son. The little mare lives a life away from the farms in a gloomy city. Iona places the little mare in a similar scenario he’s in, as if she can respond. Although she can’t, the horse’s compassion is visible once again. “The little mare munches, listens, and breathers on her master’s hands.” The healing power of the mare was the key to easing Iona’s suffering. When Iona couldn’t find a sense of closure through the communication with human beings he finally opens his eyes to realize the one listener he had, was his little white mare. He pours his sorrows out to her and not only did she show compassion by hearing his every word, she physically comforts him. The little breath on his hand represents the transfer of warmth from the mare to Iona on a cold winter day. Even though she’s restricted to what she can do, at the end