As I Lay Dying Quote Analysis

As Addie Bundren lays dying in William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying, Cash builds a coffin for Addie right outside her window. In response to this, Jewel vocalizes his utter disgust towards allowing Addie to listen to her coffin being built and broadcasting the fact that she is in the process of dying to the world. Faulkner emphasizes Jewel’s disgust towards where Cash is building Addie’s coffin through having Jewel repeat “One lick less” (Faulkner 15). Besides demonstrating Jewel’s disgust and frustration, the phrase additionally highlights how vulnerable Jewel is at this current point in time as well as a tinge of jealousy towards Cash. In Jewel’s mind, Cash is thriving from their mother dying as he is able to demonstrate “what a fine
carpenter he is” and does not seem to mind that their mother is dying (Faulkner 15). Unlike Cash, Jewel is devastated and only able to repeat “One lick less” as he is unable to cope with the idea of a future without his mother (Faulkner 15). Throughout the novel, Jewel is depicted as cold and uncaring by the various narrators. With this chapter demonstrating Jewel’s disgust towards his family’s apathy, Jewel’s emotional side is emphasized and shows the reader how he is not cold and uncaring as other narrators make him out to be. By doing so, Faulkner creates pathos for Jewel as readers truly understand how much Addie means to Jewel and how he is misunderstood by the other characters. Thus, the use of anaphora in As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner adds emotional depth to Jewel.