As I Lay Dieing
...He knows she has something troubling her that has taken over her mind. She comments, “It was then I saw Darl and he knew. He said he knew without the words like he told me that ma is going to die without words, and I knew he knew because if he had said he knew with the words I would not have believed that he had been there and saw us.” Darl also seemed to have a special connection with Addie. Although everyone always believed Jewel was her favorite child, Darl was the one who understood her and truly cared for her. He was able to narrate Addie’s death even though he wasn’t present at the time. No character understood Darl’s gift of being an intuitive observer and instead labeled him crazy. Darl is the one character who the reader learns the most from throughout the novel. When he is taken away in the end, it is the reader, who feels the compassion and sorrow for Darl. Although most of the monologues come from members of the Bundren family, the reader is still able to get the perspective of an outsider through Cora Tull’s narration. Cora truly believed that no one loved and understood Addie more than Darl. She recalled a moment when Addie was dying, “He just stood there looking at his dying mother, his heart too full for words.” Cora saw Darl like no one else did and was perhaps the only character who didn’t view Darl as strange. Through Cora we are also able to learn more about Addie Bundren’s character. Cora, who is deeply religious, frequently and vocally disapproves of Addie’s behavior. Their conversations on religion allow the reader insight on Addie’s views. She knew her sins, as well as her punishments and did not fear them. Cora believed that the only sin Addie ever committed was being partial to Jewel who never loved her, which was a punishment in itself. She realized that Addie would never repent for her sins. Addie believed that Jewel would be her salvation in life, almost replacing her God. Cora knew Jewel was her sin she needed to pray for. She comments, “She just sat there, lost in her vanity and her pride, that had closed her heart to God and set that selfish mortal boy in His place. Kneeling there I prayed for her. I prayed for that poor blind woman as I had never prayed for me and mine.” Through these observations, the reader is able to learn more about Addie Bundrens connection with Jewel, which is a vital part of the novel. In every story there is always a character that is labeled the “bad guy”. Faulker develops this character through Anse Bundren. Anse functions as an insider who is blind to his own actions. Most of the information we learn about Anse is from other characters in the novel, however his narratives provide much insight on the type of man he is. He can be characterized as a selfish man who lacks any type of emotion. At one moment in the novel, he is complaining about the boys he has raised. He says that their behavior is a reflection on their mother and not him. This is probably because Anse did not have much part in raising the b...