Anse Bundren

Anse is not a traditional villain but rather a deeply selfish man who disguises his self-interest in pious resignation. Faulkner portrays him as darkly comic rather than menacing, yet the harm he inflicts—such as allowing Cash's leg to be cemented, consenting to Darl's commitment, and stealing Dewey Dell's money—is systematic and real. His smallness, worn as dignity, serves as a sharp critique of patriarchal authority rather than a straightforward antagonism.

Anse frames the journey as a sacred duty to fulfill Addie's dying wish, but his main objective is acquiring new teeth—only available in a town with a dentist. The burial acts as moral cover, lending borrowed gravity to a personal errand. His actions throughout the trip confirm this: he begs resources from neighbors, sacrifices his children's well-being, and arrives in Jefferson to get his teeth before introducing a new wife to his family.

Anse consents to Darl's commitment to the Jackson asylum with minimal resistance, portraying it as a legal necessity after Darl burns Gillespie's barn. In reality, the decision shields Anse from financial liability for the fire. He sacrifices his son to protect his own interests, and this betrayal starkly illustrates his ruthlessness—executed without visible guilt or grief.

Anse takes the money Dewey Dell has saved for an abortion—the only resource she has gathered for a deeply private need—and uses it to help fund his new teeth. He is completely unaware of her crisis, making the cruelty casual and unknowing rather than intentional, which Faulkner presents as a damning indictment of Anse's self-absorption.

Their marriage embodies mutual alienation. Addie's interior monologue reveals her perception of Anse as a hollow man who uses the word love without grasping that love is action, not mere language. In death, she becomes further diminished: her corpse serves as justification for Anse's trip to Jefferson. He exploits her dying wish as a cover for his own agenda, reducing her to a mere prop for his self-interest.

Anse trades away Jewel's prized horse—his most cherished possession—to obtain a replacement mule team for the journey, treating Jewel's deep attachment as a bargaining chip. He shows no remorse and offers no real compensation. This act is especially poignant since Jewel is actually the minister Whitfield's son, not Anse's biological child, though Anse seems unaware of this.

The novel concludes with its most devastating punchline: Anse arrives in Jefferson, acquires his new teeth, and promptly introduces a new wife—"Mrs Bundren"—to his astonished children. He replaces Addie almost immediately after her burial. He has also apparently obtained a gramophone. He remains entirely unchanged; he begins and ends as a man who extracts what he needs from others while portraying himself as the long-suffering victim.

Anse argues that sweating would kill him, using this belief as a constant excuse for his idleness while his children perform all the labor around him. Faulkner never validates this claim medically; it serves purely as self-serving rationalization. This represents one of Anse's most characteristic maneuvers—presenting a personal convenience as an immutable, even pitiable, affliction to extract effort from those around him.