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William faulkner the barn burning analysis
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Literary devices in barn burning by william faulkner
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“Barn Burning” is a story filled with myth. This coming of age story features a boy stuck in a family with a father who can be thought of as Satan, and can be easily seen as connected to myths of Zeus and Cronus. The connection to Zeus is further elaborated when William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is also considered. These two stories along with a few others provided an amazing view of the south. Many characters or families can be viewed as groups that lived in the south during this time. The story is rich in mythology which includes a boy coming of age facing the challenges of morality, and southern life.
The young boy Called Colonel Sartoris Snopes or Sarty was living with his family which included his father, Abner Snopes, which believed heavily in Blood Loyalty. Abner Snopes thinks of his family as himself and everyone else as “they.” In the Story Abner is blamed with burning down the barn of his landlord. The reader can easily see at the beginning of the story that Sarty is not okay with his father’s actions at the first trial, and he is uneasy about lying for his family. This uneasiness and the judge saying someone with the name Colonel Sartoris Snopes couldn’t be lying foreshadowed that his loyalty was to be tested again.
Then as more of the story is reveled a connection between Abner and Satan is made noticeable. There are many satanic images that can be identified with Abner such as using fire which Edmond Volpe calls “the element of the devil” (892). He also points out Abner’s pride which he says is “so absolute it can accept no order beyond its own” (892). The last comparison that Edmond makes is “like the angels who fall with Lucifer becomes extensions of his will. In the same way, Ab is an o...
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... a good life and even be the mayor because he told the truth and everyone else should to. “Barn Burning” is rich in mythology and provides a well-constructed image of the south during the time period the story was written.
Works Cited
Byrne, Mary Ellen. ""Barn Burning": A Story from the '30s." Southeast Missouri State University. Web. 1 Apr. 2011. .
Padgett, John B. "MWP: William Faulkner (1897-1962)." The University of Mississippi. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Apr. 2011. .
"Themes." Home Page English 112 VCCS Litonline. 22 Mar. 2004. Web. 1 Apr. 2011. .
Volpe, Edmond. "Myth in Faulkner's "Barn Burning"" The Art of the Short Story. By Dana Gioia and R. S. Gwynn. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. 891-92. Print.
In a young boy’s life, making the morally right choice can be difficult especially when the choice goes against someone that is suppose to be respected, such as a parent. “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner is a coming of age story about a son of a poor and evil sharecropper. Showing the difference between good and evil, Faulkner uses character descriptions and plot, revealing Sarty’s struggles’s as he chooses between making the morally right decision or to be loyal to a dishonest father.
Normally in life, you look up to your father to be the care taker and to encourage you to make your own decisions on what is right and what is wrong. You figure your father should have your best interest at heart and to show compassion for you. In William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning," Abner is the opposite of the normal father figure you would see. Rather than encouraging his son, Sarty, to make his own decisions on what is right and what is wrong, Abner wants Sarty to lie for him to protect his freedom, so Abner won’t get caught for burning barns. Abner forces fear into Sarty to make sure he will lie for him rather than tell the truth. The relationship between Abner and Sarty is struggling due to Abners abusiveness and criminal ways.
In Barn Burning, Sartys father enjoys setting fires to burn down others properties. Sarty faces the problem of loyalty and honesty. On one hand, he wants to be loyal to his father; on the other hand, he does not endorse his fathers behavior. His father teaches him: Youre getting to be a man. You got to learn to do it.
In the beginning of the story, Sartoris (Sarty) is faced with his first major conflict.
William Faulkner elected to write “Barn Burning” from his young character Sarty’s perspective because his sense of morality and decency would present a more plausible conflict in this story. Abner Snopes inability to feel the level of remorse needed to generate a truly moral predicament in this story, sheds light on Sarty’s efforts to overcome the constant “pull of blood”(277) that forces him to remain loyal to his father. As a result, this reveals the hidden contempt and fear Sarty has developed over the years because of Abner’s behavior. Sarty’s struggle to maintain an understanding of morality while clinging to the fading idolization of a father he fears, sets the tone for a chain of events that results in his liberation from Abner’s destructive defiance-but at a costly price.
