Sarty's Internal Conflict In Barn Burning By William Faulkner

In William Faulkner 's “Barn Burning”, Sarty fights his own internal conflict of whether to side with his family, therefore lying about his father’s history of arson, or to abandon his family due to his moral issues with their actions. Sarty defends his father’s honor as a way of siding with his family. He brawls with the boys outside the “courthouse” all because they disparage his father by calling him a “barn burner” (p. 208). Sarty regrets telling the truth to the judge. Sarty becomes well aware of his decisions and realizes how they can impact his family. When Sarty’s father is beating him, he says “stick to your own blood” (p. 210) and Sarty agrees. Sarty truly valued his family and wishes he stayed behind. After running away from his family, Sarty regrets his decisions and thinks about his father, saying “he was brave” (p. 222).

Sarty doesn’t want to lie, even if it means his father will get in trouble. Sarty gets mad when he realizes that he has to lie for his father’s sake “with that frantic grief and despair” (p. 207). Sarty knows his father will cause destruction everywhere he goes and once people are finally safe from his father, he feels elated for them. Once the family moves to a new farm, Sarty thinks “they are safe from him” (p. 211) with a feeling of peace and joy. Sarty desperately wants to leave his family, no matter the cost. Finally, Sarty finally rids himself of his father when he runs away from home, “then he was free” (p. 220). Throughout Barn Burning, Faulkner shows that no matter how much it can hurt others around oneself, one will always follow their own