In Cora Tull's first section, Cora's self-righteousness and irritating piety come through loud and clear. Cora's attitude of acceptance seems at first to be kinder, but in the end turns out to be self-righteous and equally angry. Implicit in Cora's interior monologue is that she feels she does not need to judge the rich because her God will. Religion is a theme of the novel, and often Faulkner is deeply critical of the religious characters of the book. Characters often are blinded by their own piety.
Poverty is an important theme of the novel.
The Bundrens are one of the poorest families in any of Faulkner's books. Jewel and Darl are going to miss their mother's death for three dollars. The family lives in a perpetual state of need, always slightly short of cash. Isolation also is apparent in Dewey Dell's narrative. She is the only daughter of the family, and Addie's death will leave her as the sole female.