Barn Burning
In William Faulkner's "Barn Burning", a young boy must face his father. He must also discover for himself that his father is wrong and learn to grow up the right way. Faulkner's setting is one of the most important literary elements in the story. He takes a young boy and puts him in a real world of chaos and disorder. In the South, race is one of the most important factors in how one would live his or her life. The only way he can retain his own dignity in the end is to believe in his own courage and goodwill. The young boy, Sartoris, has a kind of loyalty for his father, Abner Snopes. He admires him and everything he does. He believes that his father is always right. In the beginning of the story, Sartoris is faced with his first major conflict. He is in the court room as a witness to a barn burning. The judge can only pardon Abner because Sarty is too young and can not be used as the key witness, but the judge tells them they must leave the country for their own safety and the safety of others. All the while Sarty thinks to himself how he must not
After they leave the country, Abner gets into trouble again. This time Sarty stays loyal to himself instead of his father. He warns a man named Major de Spain about his barn burning. Sarty has now changed because he thought on his own. When he realizes that some of the things his father does is wrong, he decides to run off and be on his own because he does not want to live that way anymore. Sarty has moved out of childhood, developing a mind and will of his own. He is no longer unperceptively loyal to his father. Sarty becomes his own self-reliant person, instead of being the shadow of his father. When he warns de Spain of his barn burning, Sarty becomes disloyal to his father and his own heritage. After they flee the country, Abner is still full of hatred and he is always ready to defend himself even when no one has an argument against him. This gives Sarty all the more reason to find himself. Sarty must choose to either follow the law or to choose the same path his father did, a life that satisfied himself and no one else. The first time Sarty h
Some common words found in the essay are:
Abner Sarty, Barn Burning, Abner Snopes, barn burning, de spain, own blood, barn burning sarty, spain barn burning, de spain barn, leave country, burning sarty, father warns, country abner, sarty makes, father abner, spain barn,
Approximate Word count = 721
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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