Love and Abuse: A Character Study of Jewel Bundren

April 25, 2011

Love and Abuse: A Character Study of Jewel Bundren

In American author, William Faulkner’s, stream-of-consciousness novel, As I Lay Dying, there are many examples of unique characters within the Bundren family. One of the most interesting members is the third-oldest son, Jewel Bundren. In regards to his character, one could draw a connection between Jewel’s “wooden” personality and Addie’s coffin (SparkNotes). Like Jewel, the coffin represents a type of protection for Addie’s corpse. However, as proven by the youngest son, Vardaman, when he drills holes into the top of the coffin so his mother can breathe, the wood is not impenetrable just like Jewel. His action of collecting Cash’s tools from the river is an uncharacteristic display of consideration towards one of his brothers. Jewel does perform acts of selflessness during the course of the novel, but they are almost always something that benefits his mother. For example, he voluntarily takes his horse to Snopes after his father deceitfully traded the stallion for a team of mules which was to help the transit of Addie’s body to the resting place of her choice.

Jewel is deeply in love with his horse, and despite outward appearances, Jewel also sincerely cares for his mother, Addie. His trouble lies in the fact that he seems to only be able to show his feelings through abusive or angry actions, and he spends his days in a constant cloud of gloom. Oddly enough, the people whom he does not care about, he acts indifferently towards. These symptoms are outlined on Psychology Today’s website in an article entitled “Anger, Men, and Love” written by Steven Stosny. In the article Stosny addresses the state of a man when he feels inadequate about his efforts to show love for those around him, especially women. The writer says,

Most male anger comes from feeling like a failure as a protector, provider, and sexual-lover. These acute vulnerabilities can be stimulated by the mere unhappiness or displeasure of his wife, even if her distress or negative states have nothing to do with him. And he is likely to blame his sense of failure and the feelings of inadequacy it stimulates on her.

Jewel seems to have the impression that he needs to be a protector to Addie. In response to the insensitivity that he perceives the rest of the family is showing towards their dying wife and mother, he says “It would just be me and her on a high hill and me rolling the rocks down the hill at their faces, picking them up and throwing them down the hill faces and teeth and all by God until she was quiet…(Faulkner 15)” The fact that his brother is constructing Addie’s coffin in plain view of his mother is what compels Jewel to emote in this way. He hates the rasping sound of what he calls the “…goddamn adze…(Faulkner 15)”, and he is annoyed by the fact that Dewey Dell is continuously fanning they dying woman’s face. All Jewel wants is for his mother to be left in peace and to allow her to pass on quietly.

Another effect of the feelings of male inadequacy, according to author Stosny, is an attempt by the man to somehow neutralize his feelings of deficiency by monetary or physical means. Jewel seems to be trying to do just this when he earns the money to buy his own horse. When his father berates him for bringing another mouth to feed to the farm, Jewel assures him that, “’He won’t never eat a mouthful of yours,” he said. “Not a mouthful. I’ll kill him first. Dont you never think it. Dont you never.’ (Faulkner 136)” He stays true to his word and never asks his family for any kind of financial support regarding his horse. In Stosny’s words,

…you [the man] might try to compensate for the perceived deficiencies of your emotional support with some kind of financial or service-oriented behavior. And you're likely to get resentful or angry when your family considers these inadequate compensation. (Stosny)

Jewel’s attempt at proving his financial freedom is obviously rebuked by his father and as far as he can tell, it just makes his mother cry. It must seem to him, as a young boy, that he can never do anything right for either of his parents. He does not even know how to react when his mother breaks down in tears before him, and resorts to simply turning his face away leaving his older brother, Cash, to comfort her.

Other effects of male inadequacy can be a simmering resentment and the propensity to always be looking for a fight. Both of these characteristics are displayed by Jewel throughout the novel, with a seeming haze of resentment always about his head. This includes resentment towards his siblings and parents, and usually results in his angry lashing out of strangers whom he does not like.

The adrenalin rush of anger…always crashes into some level of depression…Resentment keeps him partially aroused most of the time and highly susceptible to angry outbursts…Often tired and distracted, he needs more anger for energy, focus, and motivation. He gets caught on a recurring roller-coaster of resentment-anger-depression-resentment-anger-depression. (Stosny)

When he firsts arrives in Jefferson, Jewel very nearly gets into a physical fight with a complete stranger, displaying his propensity to aggravate those who become angry with him. A group of negroes are passing by the wagon and upon smelling the stench issuing from the wagon, one of the them ejaculates, “Great God…what they got in that wagon? (Faulkner 229)” Jewel turns on them and peppers the trio with his usual profane responses. Unfortunately for him, one of the white townsmen is walking right in front of him when he unleashes his displeasure, and the man mistakenly thinks that Jewel is directing an insult at him. At first, Jewel refuses to take back what he says and instead continues to swear at the man, but eventually his older brother, Darl, calms him down again.

In conclusion, Jewel feels that he is somehow inadequate to provide protection for Addie. Perhaps it is because he feels that he was never understood growing up, that he did not fit in with the other Bundren children. Whatever the cause, Jewel has fallen into a habitual pattern that has little to do with what happened in the past. Stosny says,

Once a habit is etched in the brain, it cannot be reversed by resolving whatever issue may have given rise to it. That is why therapies that focus on childhood wounds, though they might be interesting for self-discovery, are all but useless at changing habits. Habits are conditioned responses that must be reconditioned in the present.

Jewel believes that at some point he failed his mother, and subconsciously, he is always trying to find some way to please her. Sadly, his overprotective yet aloof character, results in nothing more than a man who resents everything and everybody around him.

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Works Cited

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on As I Lay Dying.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.

Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying. United States of America: Vintage International, 1930.

Stosny, Steven Ph.D. Anger, Men, and Love. 5 April 2010. 17 April 2011 .