on the road
In the story As I Lay Dying, Faulkner introduces us to the Bundren family, a family of poor white farmers living in southern Yoknapatawpha County. Faulkner takes us on a journey to Jefferson were they are to fulfill there dead mother Addie's wishes to be buried where her "people" were from, when she died. In the story Faulkner explores the mother relationship and how it can affect a child's life long identity. Darl and Jewel are both sons of Addie whom we later find to have opposing identities brought about from their relationship with their mother. Darl was Addie's second son. " In the story he was the most prolific voice in the novel and seemed to posses a gift of clairvoyance, which allowed him to narrate. Rejected by his mother, Darl exhibited signs throught the novel of an ego at odds with itself and lacked a definite way of identifying himself" (Cape and Smith). This rejection had a profound effect on the development of Darl's identity." In his narratives Darl gave detailed descriptions of events, for instance, the scene of Addie's death, even though he and Jewel were away getting a load of lumber at the time of her death. Similarly he knew Dewey Dell was pregnant because he had seen her with Lafe, a
Throughout the novel, Jewel shows much aggravation during the trip. One example of this aggravation occurred when Jewel started a fight on the road into Jefferson when passing travelers commented on the smell of Adie's decomposing body. "Unlike Darl, Jewel expresses the most motivation to bury his mother. "Jewel was a fiercely independent person and worked nights for Mr. Quick in order to buy a horse. When their mule team was drowned trying to cross the flooded Yoknapatawpha River, Jewel agreed to sell his horse for a new team of mules"(Cape and Smith). This gesture is proof of Jewels love for his mother and her wishes. He was a big help in saving the coffin from floodwaters as well as from the burning barn. "When Daryl's part in the fire is discovered Jewel gets a chance to release some of his anger towards Darl by helping commit him to the mental asylum in Jackson"(Cape and Smith). This anger is a result of the taunts and jealousy Darl displayed towards Jewel. After Darl caught fire to the barn Jewel was the one who saved the coffin from the fire. Jewel was Addie's third son. Addie's thoughts towards society and its standards led her to have an affair on her husband Anse with Rev Whitefield. Jewel was the result of this affair and known to be Addie's favorite son. Darl was the only one that knew Jewel was the illegitimate son, he would aggravate him and say "Who was your father, Jewel" (Faulkner 212
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 951
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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