Abner Snopes In William Faulkner's Barn Burning

Barn Burning by William Faulkner opens in the country during the late 19th century. Immediately the scene is set in a store that is doubling as the Justice of the Peace’s court. Sartoris the son of Abner Snopes is the ten year old protagonist that is introduced in the beginning as a conflicted and hungry boy. Abner is in court being incriminated for burning down Mr. Harris’s barn. When Sartoris is called up to testify against his father the court recognizes that he was wrongly put in a compromising position against his family member. Sartoris is then let off the hook. The Judge decides to tell Abner to leave the county and never come back instead.

The Snopes family pack their broken belongings onto their wagon and make their way to

their new location. The night that they do so they camp. Abner takes Sartoris and tells him that he should stand for his family, strongly implying that Sartoris was going to betray him in court. The next day when the family arrives Abner is already forcing himself onto the owner’s mansion. On his way to do so Abner steps on a fresh pile of horse fecal matter and gets it all over the mansion carpet.
The owner of both the damaged rug and the mansion itself, Mr. de Spain is made aware and shows up to the shack to insult Abner. Mr. de Spain decides to punish Abner by declaring that he now owes him twenty extra bushels of corn to pay for the soiled hundred dollar rug. The family goes a week working hard and fulfilling their responsibilities on the acreage.
The weekend that comes Abner, Sartoris, and his older brother John head to town where they walk into the store while Justice of the Peace is once again in session. Abner is suing Mr. de Spain to have the fee removed from his account. The Justice of the Peace’s court decides that Abner is liable for what he did but still reduces the twenty bushels to ten.
That night after dinner Sartoris hears his mother Lennie attempting to cease Abner from doing what he’s about to do. Sartoris realizes his fathers intentions of burning down the barn and runs towards the de Spains as fast as he can. He hears three gunshots and watches the estate turn red in flames. Later, Sartoris ends up on a hill mourning over his father who he presumes dead. Sartoris walks away as far as he can without looking back.