Comparing Addie's Reaction To Negative Jewel

One way Faulkner draws a connection to outside resources is through Greek mythology. He uses mythology to relate Addie Bundren to Medusa, the mythological monster. The reader is able to see Addie as alive when she is dead and dead when she is alive. In chapter 38 the reader can see that Addie did not have many feelings of love towards her family, pardoning Jewel; she was cold and emotionless. Due to her absence of feelings, she never confesses to Anse that Jewel was not his child; Jewel was the lovechild between Addie and Whitfield. Addie’s lack of emotions caused a distance between Jewel and the Bundren family just as how Medusa

If the doctor would help me, then I could be alright and be fully alone. Throughout the book as the family travels to Addie’s burial ground, every time they stop Dewey is trying to find a way to get an abortion, but everywhere she goes she is turned away and that shows how persistent she is. Instead of properly mourning her mother’s death, Dewey Dell is too worried about getting rid of her

“At last they could pity Emily” (453) or at least that is what the community thought they could do when Emily lost her father and became “humanized” (453). Emily is one of the most prominent people of her time and is even recognized through a story all written about her. This analytical essay of “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner without doubt, uses symbolism to portray change and decay throughout the story by using Emily’s home, Mr. Grierson, and herself.

However, Jewel has a much different view of their journey. Jewel sees it as a way to make up to his mother for not being there when she passed (Faulkner 48). Therefore, he does everything in his power to get her there . . . including running into a burning barn and nearly drowning to save her coffin (Faulkner 154 and 221). These acts, although seemingly heroic, arise as truly selfish and shallow. These shallow acts can exist through Jewels “pale eyes” which look “like wood” (Faulkner 4). This simile compares Jewel to a simple substance which mirrors how his actions towards his mother are self-absorbed. Wood is two dimensional and shallow. When Jewels refuses to let the past go and continuously holds on to the idea of upsetting his mother, he in turn works for his own benefit. Jewel seeks his mother's approval out of self absorption and not out of love; he acts shallow and hollow like wood. In turn, Jewel ignores his siblings and continues to push towards

Sharla didn't have a great childhood and her mother abandoned her, forcing Addy to take her in. Sharla was immediately appreciated the caring of Addy as shown in this quote; ``Sharla liked the looks of Addy Shadd and thought how no one ever called her Honey before``(Lansen, pg 18). The biggest conflict in Addy's life was the fact that she was raped. When Sharla told her that her moms boyfriend was touching her inappropriately, Addy provided support, explanation and guidance so that it never happens to Sharla again. With the influence of Addy, Sharla learned manners, how to be caring and how to feel loved. If it wasn't for Addy, Sharla wouldn't have such a great life. Addy uses everything that she learned from her negative experiences and passes them on to

The trait that most resembles a heroic quality can be traced within the selflessness within the novel. The acts of selflessness can then be traced within the three eldest Bundren brothers Jewel, Cash and Darl. Jewel Bundren is not a man of words and only has one vocal chapter in the novel. His heroic selflessness stems not from how he expresses himself but instead from his actions. Jewel Bundren is often described as wooden and disconnects his emotions from both the other characters in the novel as well as the reader. Though he is cold, Jewel balances his outward appearance with selfless actions. Jewel’s only emotional connection his family is through Addie. It is because of this connection that drives him relentlessly forward with the mission. He shows dedication to his family when he searches valiantly for Cash’s tools after the river crossing. Jewel is motivated through his connection to Addie to connect to his family. Finally, he is so devoted to delivering his mother towards Jefferson to the point that he

In the novel, Faulkner writes Addie’s character as someone who is always being faced with a conflict, and as a depressed woman living a miserable life. Addie’s biggest conflict is internal. Previous to Addie Bundren’s death, and before she is married to Anse Bundren, Addie is a school teacher with a miserable life, and a strong hatred for her job as a school teacher. According to the novel, the worst part about Addie’s job is the children; they never listen to her and due to this, she lives for the moments where she gets to scold them. Faulkner reveals Addie’s pure hatred for the children and

For example, when Anse complains about having to feed Jewel’s horse, Jewel angrily, “looked at pa, his eyes paler than ever. “He won’t ever eat a mouthful of yours,” he said. “Not a mouthful. I’ll have to kill him first. Don’t you never think it. Don’t you never (32 136).” Jewel shows no respect for Anse due to his hatred toward him. Jewel hates Anse in spite of his isolation. In addition, Darl explains how Addie was concerned about Jewel saying, “Ma wanted to get the doctor, but pa didn’t want to spend the money without it was needful (32 130).” This shows the difference in Jewel’s relationships between his mother and Anse. Jewel probably feels like Addie was the only trustworthy person he loved. When Addie died, Jewel felt he lost the only person he respected.

