What happens in Chapter 28 of As I Lay Dying?
Anse bitterly reflects on the struggles of farm life, feeling that a genuine, hardworking man can't get ahead while town storekeepers grow comfortable without putting in the effort. He finds solace in the idea that a heavenly reward is coming, where things will be equal again, and the Lord will take from the rich to give to the poor. He then mentions that the traveling party drove all day and reached Samson's at dusk, only to discover that the bridge was washed out as well. The river is higher than anyone — even the old-timers — has ever seen or heard, and the rain keeps pouring down. Anse interprets his suffering as a sign of divine love, recalling the proverb that the Lord chastises those He loves, although he admits that God's methods can be quite peculiar. The chapter ends with Anse reassuring himself that this journey will finally let him get his new teeth.
Analysis
This brief chapter offers a glimpse into Anse's self-justifying thoughts, expressed in his unique vernacular. It's told entirely from his first-person perspective, and his syntax — repetitive, digressive, and circular — reflects his tendency to always position himself as the aggrieved center of the universe.
The chapter unfolds in three parts: a populist complaint about town merchants ("them that runs the stores in the towns, doing no sweating"), a theological comfort drawn from scripture ("for who He loveth, so doeth He chastiseth"), and a sudden, oddly humorous shift to his teeth. The contrast between grand suffering and dental concerns forms the chapter's central irony: Anse presents the flood, the collapsed bridge, and the whole funeral journey as divinely ordained trials, only to quickly reduce it all to personal convenience.
Imagery of sweat permeates the opening — "eight miles of the sweat of his body washed up outen the Lord's earth" — connecting physical toil to both the land and the flood that destroys it. The word "washed" serves a dual purpose, suggesting both erosion and a kind of biblical cleansing that ultimately harms the farmer instead of purifying him.
Anse's theology is entirely self-serving: God's punishment is a sign of love, hardship indicates divine selection, and the afterlife will rectify the economic injustices he resents in this life. The statement "I am the chosen of the Lord" comes with absolute certainty, even as the very next phrase undercuts it with comic relief. The chapter's tone balances grievance, piety, and an almost cheerful acceptance — all tied together by Anse's steadfast self-interest.
Key quotes from Chapter 28
“I am the chosen of the Lord, for who He loveth, so doeth He chastiseth. But I be durn if He don’t take some curious ways to show it, seems like.”
Anse reflects on the washed-out bridge and the unprecedented flood, reconciling his suffering with his belief in divine favor.
“It takes them that runs the stores in the towns, doing no sweating, living off of them that sweats.”
Anse opens the chapter with a complaint about why honest farmers cannot profit while town merchants thrive.
“But now I can get them teeth. That will be a comfort. It will.”
The chapter's final lines, in which Anse abruptly shifts from theological lamentation to anticipating his new teeth.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 28
- chastiseth
- An archaic third-person form of 'chastise,' meaning to punish or discipline; used here in biblical-style speech about God punishing those He loves.