rite of passage Essay

In Conrad Philip Kottak’s “Rite of Passage” he mentions the three stages of a rite of passage. Anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep defines these stages as Separation, Margin, and Aggregation. Victor Turner, another anthropologist, focused on Margin, which he referred to as liminality. Not only can a rite of passage be an individual experience, but it can also be a communal experience which Turner called “communitas.” Many of us experience this “communitas” in different ways such as my Hispanic culture that experiences quinceneras. Quinceneras are a rite of passage for young girls’ transition from adolescence to womanhood. I for one never experienced this rite of passage.

He is even more afraid of losing his father’s trust after Abner hits him “hard but with out heat”(280) not for telling the truth, but for wanting to. Sarty is conscious of the fact that if Abner knew his desire for “truth, justice, he would have hit”(280) him again and that Abner’s recommendation that he “learn to stick to” his “own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you”(280) is more of a threat rather than fatherly advice. Sarty learns to stifle any qualms he has and overlook his own developing morals in order to defend his father’s cold-blooded attacks. In the face of Abner’s “outrage and savagery and lust”(286) and the ever-present conflict these emotional outbursts cause, Sarty’s sense of obligation to his father out weighs his desire to “run on and on and never look back”(286). He hopes being forced out of town will transform the side of Abner that possesses an “inherent [ly] voracious prodigality with material not his own”(279) and he will be satisfied once and for all. As father and son walk within sight of an impressive manor “big as a courthouse”(280) owned by Major de Spain, a wealthy landowner with whom Abner has struck a deal to farm corn on his land, Sarty knows at once that “they are safe from him”(280). His father’s “ravening”(281) envy could not possibly touch these “people whose lives are part of this peace and dignity”(281). But, Abner is seething with “jealous rage”(281) at the sight of the de Spain

on going to the jail when he senses that his father may be in danger.

Sarty never justifies his father’s actions and is aware that if he allows things to remain the same, he will become a product of his environment. This is his motive for warning Abner’s next barn burning victim and his chance to move on with his life.

Sarty lied and covered up for his father all the time, and never got anything in return. I think that made it easier for Sarty to decide to turn his father in. It was still tough for him to go against his father because he still admired him, but he was tired of being

Sarty must choose to either follow the law or to choose the same path his father

Sarty is saved from testifying at the hearing when neither Mr. Harris nor the Justice of the Peace can bring themselves to make him turn on his father. Without eye witness testimony the case is dismissed, but the Justice of the Peace has demanded Abner leave town.

figure, and as a lawless and violent man, which at the end of the story, leads him to the death of

Sarty still cares for his family in some sense, he still feels love towards his father, even though he understands that what his father's deeds are wrong and he really had to stop them and cease to be a part of them. The fact that the boy is not able to come back home is not a question of his choice, I think he just canont go back. So, Sarty's heart still suffers from some conflict that is not really resolved, even though the situation has really changed. As I have already discussed, at the beginning of the story Sarty feels a strong allegiance to his father, however, finally we learn that his views change radically.

This first step in Sarty’s change is shown at the very start of Barn Burning. His father, Abner Snopes, is on trial accused of burning a barn. The trial is told from the perspective of Abner’s son, Sarty. As he observes the trial Sarty mentally calls the accuser “his father’s enemy” (par. 1). Although Sarty immediately corrects himself and reclassifies the accuser as both his and Snopes enemy, Sarty’s estrangement from his father’s ideals first starts here. Because of his disgust with himself, I can only assume that before Sarty has blindly followed his father. Consequently, Sarty still fights to maintain this loyalty. As displayed when Sarty is asked to testify. Knowing that his father would want him to lie, Sarty is filled with “frantic grief and despair” (par. 1). He mentally

Next, we are introduced to the antagonist, Abner Snobes, when he talks for the first time since the trial began. He also establishes the fact that he plans to move himself and his family out of town. We are then introduced to the rest of Sarty’s family.

Although there are many different types of rites of passage they differ in many ways, some much more extreme than the others. There are so many different cultures that have a ton of different ways of expressing rites of passage. The three different cultures that will be discussed are the United States of America, Malaysian, and Balinese adolescents. Some of the things that will be discussed are the different forms of rites of passage, the different ages that they take place at, and how they affect all the different societies.

Although Sarty did not wish to, he had planned to lie in court. Abner figured that Sarty wanted to tell the truth and estimates that his son was going to betray him and the rest of the family. Abner smacks him, without heat though, and tells him that he needs to “learn to stick to your own blood, or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to” (Faulkner 181). Sarty feels defenseless and trapped, and only answers his father with a simple “yes,” probably afraid of getting hit again if he argues. This scene with his father pushes Sarty to recognize just how much he wants to become

Rites of passage refer to the events that take place to mark the most significant stages of people’s lives. The most common ceremonies are performed to characterize the birth, initiation, marriage, and death of an individual. However, others are shown to celebrate ones educational achievement for example graduation. Religion plays a significant role, and it is always associated with these rites. Religious groups such as Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism often hold these rites of passage by accompanying them with prayers, traditional blessings, and rituals. Religious communities view these events as an opportunity for a person to gain a better understanding of their relations with God and their spiritual growth. They also provide people with a chance to ponder on the significance of the various stages in their lives and even bring people together during the moment of celebration. Death in Catholicism is the last rite of passage and is conducted specially.

In conclusion life is a rite of passage. The only certainty we have is that we will all experience them and once we have gone through the phases of a rite of passage we will never be the same person. You will always in some way or another experience a change in your life through the experience and even though the journey may not always be an easy one there is inevitably some form of growth and learning to be gained.