Whitfield is the local minister with whom Addie has an affair, and is the father of Jewel. He plans to confess to Anse about the affair before Addie’s death, but upon finding out that she has already died without telling anyone, he decides not to, perceiving her death as a gift from God.
Whitfield Quotes in As I Lay Dying
The As I Lay Dying quotes below are all either spoken by Whitfield or refer to Whitfield. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
41. Whitfield
Quotes
“It was already as though it were done. My soul felt freer, quieter than it had in years….To either side I saw His hand; in my heart I could hear His voice:
‘Courage. I am with thee.’”
Related Characters:
Whitfield (speaker)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Whitfield Character Timeline in As I Lay Dying
The timeline below shows where the character Whitfield appears in As I Lay Dying. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
20. Tull
The local minister named Whitfield comes to the house to lead Addie's funeral, but first tells the Bundrens that the...
(full context)
40. Addie
Addie then begins an affair with Whitfield, the local minister. While she finds escape in the passion of the affair, she does...
(full context)
41. Whitfield
When Whitfield hears Addie is dying, he "wrestled with Satan" and decides to go to the Bundrens'...
(full context)
However, when the minister reaches Tull's home, one of Tull's daughters calls out to Whitfield that Addie Bundren has died. Whitfield decides not to confess, as no one in the...
(full context)
