Barn Burning Sarty: A Literary Analysis

William Faulkner elected to write “Barn Burning” from his young character Sarty’s perspective because his sense of morality and decency would present a more plausible conflict in this story. Abner Snopes inability to feel the level of remorse needed to generate a truly moral predicament in this story, sheds light on Sarty’s efforts to overcome the constant “pull of blood”(277) that forces him to remain loyal to his father. As a result, this reveals the hidden contempt and fear Sarty has developed over the years because of Abner’s behavior. Sarty’s struggle to maintain an understanding of morality while clinging to the fading idolization of a father he fears, sets the tone

William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” takes a lot of real life cultural values and ways of southern life in the late 1800s. Many of those values and ways are expressed by sharecropping and tenant farming.

The short story,”Barn Burning”written by William Faulkner is about a 10 year old boy named Sarty, who gets called to the stand of the court; his father, Abner Snopes, is accused of burning a barn down. Sarty knows that his father is guilty of arson and wants justice to be served, but, his father wants him to stay loyal to his family and blood. The conflict of morals vs. family goes on for the entire story,Sarty’s moral beliefs are embedded in justice and peace, while his father wants him to protect his family no matter the circumstances. Literary devices used in the story are symbolism and diction, the symbols of blood and fire being, family and a chain.and being told from the perspective of a timid ten year old boy. One of the major themes present throughout the story is courage, wanting to tell on his father for arson but, being shot down by his intimidating father. William Faulkner illustrates the theme of courage through the use of symbolism and diction

	Living is about making choices. The choices people make shape their lives for better or worse. Even the decision not to choose has its effects, often not wanted. But the individual who chooses to make positive choices and to act accordingly is more likely to see his or her life reflect his or her beliefs and desires. Usually the individual who chooses to take action is also willing to face the risks and obstacles that such choices involve.

If we compare William Faulkner's two short stories, 'A Rose for Emily' and 'Barn Burning', he structures the plots of these two stories differently. However, both of the stories note the effect of a father¡¦s teaching, and in both the protagonists Miss Emily and Sarty make their own decisions about their lives. The stories present major idea through symbolism that includes strong metaphorical meaning. Both stories affect my thinking of life.

In life, there are many ways you can live, however, the manner in which you live is your choice. In most peoples’ lives, they want to leave this world and say that they were happy and enjoyed every single moment of it. People feel like if they lived a happy life, then that is all that matters. But what if life has more to do than just being happy, what if it was meant for you to change the world or the lives of others? If you changed the life of another person and made them happy, you made a difference. A happy life is a good one, but a meaningful life is fruitful.

William Faulkner's "Barn Burning" is an intriguing story about a young boy named Colonel Sartoris's (Sarty) love and hatred for his father, Abner Snopes. Ab is a brutal and frightening man who instills fear into whom ever he seems to be close to. What is the cause of Abner Snopes's cruel-heartedness? Maybe it's his alienation from the higher class in society that causes him to act in this manner. When such a separation occurs in a community one can feel that he doesn't belong and because he does not belong that the only way the higher class will give him the time of day is if the person acts out and tries to prove that he doesn't need law and conventional society, much

Sarty views his own age as a disadvantage when it comes to trying to change the ways of his father. This quote shows that although Sarty would like to change his life, he is too afraid of the consequences of his youth. This creates the illusion of no control, but the desperate wish for it. Later in the story, Sarty’s father gets angry at De Spain, the owner of the house that they are working for, because they are making him pay for the rug that he ruined. Using his anger as ammunition Sarty’s father decides to set his barn on fire, but this time instead of going along with the plan Sarty tries to stop him. “...his back toward what he called home for four days anyhow...the grief and despair now no longer terror and fear but just grief and despair” (Faulkner, 24). In this quote Sarty shows how brave he is, through the fact he is no longer afraid of what might happen to him after he betrayed those he loved. The author shows he is physically turning away with his back turned to show him turning away from his loyalty to his family, and is braving his perceived responsibility to do the right

The theme of William Faulkner's Barn Burning is Colonel Sartoris Snope's desire to break away from the oppressive conditions of his family life. He is pulled between his family and his morality. In this essay, I will discuss Sarty's struggle between the two sides of his conflict and the point at which it becomes resolved.

To the reader, Ab Snopes, the antagonist and father of Sarty, is portrayed as pyromaniac with no sense of respect of compassion for others property. However, authors Fargnoli, Golay, and Hamblin illustrates him as “mean spirited father, known for burning down barn” (58). The story begins with Ab being on trial for allegedly setting a man’s barn on fire. Ab was eventually acquitted of the pending charge due to lack of evidence and was ordered out of town. The reader assumed Ab possibly made a mistake, and would learn from his lesson. Faulkner implicates Ab as an abusive audacious man who expects, his children to conceal his crimes. The reader interprets this when Ab interrogates Sarty around the fire, “You’re getting to be a man. You got to learn to stick to your blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you.” (Barn Burning 9). Ab advised Sarty of this shortly after hit struck him in the head after he assumed Sarty was going to reveal his crime. Ab speaking that line implies that he is a dictator, whom rules his family with abuse and by intimidation. The Snopes arrive at the estate of Major de Spain, where he and Sarty are African American servant advises them de Spain wasn’t at the residence. Opposed to Ab leaving the residence and returning at a later hour, he bombards into the residence heaving the servant out the way. While Ab was inside the residence he purposely ruined a hundred dollar France imported rug with his boots. De Spain advises Ab he will pay

Loyalty is a powerful force. Oftentimes it blindsides us and causes us to support things we would not normally. Even do things that we despise. William Faulkner’s Barn Burning illustrates just such a case. Presenting a young boy’s progression from a loyal child, to an independent man as a conflict of loyalty and morals. This boy, Sarty, battles his own forming morals versus his father’s decisions, which leads to his development from child to adult. Faulkner writes his characters progression in five stages: blind loyalty, repressed disagreements, open questioning, and attempted reasoning with his father, before finally taking action to contradict his father.

At first glance, the story “Barn burning” seems just to be about a tyrannical father and a son who is in the grips of that tyranny. I think Faulkner explores at least one important philosophical question in this story were he asks at what point should a person make a choice between what his parent(s) and / or family believes and his own values?

The famous philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated that “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” The world is full of people who are conformists as well as people who stand for themselves and follow their own values. Emerson explains that by being yourself you are already part of something great. However, the question still lingers: Which is the real cause of genuine happiness? There have been many claims argued by various sources, such as Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Ursula Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Sherry Turkle’s TED Talk titled “Connected, but alone?”. All have come to a consensus

William Faulkner once said, “We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.” This quote is valid in William Faulkner’s short story, Barn Burning, as it demonstrates the difference in social classes and how their status affects the decisions they make. This is evident in Sarty’s response to his father’s actions, the condition in which Sarty’s family lives in and the treatment his family receives, and Sarty’s choices that evidently forced Sarty to betray someone he cares about or be true to himself.

He does not have that fierce pull of blood bringing him down. However, this feeling of Sartys does not last and reality rushes back. That “fear and despair and the old grief of blood” (Faulkner 179) come back to him, unwelcomed by Sarty. After the court hearing, Sarty receives a beating from a kid his own size because of his actions of his father.