In the novel "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulker, one of the most misinterpreted characters is Jewel Bundren. Part of the reason he is so misunderstood may be the fact that he only has one narration in the entire novel, so we only really get to see what other characters see and think of him, without hearing Jewel's side of the story. A prime example of this is on page 24, where Cora says that Jewel "was after that three extra dollars" when Addie was dying. Cora seemed to think that Jewel cared nothing for his mother, which is clearly not true, because within Jewel's own narration he says,"And now them others sitting there, like buzzards. . . It should just be me and [Addie] on a high hill" (15). Jewel doesn't like how all Addie's other children are hovering over her death bed, and how Cash is building the coffin in plain sight of his dying mother. Jewel sees them all as being insensitive, and his quote shows that he is a bit selfish in wanting his mother all to himself, most likely because he wants to let her die in peace.
We know from the beginning that Jewel is different, and seperate from the rest of the family, but we don't know why until it is revealed later in the book. Jewel's obvious love for animals may be a symbol for his alienation from the rest of his siblings, since he is, in a way, a different "species" from them, since we learn later that he is from a different father. We also know that Jewel was Addie's favorite child from Cora's narrations, where she says, "Jewel, the one [Addie] had always cherished" (24). The knowledge the other children have of this fact often causes tensions among them, because of the jealousy that came with it. It is possible even that Darl may have tried to get Jewel to leave with him for the three dollars as Addie was dying in order to prevent Jewel from being with her when she died.
We also see Jewel's alienation from the rest of his family when he chooses to ride on his horse instead of the wagon when the family is making the journey to Jefferson to bury Addie. This clearly upsets Anse, since he says "I told him not to bring that horse. . . because it wouldn't look right" (105). Perhaps Anse is acknowledging the fact that Jewel is not his son and doesn't want anyone else to see Jewel riding seperately and notice this. However, Jewel insists on riding his horse, perhaps because he does not feel a part of the rest of the family's "flesh and blood" (105).
However, we see Jewel's loving and compassionate qualities during the travel to Jefferson as well. When the wagon tips over and Cash breaks his leg, Jewel is the most determined one in retrieving Cash's precious tools, despite the turmultuous waters. It says "Jewel dives again. . . he is swimming now, toward the bank, the current sweeping him downstream. . . When Jewel comes up he has the saw" (160-162). This shows Jewel's love for his half-brother, because even though earlier in the novel he was angry with Cash for sawing Addie's coffin right where she could see it, he still has the devotion to him to risk his life to save the things that were important to Cash.
We also can see Jewel's caring and self-sacrificial nature when he decides to sell his precious horse in order to buy mules to help get Addie to Jefferson. Eustace says on page 193, "I just found the horse in the barn this morning when I went to feed, and I told Mr. Snopes and he said to bring the team [of mules] on over here". This shows that Jewel was willing to sacrifice his most prized possession in order to help get his mother to Jefferson and fufill her wish to be buried there. This clearly shows Jewel's compassion for his mother and his family, which is often over-looked by other characters and by readers in general.
