Anse’s narration from As I Lay Dying is unreliable for several reasons. First, Anse often contradicts himself and leaves out important details that would make him look bad. For example, when describing his son Jewel’s death, Anse describes how he tried to get the other men in town to help him bury Jewel but they refused—but then later describes how he had to go back and dig up Jewel’s body because he didn’t have enough wood to burn it (which would have been impossible if the townspeople had refused to help him).
Second, Anse often omits information that would make him look bad in favor of painting himself in a positive light while portraying others in a negative light. For example, when describing how Addie died, he mentions that she “just set there on the bed” after she fell ill but says nothing about how she was actually lying in her own vomit or how she had been crying out for help all night long before dying. Thirdly, Anse is highly biased in his narration: He paints himself as being very helpful and caring but portrays others as being lazy or foolish.
