Character Analysis

Pages 0-41

This novel is presented through the different perspectives of each of the major characters in the story. Although these narrations differ very much in their viewpoints regarding events in the plot, the smooth transitions between the chapters serve to allow the story to continue at its gradual pace. This presentation of various viewpoints also allows the reader to obtain a more thorough understanding of the characters by forcing the reader to judge them based on their feelings and thoughts , rather than simply their actions or their dialogue. Over the course of these forty one pages, six different characters’ perspectives are conveyed. The following characters include: Darl, Jewel, Cora Tull, Vernon Tull, Anse, and Dewey Dell.

Darl has four chapters representing his narration of the story, and so far seems to be the closest perspective to that of William Faulkner because of the straightforward style in which he describes the events. This is clearly illustrated to the reader from the very first few sentences of the book: “Jewel and I come up from the field, following the path in single file. Although I am fifteen feet ahead of him, anyone watching us from the cottonhouse can see Jewel’s frayed and broken straw hat a full head above my own.” ( Page 3) There are also many other simple and straightforward descriptions such as this throughout Darl’s chapters. This makes Darl the most reliable narrator thus far. Throughout this first part of the book, he is characterized as being very knowledgeable about the personal secrets of others as he is able to unveil Dewey Dell’s relationship in the woods with Lafe, and he is highly perceptive in realizing Jewel’s irritation when the subject of Addie’s is brought up. He plays on this irritation on page 40 when he says to Jewel constantly “do you know that Addie Bundren is going to die?” Darl’s discerning nature is also described by the following quote by his sister Dewey Dell, regarding his knowledge of her secret relations with Lafe: “He said he knew without the words like he told me that ma is going to die without words…” Another important aspect of Darl’s character that is brought up is his love for his mother Addie. Before he embarks on the trip with Jewel, Darl makes sure to visit Addie, because he believes she will die before they are able to return. This event is explained in more detail during Cora’s second chapter. Judging by his frequent narration so far, I think that Darl will continue to be the primary storyteller and his unbiased perspective will continue to give insight into the author’s perspective on major events.

Jewel is Darl’s younger brother and he has so far been characterized as being passionate, fierce, aggressive, and resolute. These characteristics are drawn forth from how Jewel handles the horse as he struggles to bring it back to the barn soon after Jewel and Darl reach their home: “ Jewel strikes him(horse) across the face with his fist and slides on to the trough and mounts upon it.” ( Page 13). He also calls the horse a “pussel-gutted .” Another interesting aspect of Jewel’s character is his relationship with their mother, Addie. In this aspect, Jewel offers the most unique perspective. Like Darl, Jewel has a deep and passionate love for his mother, but he wants the people to stop talking about how soon she will die. He wants to be alone and share his love with Addie without interference from other people who are constantly predicting her . An example of this is Jewel’s annoyance to the constant sound of Cash using the adze to carve out Addie’s coffin. With every “lick” of the adze, the reality of Addie’s gets closer, and Jewel can’t stand it: “It would just be me and her on a high hill and me rolling the rocks down the hill at their faces and teeth and all by God until she was quiet and not that goddamn adze going one lick less. One lick less and could be quiet.”

The other four characters are not as developed by Faulkner so far in this story, but I will try to touch on them. Cora Tull, Vernon Tull’s wife is represented as a deeply religious woman who seems to favor Darl over Jewel in terms of their competition for the love of their mother Addie, but at the same time Cora disapproves of the way Addie lived her life and that she wont be dying a “Christian .” When Cora narrates Darl’s meeting his mother before his trip, she says “It was the sweetest thing I ever saw.” ( page 21) Vernon Tull, the rich neighbor of the Bundrens, is characterized as care-free, calm and content with his situation at the moment as compared to the pessimistic and unfortunate situation of Anse, who is the father of Jewel and Darl. Anse seems very philosophical in nature just like Darl, however it is evident that he is emotionally alienated from his family as he constantly “rubs his knees” and blames the problems with his sons and the illness of his wife Addie due to bad luck caused by the fact that they live next to a road. Lastly, Dewey Dell is the sister of Jewel and Darl, and she constantly worries about her ual relationship with Lafe, and the fact that Darl knows about it. She seems very unstable so far in the story, and the incident with Lafe will continue to be a major factor in her characterization throughout the novel.

RSyed