Masculinity In Barn Burning

Most father-son relationships revolve around love and protection. These relationships are built on the framework of nurturing, guiding and providing. This is the case in most father son relationships, but in the story “Barn Burning” Colonel Sartoris Snopes and Abner Snopes relationship is quite the contrary. William Faulkner strays far from the typical father son relationship and presents Abner Snopes as an abusive father, both physically and mentally, to his son, Colonel Sartoris Snopes.

The setting of this story is very important because it gives you a sense of what life was like back during the late 1800s. “Barn Burning” takes place in the south after the civil war. After the civil war, the south was in the period of reconstruction. A lot of the south was destroyed from the war, and it affected everyone in the south from their economy, to their personal lives. Many people lived impoverished like the Snopes family. Abner Snopes holds a lot of resentment because he couldn’t be successful in his life. Instead of changing his life and working hard, he resents everything and everyone around him. This attitude eventually leads to his downfall.

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

In the story of “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner, a child name Sartoris Snopes witnesses his father’s crime of burning Major de Spain’s barn, then decides to do the correct thing to stop him by betraying the whole family. Barn burning is an action of removing a person’s source of wealth, which can completely diminish their lives. Especially the time after the civil war, where poverty is more common to see in farmers. Throughout the story, Abner reveals himself as a emotionless, cold, tough man; however, he does show a side of caring, as well as correcting mistakes that he made and self-reflection, also sets a good example and teaches his son, Santoris, the definition of what a man is. Although Abner Snopes is undoubtedly guilty of the crime

The time periods and locations in which “A&P” and “Barn Burning” take place are very different. Sammy lives in a more favorable time in the United States than Sarty. “A&P” is set in a small town north of Boston, Massachusetts around 1960. At this time, the United States was the main military manufacturer and financial power in the capitalist world. The “Hippie Movement” just started and shocked many traditional families with a new way of living. Sarty lives in Mississippi about twenty years after the Civil War. Life was tough for Mississippians post Civil War. The Southern states were in debt and devastation from the war was everywhere. Although America was transforming into a more modern country in both stories, the time periods in which they live are completely opposite.

2.Billinglea, O. Fathers and Sons: The Spiritual Quest in Faulkner's 'Barn Burning. Mississippi Quarterly: The Journal of Southern Culture 44.3 (Summer 1991).

Introduction Barn Burning is a story written by William Faulkner that was later turned into a movie. At the beginning of the story, Mr. Harris claims that Mr. Snopes burned down his barn. In the middle, Sartoris and Snopes were getting ready to plow when Major arrived on horseback and told Snopes that he would have to pay 100 dollars to replace the rug that was ruined. In the end, Snopes went and burned down Majors barn. After reading and seeing the movie, I think that the movie was little bit better than the book.

Every person reaches a point in their lives when they must define themselves in relation to their parents. We all come through this experience differently, depending on our parents and the situation that we are in. For some people the experience comes very early in their lives, and can be a significant life changing experience. In William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” Colonel Sartoris Snopes must decide either to stand with his father and compromise his integrity, or embrace honesty and morality and condemn his family. This is a difficult decision to make, especially for a ten year old boy that has nothing outside of what his father provides. Sarty’s decision to ultimately betray his father is dependent on his observation of Abner’s character

The story Barn Burning centralized around a boy name Sarty and his tenant farmer family, forcing Sarty to make a choice between his morality or the bond between him and his father. The short story Barn Burning

The saying, “blood is thicker than water” is a term used to imply that family relationships are always more important than friends. However, at times it may be hard to choose between family and friends based on right and wrong. In the short story, Barn Burning, written by “William Faulkner, a Nobel Prize winning novelist of the American South”(“William Faulkner”), choosing between family and doing what is right for honor and justice is highly expressed. The main character, Colonel Sartoris Snopes, nicknamed Sarty, battles his thoughts of doing what is right or wrong throughout the story. After following the orders of his father for ten years, Sarty eventually decides to make his own choice and go against the pull of blood.

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 contact with, Faulkner’s depiction of Abner’s selfishness, and his jealousy for those around him and what he did not have.

All stories, as all individuals, are embedded in a context or setting: a time, a place, and a culture. In fact, characters and their relationship to others are better understood in a specific context of time, place and atmosphere, as they relate to a proposed theme or central point of a story. Abner is revealed as a sadistic character who confronts his son with the choice of keeping his loyal ties to the family or parting for a life on his own with no familial support. Sarty is Abner's son, a young boy torn by the words of his father and the innate senses of his heart. Sarty is challenged by an internal conflict, he wants to disobey his father, yet he knows that if he leaves he will have nowhere to go and no one to turn to. We will

The story of "Barn Burning" was "first published in the June of 1939 in the Harper's Magazine and later awarded the O. Henry Memorial Award for the best short story of the year." The author, William Faulkner, "was one of America's most innovative novelists". The way he describes the smells, sites and sounds of the rural late 1800's make you feel as if you are there with the characters in this story. Through the use of symbolism, Faulkner tells the story about a relationship of a father and son. Fire was the most vital symbol used and describes the way, Abner, the main character in the story faces all of his challenges. He lived his life like a flaming inferno destroying

“A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you. . . . And that is why we say that mother is supreme” (p.134). In Achebe’s 1959 “Things Fall Apart”, female figures appear to have minor domesticated roles; however with these words Achebe calls attention to female strength within the tribe. Feminine power is recognized within the tribe, and fear of this power provides the foundation for the male obsession with displays of masculinity. Achebe highlights significant female goddesses, displays a solid feminine role in education, fully develops strong-minded female characters, and demonstrates masculine

Thus, his father’s order and his own societal opinions always put him in the situations, which is full of dilemmas and he also doesn’t understand his father’s ‘himself’ philosophy. For example, if his father doesn’t get what he believes or what he loves or likes or what he expects, he becomes rebellious and burns opposite party’s barn. For example, barn burning cases of Mr. Harris’ barn and Major de Spain’s barn. Abner’s enmity with Harris on certain matters and Major de Spain on the issues of Rug, Sarty doesn’t care to consider Harris and Major de Spain as his enemy, though Abner believes them enemy. In fact, with a great courage he shows for informing Major de Spain about Abnes’ intention to do harm to him while his father makes up his mind