As I Lay Dying is ridden with a multitude of repeating motifs and imagery. Some of these can include spoken phrases, auditory noises, or physical elements. Each of the Bundren family members have their own thing that is consistently attributed to them: Vardaman is connected to the fish, Anse desires to get a new pair of teeth, and Jewel is always seen with his horse. Throughout what we’ve read, Jewel has been notably possessive towards the horse: refusing to let anyone else ride it and taking it with him on the journey. However, does the horse represent something greater? How does the horse depict the Bundren family dynamics?
Jewel’s horse has been introduced from the start; he’s almost never shown without it. Later on, the readers discover the origins of the horse in a Darl chapter. Unknowingly to the rest, Jewel would sneak out at night and return too exhausted to work. Five months after this started, Addie and the rest of the family were confronted with the results of his labor. The reactions varied among the members: pa was upset and concerned about the finances of the horse, while Addie was struck by Jewel misleading her.
This moment of the narrative foreshadows something crucial about Addie: it was noted that after this incident, she cried alone about Jewel’s deceit. Darl recounts it: “she cried hard…maybe because she felt the same way about tears she did about deceit, hating herself for doing it, hating him because she had to. And then I knew that I knew. I knew that as plain on that day as I knew about Dewey Dell on that day” (136). It’s made clear that Addie feels some sort of guilt when it comes to deceit, but what is it that Darl knew about her? Why is it that she felt so personally affronted when it came to Jewel and the horse?
Later on in an Addie chapter, the readers find out that Jewel is an illegitimate child, something that the rest of the family and especially Pa are unaware of. She carries this sin with her to her deathbed, which could be ascribed to her deep aversion towards lying and deceit; Addie has been deceiving her family this entire time. When Jewel reveals the horse after going behind all their backs, it’s possible that the incident incited Addie's repressed feelings and reminded her of what she’s been hiding. This would explain her strong, averse reaction to the situation and how she felt the need to hide her tears afterward.
Faulkner has been foreshadowing this connection throughout the novel. Jewel consistently attributes his mother to a horse, especially in contrast to Vardaman and his fish. When Addie passes away, Darl remarks that he “cannot love his mother because [he has] no mother. Jewel’s mother is a horse” (95). Later when Darl is trying to explain to Vardaman how their mother can be multiple different things, readers can only later understand the depth of his words. He states how Jewel’s mother is a horse, to which Vardaman replies in confusion that his mother is a fish and Jewel is his brother. Darl then says “‘if pa is your pa, why does your ma have to be a horse just because Jewel’s is?’” (101). Highlighting the discrepancies in the depiction of Addie emphasizes the difference between Jewel and the rest of his family. The horse acts as a visual representation to establish his independence and separation from the family.
Hi Khyuen, great post. I really like your interpretation of the text, as it provides a very compelling reason for why Jewel has such a strong attachment to his horse. I always interpreted Darl's "your mother is a horse" as saying that the same way Jewel loves his horse but does so almost in secret is the way he loves his mother- someone he loves but cannot express properly. But, your interpretation is also fantastic. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great analysis of Jewel's horse! On the surface level, it seems like Jewel has an attachment to this horse, because he worked hard for it. However, digging deeper, this horse, like you said, represents this independence from the family. He didn't just work to get the horse, he worked without help from anyone else. I also like how you bring up the connection between the horse and Addie. I didn't really understand Addie's extreme reaction, but it makes sense considering how she has pent up emotions and secrets, and this was like a final straw. Overall, great blog Khuyen!
ReplyDeleteHi Khuyen! I think it's interesting that you chose to write about the relationship between Jewel and his horse and how any time Jewel is mentioned, so is his horse. This was something I had not noticed, however it is very similar to Cash's relationship with his saw or Vardaman and the fish. It is clear that Faulkner likes to draw ties between characters and objects or animals, which ultimately allows for the reader to find more depth in the character. Great post!
ReplyDeleteInteresting how before we knew that Jewel was not Anse's son, Darl was poking at the idea that Vardaman's father (Anse) is his father. The suppressed emotions that Addie seems to have had about Whitfield being Jewel's father were likely those that were revealed when Addie finds out that Jewel had been working at night. Maybe she finds a sneaky aspect in Jewel that was in her; the reason that he even existed. Jewel rode his horse away many times throughout the book, setting him free from his family. Jewel was an independent, different biologically and personality wise. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Khuyen, I really enjoyed reading your blog and your analysis of the horse made me think about something interesting. With the discrepancy between Addie being portrayed as a horse and a fish, and Jewel leaving his family with/for his horse. Jewel and his horse live sort of separate from the rest of the family, hinting at Addie's double life, because Addie as a horse is seen separate from the rest of the family, with Jewel, subtly implying that Jewel was the product of an affair long before it was revealed.
ReplyDeleteHi Khuyen! I absolutely love your interpretation of the horse’s significance, I personally did not realize all of these nuances in the text that related to Jewel’s beloved animal. On the surface I assumed that the horse was special to Jewel since he worked hard to earn it, but upon deeper inspection it does serve as a symbol of his disconnection with the family—and emphasized in the conversation with Vardaman, when they both have ‘different mothers’. The horse and Jewel also mirror the relationships the other brothers have with their own fixations—but knowing pieces of the story that are unbeknownst to the other characters does add a layer of depth to their relationship.
ReplyDeleteHi Khuyen! I missed quite a few of the ways the characters foreshadowed that Jewel wasn't Anse's son! Thanks for showing them. I also totally agree with the way Jewel just seems to care about Addie and his horse, and I think relating the two of them makes a lot of sense in terms of characterizing Jewel.
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