What happens in Chapter 39 of As I Lay Dying?
Cora shares a memory of a conversation with Addie. She tells Addie that God blessed her with children as a source of comfort and a sign of His love, emphasizing that it's not for humans to judge their sins but to celebrate God's mercy instead. Addie replies that her everyday life itself is a recognition and atonement for her sins, insisting she understands her own shortcomings and accepts her punishment without resentment. Cora counters this by calling it vanity, asserting that only God can truly judge sin and provide salvation. She then points out what she sees as Addie's real sin: choosing Jewel, who never loved her, over Darl, whom Cora believes was touched by God and genuinely cared for Addie. Addie cryptically declares that "he" is her cross and will be her salvation, claiming he will rescue her from both water and fire. When Cora questions how Addie can be so certain without opening her heart to God, she realizes Addie is not referring to God at all — she means Jewel. Cora denounces this as sacrilege stemming from vanity. She drops to her knees, pleading with Addie to join her and cast out the devil of vanity, but Addie refuses. Cora prays for Addie, now seeing her as a poor blind woman who has shut her heart to God and placed "that selfish mortal boy" in His stead.
Analysis
The chapter unfolds entirely through Cora's uninterrupted retrospective monologue, presenting the reader solely with her view of a private exchange with Addie. The structure shifts between recreated dialogue and Cora's moralizing commentary, creating a rhythm that highlights her tendency to overshadow Addie's limited speech with her lengthy statements. This disparity in how they communicate — Cora's extended discourse contrasted with Addie's brief, cryptic remarks — amplifies the divide between them.
Cora's voice carries a distinct biblical rhythm: expressions like "time out of mind amen," "trials and tribulations," and "a jealous God" reveal her immersion in the language of revival preaching, to the point where she blends her personal views with a sense of divine authority. The chapter's irony lies in Cora's condemnation of Addie for daring to judge sin, even as Cora herself assesses Addie's wrongdoing, pinpointing its exact nature (favoring Jewel over Darl) and declaring its consequences. The reader recognizes that Cora shares in the very vanity she accuses Addie of possessing.
The pronoun "he" in Addie's pivotal lines — "He is my cross and he will be my salvation. He will save me from the water and from the fire" — introduces key ambiguity. Initially, Cora interprets Addie's words as referring to God; however, the realization that she is speaking of Jewel transforms the religious language into something deeply personal, even idolatrous from Cora's perspective. The imagery of water and fire evokes strong associations of trial and purification, imbuing Addie's statement with a prophetic significance that Cora perceives only as sacrilege. The chapter's conclusion — with Cora kneeling in solitude while Addie remains unmoved — visually represents the irreconcilable positions of the two women.
Key quotes from Chapter 39
““He is my cross and he will be my salvation. He will save me from the water and from the fire. Even though I have laid down my life, he will save me.””
Addie speaks these lines to Cora during their conversation, the moment Cora realizes Addie does not mean God.
“I realized that out of the vanity of her heart she had spoken sacrilege.”
Cora's narration, immediately after she understands that Addie's 'he' refers to Jewel rather than God.
““My daily life is an acknowledgment and expiation of my sin””
Addie's reply to Cora's insistence that mortals must praise God's mercy rather than presume to judge their own sin.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 39
- acknowledgment
- An open admission or recognition of something, here of one's own sin or fault, accepted and owned rather than denied.