In "Barn Burning," by William Faulkner, a tenant farming family is forced to move after the father, Abner, set fire to his neighbor's barn. Abner did this in retaliation of the neighbor's keeping Abner's hog that kept getting in the neighbor's yard. This was the twelfth time in ten years that the family had to move due to Abner's fierce anger and vengeful acts. Upon their arrival at their new tenant farm, Abner and his youngest son, Sarty, take a stroll up to the main house to speak with the landowner, Major de Spain. When they arrived at the main house, Abner purposely stepped in manure before entering the house. He refused to wipe his feet even though he was told to do so. He rubbed the manure in, staining the expensive rug, and refused to clean it. The Major then took Abner to court. Sarty, a ten-year-old boy, knew his father expected him to lie, and he was torn between remaining loyal to his father and doing what was right. The Justice of the Peace ordered Abner to repay the Major with ten bushels of corn from his crop. That night, in retaliation Abner decides to burn Major de Spain's barn. Abner Snopes was a hard man who expected his family to accept his beliefs, w

In Faulkner's Barn Burning, another main character is Colonel Sartoris Snopes, or Sarty, as he was called for short. "Sarty-short for Colonel Sartoris Snopes-bears the name of a famous Rebel commander from the civil war under whom, perhaps, his father Abner Snopes served; ..." (Short stories for students 4). In Bradford's criticism, he refers to Sarty as "an extraordinary boy who is the young son of Abner Snopes, the head of that despicable clan. In the course of the story Sarty becomes what his given name suggests, a supporter of that larger family that is community and a protector of right order" (Bradford 332). Sarty was small and wiry like his father, in patched and faded jeans even too small for him, with straight, uncombed, brown hair and eyes gray. This young boy is torn between loyalty to his father and morality, and the story deals with this struggle. Sarty is an upright character, changing throughout the story as he moves from sticking to his own blood and instincts to thinking more of himself and his own welfare. At first he is extremely loyal to his father, but as the father digs a deeper hole for himself and his family, Sarty realizes that his life is a vicious cycle of the same situations in every town they live. In the first scene, Sarty knows that his father wants him to lie, and he acknowledges that he will have to do so, despite strong feelings that it is the wrong thing to do. He fears his father more than he wishes to act as he would like to. According to Hiles, " 'You're getting to be a man....You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain't going to have any blood to stick to you': Abner Snopes's admonition to his son, Colonel Sartoris (or 'Sarty'), introduces a central issue in Faulkner's 'Barn Burning'-the kinship bond, which the story's narrator calls the 'old fierce pull of blood'" (Hiles 329). Sarty watches his father get kicked out of town, track manure over his new employer's antique rug, suffer the indignity of having to clean it, and then burn the landlord's barn down. As this occurs, he drifts more and more out of the mindset that his father prefers, and he gains some sense of responsibility and justice and settles into the view that he will have to take action to stop this from happening. Eventually, Sarty warns the landlord that his father is burning his barn, and then he leaves his family. This is an entrance into another type of life, another outlook of life, and a new freedom that would have been nonexistent if he had remained in his father's grip. Sarty changed from a boy who was very afraid of his father to one who took action as a young man. He was aware of the consequences of his actions and willing to face them in lieu of remaining where he was. Sarty was left alone as he watched his family go on and leave him. Although Sarty had no book learning to bring into experiences, however, he did display evidence of natural brightness-his emerging sense of morality, a characteristic not shared by his father.

Abner Snopes is opposed to the social structure and the struggle that it imposed on him and his family. Abner makes the decisions for his family though they may not always be right. In Oliver Billingslea's criticism, he states, "What Abner Snopes has done-is doing-to his family is to stifle each member's individuality. His discipline is repressive, almost Puritanical (Billingslea 293). Abner battles against any authority. He does what he wants no matter what the consequences are. Sarty is Abner's only real fear. He realizes that Sarty is a good kid and will turn him in if he is given the chance. While fighting against authoritative figures, Abner is also battling Sarty and Sarty's good will. Sarty refers to Abner as being "cut out of tin" (Faulkner 149). He believes that Abner is cold, tough, and unwilling to bend for anything. He knows that Abner is set in his ways and doesn't plan to change for anything or anyone. Sarty is afraid of his father and k

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3242
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)