This is positive since Jewel’s favorite possession is taken away for the benefit of his mother. It is seen that Jewel cares more about his mother, rather than his beloved horse, as Addie explains, “‘He is my cross and he will be my salvation.’” (Addie 168.) Addie believes Jewel will be her salvation because Jewel sells his horse in order to complete the journey to Jefferson to bury his mother. This shows that his horse is taken away for the sake of his mother, showing a positive light towards the situation and also showing that Addie is the one that Jewel cares about above

The author of As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner, really contributes to the aspects of literature through his ability to tell a seemingly incredible story through only the “stream-of-consciousness” technique. Faulkner takes his insight beyond the piece, through other’s views and thoughts. Although the characters might be acting differently upon each subject or handling each action in opposite ways, the tone and theme that he uses really brings the whole piece to a perfect balance. In As I Lay Dying, Faulkner displays contradicting elements through the reactions of the family members towards the mother’s death with the use of dialogue, tone, imagery, and internal conflict.

"You think because I am her mother I have a key, or that in some way you could use me as a key? She has lived for nineteen years. Over and over, we are told of the limitations on choice--"it was the only way"; "They persuaded me" and verbs of necessity recur for descriptions of both the mother's and Emily's behavior. " In such statements as "my wisdom ! came too late," the story verges on becoming an analysis of parental guilt. With the narrator, we construct an image of the mother's own development: her difficulties as a young mother alone with her daughter and barely surviving during the early years of the depression; her painful months of enforced separation from her daughter; her gradual and partial relaxation in response to a new husband and a new family as more children follow; her increasingly complex anxieties about her first child; and finally her sense of family balance which surrounds but does not quite include the early memories of herself and Emily in the grips of survival needs. In doing so she has neither trivialized nor romanticized the experience of motherhood; she has indicated the wealth of experience yet to be explored in the story’s possibilities of experiences, like motherhood, which have rarely been granted serious literary consideration. Rather she is searching for

Parents sometimes manipulate their children to their whim, and in doing so damage their family. Anse Bundren treated his children like farm equipment. For example, he ignored Cash’s broken leg, left Dewey Dell to deal with her pregnancy by herself, robbed Jewel of his only treasure, and ultimately put Darl in a mental institution. His primary goal is to get to town to find a new wife for example Kate says, “Or if it aint her, he’ll get another one before contton-picking” (709). To me this is more damaging because Addie is not dead yet, and they are already discussing the fact that Anse will find another “one” before too long. In “The Bluest Eye”,

reason that it was her dying wish. He wanted to get those teeth. I highly doubt Anse would have dragged a dead corpse around for two weeks or so if he’d had a full set of teeth in his mouth. When Addie was about to die, he sent his two sons away to load wood for a measly three dollars. Jewel and Darl did not get to say their last

Faulkner has characterized all the characters in the best possible way. Emily Grierson, Homer Barron, Judge Stevens – the mayor of Jefferson, Mr. Grierson – Emily’s father, Tobe – Emily’s servant, and Colonel Sartoris – a former mayor of Jefferson are the major charters in the story. The narrator describes Emily as a monument, but with a lot of negativity. The story shows us how she was a smart young girl and then how she end up being an overprotective and secretive old woman. She refused to accept the change when her father died and that’s why she kept telling all the people in town that her father is still alive. Homer Barron is much like Emily. Like Emily, Homer is an outsider and becomes the topic of gossip. The narrator describes Homer as a big man with dark complexion with a good sense of humor. Tobe’s character in the story plays an important role. He is a loyal and dutiful servant. He cared for Emily till she died, but he walked out of the back door and never returned after Emily’s death. Mr. Grierson was a well-maintained person. When he was alive, Emily’s house was always beautifully maintained. He earned a lot of respect in the society but when he died the respect towards his family died with him.

He was a product of Addie's infidelity to Anse, an act that was on Addie's mind until the day she died. The guilt she felt, even to the husband she had no love for, was so overwhelming that she produced both Dewey Dell and Vardaman to "negative" the sin that was Jewel's birth. Her self-worth was then so low that she felt she was ready to die after her recompense to Anse was finished. "And now he has three children that are his and not mine. And then I could get ready to die" (Faulkner 176). Addie had strong opinions on sin, as shown in her one chapter of the novel. She recounts an instance with her neighbor Cora Tull: "She prayed for me because she believed I was blind to sin, wanting me to kneel and pray too, because people to whom sin is just a matter of words, to them salvation is just words too" (Faulkner 176). Addie's sin with Jewel seems to perplex other members of the family through their journey to bury her; Darl's inability to mentally communicate with Jewel leads him to question Jewel's origin. Darl also seemed to put his views into the mind of Vardaman, though the poor neglected child was confused enough. Addie and Anse's relationship, as explained in Addie's narrative, has an obvious lack of intimacy, closeness, and meaningfulness. This can be seen as a sin inherited by their daughter, Dewey Dell. Her sexual curiosity and naïveté lead her to an unwanted pregnancy with a father, Lafe, who does not care about her.