William Faulkner’s short story “Barn Burning” is an epic exhibition of the author’s style. In the story, Faulkner shows us the story of Colonel Sartoris Snopes regarding his want for good and his loyalty to his family. Throughout the story, Sarty is put in a position of having to struggle between his integrity and his want to defend his father and family. In “Barn Burning,” a struggle is displayed by Sarty Snopes between his want to do right and his want to honor his father. The reader gets the first glimpse at the struggle early on in “Barn Burning.” Sarty is called to testify at a Justice of the Peace hearing. Sarty’s father is on trial for allegedly burning down the barn that belonged to Mr. Harris. The reader sees fairly quickly…show more content… (Ford) The moral maturity is pointed out in a cited article by Karl F. Zender, which is directed primarily at Abner Snope’s pyromania in the story, however, the moral maturity is easily identifiable in the Justice of the Peace court when Sarty refuses to lie.
The punishment which is given to Sarty is given because Sarty did not stick with his family. Sarty’s father, Abner, says “You got to learn to stick to your blood or you won’t have any blood to stick to you.” (Faulkner) Abner’s statements show two completely different points of view between the two regarding the incident with the Justice of the Peace. Sarty views the exchange and his refusal to lie as a moral duty. Even if this is not the most obvious thought by Sarty, within himself he understands this moral value. Abner, on the other hand, views the exchange as a betrayal of family. This may show that Abner Snopes does somewhat lack a moral maturity. Abner Snopes appears to use family as a defense for lying in this exchange. Abner is not necessarily morally corrupt, it may just be a loyalty to family that trumps all else. This is pointed out by Max Loges in “Faulkner’s BARN BURNING.” Loges says in the article, “Abner Snopes is also depicted as a man who is loyal to
William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning,” is about a southern white family that resides in a rural county in Mississippi. The low-income family members are the mother Lennie Snopes, the older brother, two sisters, and an aunt. The story’s main characters are, Colonel Sartoris Snopes, a 10- year-old boy, the father Abner Snopes, the property owner Abner’s boss Major de Spain, and his wife, Mrs. Lula de Spain. Abner Snopes characterized as the antagonist, and Faulkner describes him as an evil, vengeful man
In William Faulkner 's story, "Barn Burning,” we have a story that depicts a conflict between father and son, each of whom embrace different values. Interwoven into the story is class conflict between wealthy white landowners, tenant farming whites, and sharecropping African Americans. At the same time, you have another conflict between the three this dealing with race. The story also addresses the evils of slavery, tenant, and sharecropping and the vast social economic fallout that is left in the
William Faulkner is a writer from Mississippi. Faulkner is a very famous writer with most of his most famous works being short stories. Two of his most popular short stories are “A rose for Emily” along with “Barn Burning”. Faulkner has many other popular works, but “Barn Burning” was one of his well-known stories because of the many different of elements of literature in which Faulkner chose to include. Faulkner was known as a writer who could properly convey many different elements of literature
William Faulkner’s O. Henry Award winning short story, “Barn Burning” was written in 1938 and published by Harper’s in 1939 (“William,” par. 12). In many ways the story is a product of “both a turbulent time in America’s history and Faulkner’s personal history” (Parker 101). America was emerging from the Great Depression just in time to see World War II looming on the horizon while Faulkner was struggling with “finances, a drinking problem, and a new mistress” (Parker 102). In “Barn Burning” Faulkner
In the tale Barn Burning, the author William Faulkner formally known for his short stories with a constant theme of Southern Renaissance, racism and modernism uses these themes as a constant reference throughout the story. Faulkner focuses in depth on the antagonist, Abner Snopes and his actions and how they impact other characters throughout the story. I believe Abner was continuously portrayed as a negative character throughout the short story by Abner’s aggressiveness towards everyone he comes
In the short fiction “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner we experience the conflict between Sarty and his father Abner Snopes. “You’re getting to be a man. You got to learn. You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you.” (Faulkner, p.199). Sarty has an internal conflict choosing right over wrong resulting in being unfaithful to his Father. Author William Faulkner served in the air force and was a clerk at a bookstore before he started writing which
the short story Barn Burning by William Faulkner. Sarty is a ten-year-old boy who lives in the south of The United States in the 1890’s. Sarty is the only round character in the story. His father, Abner, expects Sarty to help him burn other people’s barns and lie to the Justice of the Peace. Surprisingly, Sarty has a sense of morality and justice, even though he has been raised by a terrible man. He may have gotten this sense of justice from being in courtrooms so often, or Faulkner is suggesting everyone
Receiving both the Pultizer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature, William Faulkner was an extensively recognized writer in the 20th century. Since the South was his home, Faulkner’s work was known to consist of southern culture and history (MINIBIOGRAPHY). One of his short stories, “Barn Burning,” published in 1939, followed this southern-style trend. The protagonist is faced with the challenges of loyalty to family and loyalty to the law. This internal battle of right versus wrong is prevalent
William Faulkner was born in 1897. Growing up in Mississippi inspired Faulkner to incorporate his southern roots into many of his works. Many of his works intertwined when it came to the setting and even some of the characters of his stories. William Faulkner’s short story “Barn Burning” is no different. In “Barn Burning” Faulkner brings in his native south through the setting, family dynamics, and social class.
First, Faulkner brings in many southern elements through the story’s setting. Although
Sarty Snopes in William Faulkner’s Barn Burning, explores these questions of human meaning, which ultimately classifies this modernistic short story. The dichotomy and differences between Sarty and Abner Snopes creates an undeniable tension within the character of Sarty, while he battles