L A F E 

 
 
I was a poor kid. I never had much growin’ up. My parents died from some disease when I 
was only a tot, so I lived with my grandparents. They were good to me, but I always 
wanted ​more​. They didn’t let me out of the house much. I was very lonely. Sometimes I 
would even get so hungry I would sneak out and steal some food from the nearby market. 
I never had the time to grab some for my grandparents, though. It was hard enough 
gettin’ somethin’ for my own self let alone two others. They didn’t know about my 
stealing, so why would I get them somethin’? After awhile I would start to steal toys and 
other knick knacks from shops. Bein’ a poor kid was hard. My grandparents were good to 
me though. When I turned eighteen it was time for me to leave. I left and never looked 
back. I found a job working’ here on the Bundren’s farm. It’s not a bad job, especially 
bein’ around’ the daughter. I don't’ know her name yet, but I will learn it soon.  
 
I want her. She seems innocent enough. 
 
A while ago she followed me to the woods when I left to pick some cotton. I let her. We 
talked for awhile about her mother. She told me her name. Dewey Dell. From the moment 
I saw ‘er I knew I had to have ‘er. When she followed me into the woods I knew it was 
the perfect time. Her innocence attracted me to ‘er. 
 
I noticed she kep’ lookin’ back towards her house, like she was waiting for someone to 
come and help her. Why would she need help? We were jus’ pickin’ cotton.  
 
I could see it on ‘er face. She wanted it too. I knew it. I thought it would be fun to play a 
game. “If your sack is full when we get to the woods, we should do it,” I said. It was a 
good idea. I could just put cotton in her sack when she wasn’t lookin’. She couldn’t deny 
the spark we had. 
 
We got to the woods and she looked in her sack. She knew I was puttin’ cotton in it, but 
she didn’t care. If she didn’t wanna do it, she would’ve said somethin’ about the cotton.  
 
Her face looked different, though. She didn’t look like her sweet self. I figured that it was 
her way of tellin’ me it was okay. She would’ve said somethin’ if she didn’t wanna do it 
though. I knew it was okay.  
 
Yesterday she came up to me as I was pickin’ my cotton. 
 
“I think I’m pregnant,” she said. 
 
I was in awe. It couldn’t be right. It was only one time. My first instinct was to get rid of 
it. I knew Addie Bundren was gon’ die at any time, so I gave ‘er all the money I had in my 
pocket and tol’ her, “Get rid of it when you’re in Jefferson. There’s some medicine shops 
in town that have some medicines to get rid of it. Ten dollars should be enough.” 
 
As she left, I thought about my decision. Was it the best way to handle it? Yes. It had to 
have been. We aren’t married yet. Her father wouldn’t be happy. I didn’t want the 
responsibility either. I’m too young. I don’t deserve this. She watched me put the cotton in 
her basket. She shouldn’t have let me do it.  
 
 
 
 
I decided to have Lafe narrate this section of A ​ s I Lay Dying​ because there’s not much 
known about him and what led him to become closer to Dewey Dell. I wanted to try to 
portray exactly what Lafe’s thoughts were during the events leading up to Dewey Dell’s 
pregnancy. I think giving the readers a bit of knowledge about his life growing up could 
help to understand why he did what he did. I knew I had to give him some hardships in 
his life, like his parents dying and being poor. It makes more sense to us as readers as to 
why he did what he did to Dewey Dell. By giving Lafe a background in stealing food and 
toys for himself, and only himself, it shows his selfishness and immaturity. It gives us, as 
readers, more of a reason to dislike him. There is also a part in this section where he 
doesn’t even know Dewey Dell’s name but still “wants” her. It is a reminder that Lafe 
only wanted Dewey Dell because he was capable of doing it. She was innocent and 
uneducated, and he took advantage of that. There are also a few parts that strongly 
indicate Dewey Dell’s discomfort in the situation. Lafe notices her discomfort, but takes it 
as an indicator that she wants to keep going. Finally, in the last paragraph, it sounds at 
first like Lafe is going to regret his decision of giving her the ten dollars, but instead 
blames the entire situation on Dewey Dell, by essentially saying “she shouldn’t have let 
me do this.” There are many cases today in which blame is put onto the victim of sexual 
assault instead of the assaulter. It was important for me to tell Lafe’s side of the story 
because it helps us to better understand the situation and what exactly he was thinking 
during this time. It helps us to sympathize with Dewey Dell and the situation she is being 
put in.