"Barn Burning" and Missed Opportunities

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the structuralist, feminist, and Marxist elements in William Faulkner's "Barn Burning" and how they effectively convey Faulkner's theme about class struggle and missed opportunities. Specifically, the paper looks at how Faulkner combined the Marxist and feminist viewpoint, along with the structuralist interpretation of blood ties, to make the reader understand the severity of the Southern class struggle and the theme of opportunity limitations for the impoverished.

From the Paper:

"That Sarty's social position allows him little opportunity other than becoming his father is as clear to the young boy as it is to the reader. At the story's conclusion, Sarty's desperate attempts to validate these blood ties and the life and death of his father are a testament to his understanding that identity with his family his only chance at any identity. Though more intelligent and certainly more capable of functioning in society than his father is, Sarty chooses to accept his blood ties' identity instead of nothing at all. Even after he runs, he attempts to insure that his father "was brave" because he "was in the war" (Faulkner). Thus, the blood clings to Sarty even after Sarty makes a move toward shedding it. The choices the young man faces--an identity shared with a criminal and psychologically damaged father or no identity at all--is reflective of the limited choices given to a poor family that cannot simply pay fines in bushels of corn, let alone establish itself in a position where it would not be constantly in debt. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• De Saussure, Ferdinand. "Third Course of Lectures on General Linguistics." 1910. Philosophy. Marxists.org. 11 May 2007. <http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/fr/saussure.htm>.
• Faulkner, William. "Barn Burning." Literature. 2005. Raju Abju. 11 May 2007. <http://www.rajuabju.com/literature/barnburning.htm>.
• Marx, Karl. "The Communist manifesto." Karl Marx. n.d. The Free Library. 11 May 2007. <http://marx.thefreelibrary.com/Communist-Manifesto>.
• Wollstonecraft, Mary. "A Vindication of the Rights of Women." A Vindication of the Rights of Women. 1792. Constiution.org. 11 May 2007. <http://www.constitution.org/woll/row.htm>.

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