Sarty Snopes’ Struggle for Freedom William Faulkners...

â€Å"Barn Burning† first appeared in print in Harper’s Magazine in 1939 (Pinion). It is a short story by William Faulkner which depicts a young boy in crisis as he comes to realize the truth about his father’s pyromania. Faulkner takes the reader inside the boy’s life as he struggles to remain loyal to his unstable father. In the end the boy’s courage and sense of justice wins and he not only walks away from his father’s iron clad control over his life, but he is able to warn his father’s next victim. To understand how this boy could make such a courageous, difficult decision we must review the important events in the story and the effect they have on him. Faulkner’s first introduction of his protagonist, Colonel Sartoris Snopes or Sarty,†¦show more content†¦Abner’s constant stiffness and cold demeanor in the boy’s life makes him feel threatened and forced to obey him (Pinion). Faulkner’s words describe the boy’s fear, â€Å"a little of fear because mostly of despair and grief, the old fierce pull of blood† (Faulkner 3). Sarty hears the testimony of the witnesses and he knows the truth. He is torn between adhering to the blood loyalty that his father demands and telling the truth. Sarty wants to do both; but he knows they are complete contradictions. He feels sealed like those cans (Shmoop Editorial Team). Sarty is saved from testifying at the hearing when neither Mr. Harris nor the Justice of the Peace can bring themselves to make him turn on his father. Without eye witness testimony the case is dismissed, but the Justice of the Peace has demanded Abner leave town. The struggle for Sarty is that he wants desperately to believe in his father’s innocence. But he also knows that the Justice of the Peace’s verdict was not right. He knows what his father has done and he is immensely grateful that he was not forced to testify against him. At this point Sarty is still fighting with himself to remain loyal to his father. He even attacks a â€Å"boy half again his size† (Faulkner 6) for calling out â€Å"Barn Burner† (Faulkner 6) as they leave the hearing. Sarty’s deepest desire is that his father stops lighting fires that cause destruction in his own life and that of others. He wants this soShow MoreRelatedWilliam Faulkner And Barn Burning Essay1338 Words   |  6 Pagesquestions about human meaning. (Mr. John Mays) Sarty Snopes in William Faulkner’s Barn Burning, explores these questions of human meaning, which ultimately classifies this modernistic short story. The dichotomy and differences between Sarty and Abner Snopes creates an undeniable tension within the character of Sarty, while he battles himself in order to decide which is more important: that which is right, or sticking to your own blood. The characters of Sarty and Abner embody the renewed modern man andRead MoreRichard Wright s The Man Who Was Almost A Man And William Faulkner s Barn Burning1248 Words   |  5 PagesWho Was Almost a Man and William Faulkner s Barn Burning. Moreover, both stories focus on adolescent males who are running from their past in search of a better life. Wright wrote about an African-American boy who tries to grow up too fast, while Faulkner’s is the story of a white kid growing up with a the moral dilemma of right from wrong. While the Northern victory of the Civil War in 1865 may have given approximately four million African-American’s their freedom, it wasn’t until almost 90Read MoreBarn Burning : Loyalty Verses Conscience1672 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Barn Burning†: Loyalty verses Conscience William Faulkner’s Barn Burning was published in the post-Civil War South, during the time of a system of agriculture/farming know as sharecropping – â€Å"a tenant farming system in which laborers live as tenants on a landowner’s property while providing labor to pay. Theoretically, this system was to benefit both the landowners and the laborers; nevertheless, sharecroppers usually end up at the end of the year caught in this web of endless cycle of debt. ThisRead MoreInternal Conflict in Barn Burning by William Faulkner and the Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck1985 Words   |  8 PagesThe works Barn Burning by William Faulkner and The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck at first glance may seem to have no connection, but in spite of different plot they focus on similar ideas. The story Barn Burning by William Faulkner discusses the inner conflict within Sartoris Snopes, a young boy who faced a dilemma. He tries to make a decision of choosing between to lieing in the court under his fathers pressiure who does not want to get into the jail and acting against his father by tellingRead Moreâ€Å"a Rose for Emily† vs. â€Å"Barn Burning†2378 Words   |  10 PagesWilliam Faulkner is known as one Americas greatest authors. In fact, his short stories, Barn Burning, and A Rose for Emily, are two of the best-known stories in American literature. Both are examples of the reflection of contemporary Southern American values in his work. â€Å"Barn Burning† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† are two stories both written by William Faulkner. â€Å"Barn Burning† has a theme of family loyalty verses loyalty to the law. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† has a theme of power by death. Emily is thought