Works Cited I. Powell, Janice A. Teaching Faulkner. Online. Internet. Powell.html at www2semo.edu 15 July 1999 II. Who makes a Devil out of a Fair Lady? Du Fang/Canadian Social Science Vol.3 No.4 2007 18-24 III. Charters, Ann. The Story and its Writer : an Introduction to Short Fiction. Eighth edition. New York: St.Martin's, 1983. Print.
In "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner, Sarty Snopes is a young, poor boy who is caught in a moral dilemma. He struggles tremendously between staying loyal to his family and remaining true to his own morals. Sarty's idealized image of his father, as well as his loyalty to his own blood, restrains Sarty (in the beginning of the story) from turning his father in to the authorities for his crime. His strong sense of moral direction, however, weighs heavily on his mind throughout the story and compels him to do the right thing in the end.
Sarty is only ten years old, but growing up fast. In “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner, Sarty is estranged as he struggles between obedience to his arsonist father, Abner, and his developing sense of integrity. The internal struggle is evident early in the story, when he is brought before a local Justice of the Peace to be questioned in the case of his father burning a neighbor’s barn. In the moments before he is to be questioned, he knows that his father expects him to lie on his behalf which makes him feel “frantic grief and despair” (Faulkner 801). Sarty can say nothing, and the case results in Abner being told to leave town. Abner knows that Sarty was struggling with the truth, and later that evening forewarns him, “You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you” (803). Shortly after they arrive at their new home, Abner takes Sarty with him to go meet the plantation owner, Major. Sarty feels a “surge of peace and joy”() as he arrives at the beautiful home, like he is safe and nothing bad can happen. However, his father deliberately soils an expensive carpet when they enter the home and makes spiteful comments. Sarty doesn’t comment on the incident, but the stark contract between their reactions to the Major’s home reinforces the alienation between them. Sarty continues to hope that this will be a fresh start for his family and his father will change his ways, while Abner escalates the tension with the property owner over the carpet to the point he decides to burn down the Major’s barn. As Abner begins to make preparations, he tells Sarty’s mother to hold Sarty, because he knows the boy will go and warn the Major. In the heat of the moment, S...
In “Barn Burning,” Abner is described as stiff, wolf-like, and without heat because of his coldness and bitterness toward society in which he was part of during the time of the War Between the States. The main character is Abner Snopes who sharecrops to make a living for his family; in his story, Faulkner describes a typical relationship between wealthy people and poor people during that particular time.
At first glance, the story “Barn burning” seems just to be about a tyrannical father and a son who is in the grips of that tyranny. I think Faulkner explores at least one important philosophical question in this story were he asks at what point should a person make a choice between what his parent(s) and / or family believes and his own values?
In Faulkner’s tale “A Rose for Emily” there are many historical elements throughout the story; Faulkner uses them to give an authentic feel to the story and to add to the setting. A recurring theme that I found was reference to the reconstruction of the South after the Civil War. The setting of the South after their demise in the Civil War adds character to the story and to the characters. The attitudes people had and the way people treated Emily with respect was a tradition of the “Old South” that is presented throughout this tale.
In the story “Barns Burning” Abner Snopes, the father is accused of burning a neighbor’s barn. Sarty is faced with a decision that will shape the rest of his life. Sarty is called to the stand, but because the plaintiff is ultimately unwilling to force him to testify against his own father, the case is closed, and the father is advised to leave that part of the country. As the family Sarty,
William Faulkner’s short story “Barn Burning” describes a typical relationship between wealthy people and poor people during the Civil War. The main character, Abner Snopes, shares the ropes to make a living for his family. He despises wealthy people. Out of resentment for wealthy people, he burns their barns to get revenge.
The way the characters are portrayed remarkably depicts Faulkner’s theme. The two conflicting characters are described in similar ways to show their differences. Abner is described by how people see and think about h...
"Barn Burning" is a sad story because it very clearly shows the classical struggle between the "privileged" and the "underprivileged" classes. Time after time emotions of despair surface from both the protagonist and the antagonist involved in the story.