The story Barn Burning, written by William Faulkner, is set in Mississippi. The author creates a Southern vibe in order to help the audience better understand the conditions of the time this story took place. In the story, Sarty's father feels he and his family are mistreated by the rich. And in an act of revenge, he burns a wealthy landowner's barn. Sarty then becomes conflicted. He has the choice of being loyal to his father and backing him up, or sticking to his morals and standing up for the right thing. Faulkner uses the experiences of Sarty to convey the moral dilemma of deciding whether to stand with his father and compromise his integrity, or embrace honesty and morality. This is demonstrated in Sarty’s idealized image of his father, …show more content…
Sarty sees his father as a strong, independent man who has no fear and Sarty admires that about him. This then leaves Sarty to make his own judgments, even if it means going against his father. After much thought and processing, he finally feels brave enough to do the right thing and turn his father into the authorities. The author explains, "He did not look back.” What can be inferred is that Sarty does look back after making the final decision to be free from his father because he feels ashamed. He knows this is the right decision, but he is still filled with regret for snitching on his father. He has always looked up to his father and now he is the sole reason why he can't do so anymore. Another example of Sarty idolizing his dad is when the author states, "The boy said nothing when called up to testify.” The author describes the content that Sarty feels towards his actions. He thinks highly of his dad and doesn’t want to disappoint him, so he stays quiet, even once called upon in his father’s testimony. These quotes, coming directly from the short story, demonstrate how much Sarty admires his father. He admired how his father would make his decisions, so Sarty took it upon himself to make his own as well. Even if the decision would land his father in