"Barn Burning"

Paper Summary:

This paper introduces the short story "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner, the story of the Snopes family, poor sharecroppers who struggle along while envying the rich de Spains. Specifically, it contains an analysis of the themes, characters, imagery/symbolism, influence of setting and the author's style. It shows how William Faulkner creates a compelling and moving tale of growth, moral character and southern life.

From the Paper:

"This is not only the story of a child transforming into a man, it is a classic tale of good and evil, and how difficult it is to choose between the two. Faulkner makes Sarty's choice more difficult by adding the ties of family and "blood," which are clearly so important to Abner. "You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain't going to have any blood to stick to you," he tells Sarty at one point in the story (Faulkner), but Sarty must live with himself and his actions. Faulkner's intent here is clear, sometimes a child must leave the family and strike out on his own. Sometimes a child finds he or she is more moral than their parents are. This is a difficult lesson to learn, but Sarty represents the wisdom of learning it early turning his back on what he knows in his own heart is wrong. If Sarty represents good and decent moral behavior, then his father surely represents evil. "

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• Analytical Essay # 57568 : "Barn Burning"

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