Classic Hero in as I Lay Dying

The classic hero in As I Lay Dying is anything by classical. However, the entire novel is anything but archetypical. Therefore, it is beyond obvious that the novel’s heroes diverge in a number of ways from the defined, classic hero. Although the Bundrens ulterior motives and desires repudiate some of their credibility in regards to being a classical heroic family, their ability to cooperate with one another in the brief moments of crisis suggest they are at least partially heroic. Each living member of the Bundrens has a different motive for wanting to travel to Jefferson. Dewey Dell wishes to rid herself of a baby, Vardaman wants a train, Anse hopes to find a new wife, and so on. These selfish desires of each family member contrast them from a typical heroic family. Their inability to help one another in a tragic event such the death of their beloved mother portrays the Bundrens as incapable of being heroic. However, the family, and Jewel in particular, eventually does fulfill their goal, and Addie’s dying wish. Even Addie Bundren, herself, foreshadows that Jewel will be the one to save her and that “He is my [her] cross and he will be my salvation. He will save me from the water and from the fire. Even though I have laid down my life, he will save me” (168). Essentially the woman’s dying wishes are fulfilled by the family who in return is at least partially heroic. However, Jewel’s sacrifices in giving up his most prized possession, his horse, and leaping into a burning farm proves that his intentions were in fact noble. Although his actions were certainly the most persistent in terms of being a classic hero, the family’s certain few moments suggest that they too are partially heroic. Their numerous acts of selfishness and lack of an ethical sense are partially overshadowed by the few and rare moments of family cooperation. The first glimpse the reader has of a “functional Bundren family” occurs in the flashback about Jewel’s secret job. In noting that