Barn Burning

A detailed Summary of Barn Burning


The short story "Barn Burning," by William Faulkner, is a stark look at the struggle of a boy torn between trying to do what is morally right and trying to be loyal to his family during the post Civil War era. Faulkner illustrates the theme of justice versus loyalty to one's kin by constantly referring to the symbol of blood.

The main character, Sartoris Snopes, is a son of a poor migrant tenant farmer. His main dilemma is choosing between being loyal to his family by keeping the arson acts of his father a secret, or being righteous by turning his father in to the authorities. The decision he must make leads to his disappointment and suppressed dislike of his own father. In the opening scene, Sartoris is being questioned about the burning of a farmer's barn. Sartoris knows that the barn was burned by his father, Abner Snopes. The boy is torn between choosing what is right, telling the truth, or family loyalty and lying to protect his father. At the court, he testifies, but is pressured by his father to lie.

When Sartoris is put on the stand, he feels pressured because he knows that his father will do something rash if he tel


ls the truth. He also is told that some things are more important than the truth, and that family is the most important thing. An example of Abner's disapproval of Sartoris' moral nature is depicted when Abner states, "You would have told him"(130-131). This shows the selfishness of the father, and how even though the father knew it would have been a lie, he still thought that Sartoris should have testified in his favor. This scene also reveals how the father feels about family. He believes that family should always protect other family members in need. Faulkner illustrates the theme of loyalty by using blood to symbolize his lineage and bond to his family. When the boy is thinking about the "old grief of blood"(126), it means that his father has done this before and that he has lied for his father before. He tends to hide his feelings by denying the fact!

s, "Our enemy, Ourn! Mine and hisn both! He's my father"(123). The boy's thinking shows that not only has he done this before, but that he has a conscience and needs to convince himself that his actions are righteous.

Following the courthouse, Sartoris and his father talk about the incident. A

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Approximate Word count = 784
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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