Darl (pg.128-136)

“And then I knew that I knew. I knew that as plain on that day as I knew about Dewey Dell on that day.” (pg. 136)

In this quote the repetition of “I knew” and “on that day” exemplifies how Darl is the one to notice people’s acts of deception. In this chapter, Darl was reminiscing about Jewel’s act of deceit and how this act had caused Addie to deceive others to cover up for her son. This concept of dishonesty is repeated because Darl had been unable to accept the mere fact that his mother had been covering up for Jewel while she had taught her kids that this act is morally wrong and “nothing else could be very bad or important, not even poverty (pg.130).” Moreover, this quote signifies Darl’s knowledge about Jewel being the illegitimate son and compares it to Dewey Dell’s secret of her pregnancy. It is evident that Jewel is the illegitimate son when Darl says “And I knew that she was hating herself for that deceit and hating Jewel because she had to love him so that she had to act the deceit (pg.130-31).” In essence, if Jewel was legitimate she wouldn’t “have” to love him and therefore, her act of covering up for Jewel’s work exemplifies how she also tries to hide her act of deception that caused Jewel to be illegitimate. Therefore, Darl builds this tension between him and Jewel because he knows about this treachery and despises the fact that Jewel receives more attention from Addie than he. In comparison, to King Lear by William Shakespeare, Edmund – the illegitimate son is jealous of the legitimate son – Edgar. Although the roles are switched in As I Lay Dying, both literary works convey the concept of deception to be the trigger of the tension between one and another. Lastly, this quote is connected to Darl’s knowledge of the unknown. This is evident because Darl makes a reference to Dewey Dell’s unmoral secret that nobody knows about and connects it to Addie’s secret about Jewel that hasn’t been revealed.

Lyrics for “Nothing Left” by As I Lay Dying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOLgBgnnUUE (<---music video)
This world was never worthy
But how can I call it unfaithful
Every promise was fulfilled
As decay crawled from it's throat
Like the dead rising from an open grave
Lips of splendor and tongue of deceit
All dying now as our fragile wrists hold only waste
Like those gasping for their last breath
We cannot hide there's nothing left
If All my sorrow has led me here
Then I would cry all of my tears
To have this chance again
And know there's more than this
And know there's more than you
Like those gasping for their last breath
We cannot hide there's nothing left

I chose this song because it is about a woman who is trying to hide the truth about her infection. By exposing herself to the world she had put her life in danger by being executed. Moreover, it illustrates how sinners face the consequences to their actions. In relation to the text, Addie has kept her secret about Jewel’s illegitimacy (her sin) in which she hadn’t revealed and passed away leaving the truth to be unknown. Furthermore, the lyrics expose how after Addie had passed, Darl seems to have “nothing left.” In addition it can be connected to both Dewey Dell’s and Addie’s acts of deception that cannot be hidden from Darl, who perceives the unknown within his family. Lastly, in the song it mentions the “tongue of deceit” for those individuals who haven’t confessed their sickness and mislead people into believing they don’t have an infection. Darl, however, finds out about the dishonesty occurring without any words from Addie and Dewey Dell’s “tongue’s of deceit.”