Dewey Dell, who was born to negate another child, approaches life negatively — that is, she refuses to assume any responsibility for her pregnancy or for her mother’s funeral. Because of her pregnancy, she is interested only in getting to the druggist in town. When something interrupts the journey, it is Dewey Dell who reminds Anse of his promise to bury Addie in Jefferson. But all the time, Dewey Dell’s main concern is with an abortion.

Dewey Dell is also a comic figure. Her actions and her thoughts are constantly compared to the slow deliberate movement of a cow. She approaches life with the quietness and peacefulness of an animal. Her willingness to go to the cellar with the druggist in Jefferson shows her naive yet knowing qualities, as if she knew that it wouldn’t help with the abortion but thought that it was an experience anyway. The only time that she is moved to action is when she attacks Darl at the grave, and this attack is prompted by her fear of him.