William Faulkner 's Barn Burning

William Faulkner and Ernst Hemingway hold an eternal position as being two of the greatest writers in literature history. The writers wrote with very identifiable styles that only hold true to themselves; Hemingway described things in his stories down to its simplest form. Faulkner, on the other hand, compelled complex sentences and described all structures in his writings in magnificent detail. While the authors were fecund in their own writings the two are bonded together forever for being known as the two most vivid and descriptive writers of their time. Hemingway and Faulkner have major impacts on modern literature, many writers of today’s times are granted with the ability to turn to the works of these authors in-order to take a similar style with works of their own.

     William Faulkner is one of America's most talked about writers and his work should be included in any literary canon for several reasons. After reading a few of his short stories, it becomes clear that Faulkner's works have uniqueness to them. One of the qualities that make William Faulkner's writings different is his close connection with the South. Gwendolyn Charbnier states, 'Besides the sociological factors that influence Faulkner's work, biographical factors are of great importance…'; (20). Faulkner's magnificent imagination led him to create a fictional Mississippi county named Yoknapatawpha, which includes every detail from square mileage of the county to the break down of

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.

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.

William Faulkner has said that when you are writing a novel, there is a lot of room to add some fluff and be a bit careless with your ideas, but when writing a short story there is no room for “trash”, as he calls it. However, this can be a tough thing to do when you have a lot to say. Even Faulkner could have difficulty following along with his beliefs. After having read and considered A Rose for Emily and Barn Burning, I do believe that William Faulkner has been true to his beliefs in both of these short stories.

Upon receiving the Nobel Prize for his excellence in writing, William Faulkner expresses his dismay towards the writers of the day and laid out what he terms “the writer’s duty.” In his acceptance speech, Faulkner is disheartened by the fact that young writers continue to discuss “the end of man” in their work. Faulkner advocates that authors must make all efforts to “help man endure by lifting his heart.” Because man leads a difficult life, writers are obligated to use their work to uplift and inspire the reader’s sprit. In his memoir, Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt raises the reader’s spirits by illustrating that although one may have a reprobate nature,

Faulkner proves us that it is impossible to sruggle with one's own heart . The moment when Sarty decided to choose morality over the blood pool and warned the de Spain's revealed his true character. Though this meant the death of his

Few themes in literature are as influential or tacitly communicate as much as the theme of sin does, especially in The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible. Through their masterpieces, Hawthorne and Miller reveal the commonness of sin and the grave consequences that often follow it, but also the endurance and perseverance of man despite sin, fulfilling Faulkner's idea of the “writer’s duty”, a term he used in his Nobel Banquet speech. According to Faulkner, the “writer’s duty” is to write about man’s “inexhaustible voice”, that he “has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance”, to remind him of the “courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice” that lies in the past. Faulkner states that if used correctly, the works of an author can urge men to “endure and prevail”, which is certainly what The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible teach through the life of Hester Prynne and John Proctor.

William Faulkner incorporates balanced sentence structure throughout his speech to draw connections between the writer and their role within humanity. Faulkner begins his speech by addressing all aspiring writers and linking himself to them. He states that these writers are “already dedicated to the same anguish and travail, among whom is already that one who will someday stand here where I am standing.” Faulkner immediately establishes a hopeful tone regarding the future of writers, writers who, like Faulkner, understand that good writing requires the hard-work of self-sacrifice. Later on, when discussing the work of authors who disregard the universal truths of writing, Faulkner once again employs a balanced sentence. He claims such works are “of defeats in which nobody loses anything of value, of victories without hope and, worst of all, without pity or compassion”. Defeat and victory juxtaposed blurs the lines between the two and emphasizes the lack of meaning found within the works of authors unwilling to share the problems of the human heart. The parallelism of victories without hope, pity, and compassion marks any author’s work lacking these essential elements as destitute. Faulkner closes his speech with a final balanced statement, “The poet’s voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.” Faulkner expounds his central message that our writings must be 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, such as symbolism, conflict, tone, and many other elements of plot within his stories. In “Barn Burning”, William Faulkner most commonly uses symbolism and conflict to emphasize the obstacles that Sarty has to face in his youth years.

One of Faulkner’s techniques in achieving a sense of hopefulness throughout the students is his choice in point of view. There is a repeated use of second person, as he consistently addresses the audience as ‘you’. In doing so, he is personally addressing each member of the audience as an individual, within a whole. This creates a sense of relatability. “We all knew what he meant:

Character development is essential in any decent narrative as it is the vessel of the reader throughout the fictional world. An author may have the ability to create the most intricate plot, describe the most beautiful imagery and present a revolutionary discovery through writing, but if his character lacks development his brilliance will be dimmed and lost. Proper character development is difficult and must be elaborated correctly from the beginning of a story, or else the structure becomes hard to follow. Faulkner and Hemmingway both are masters in the craft of character and often reflect themselves upon this. They are able to do so brilliantly, and although both authors differ greatly in their development and techniques, their end results are nothing short of dazzling. Faulkner often develops his characters through their surroundings and object description, in most instances directly relating and comparing each other. Hemmingway creates his characters using complex sentence structure and dialogue, with the main theme surrounding politics and war. Both authors have a different focus and exposure and their setting reflect this style. In order to begin comparing Faulkner and Hemmingway it is important to first identify each author’s style and techniques.

     The works of William Faulkner have had positive effects on readers throughout his career. Local legends and gossip trigger the main focus of his stories. Considering that Faulkner grew up in Mississippi, he was very familiar with the ways of the South. This award winning author has been praised by many critics for his ability and unique style of writing. One of Faulkner's most popular works, which also was his first short story nationally published in

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

Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner were two of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. While they lived during the same period, their writing styles differed drastically. This can be seen in texts such as Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” and Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”. Hemingway’s style puts little focus on specific character details, which makes his stories seem like they could be about any person, including the reader, while Faulkner’s style puts a lot of focus on specific character details, which makes every detail and every character seem important to the reader. Both authors have styles indirect to their points, which forces the readers to figure out information on their own and leaves the purposes of texts more open to interpretation.