Darl's Sanity


Darl was one of the more grounded and level-headed characters in the novel in my opinion.  He respected Anse and worked for him constantly without protest.  While on her death bed, he treated his mother with respect and did as she wished.  His telepathic connection with Dewey Dell allowed him to know about her pregnancy and told her that he could go to Anse and tell him, but chose not to in respect for his sister.  When faced with the drama his brother Jewel created, he tried to work with him reasonable, especially when Tull had made them go run his errands for him before Addie died.  Darl always did what he was told even if he didn't agree with it.

During the trip to Jefferson, I saw Darl's character change.  At the barn, his demeanor took a turn for the worst.  After he set the barn on fire, it was not clear to me why he did that, especially when he knew that his mother's coffin was inside.  To me, it seemed that he didn't agree with the decision to move his mother to Jefferson.  As a result to the fire, Anse had to admit him to a mental institution in order to prevent being sued.  When he was being taken away, he was laughing uncontrollably.  Darl's sanity had discretely changed throughout the novel in ways that I didn't realize until after I finished the novel.  I wondered if it was Addie's death that made him lose his sanity.  Did he truly care for his mother more than it was acknowledged that it destroyed him?

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