Loyalty And Division In William Faulkner's Barn Burning

The short story "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner is about loyalty and division. William Faulkner is a native of Oxford, Mississippi and left high school without graduating. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1918. Soon after he moved to New Orleans, where he was encouraged to become a writer by Sherwood Anderson. He has written several poems, cycle of works, and screenplays for films. William Faulkner received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950 (188). "Barn Burning" is written in 1939 and has several Civil War references because Faulkner portrays Abner Snopes as a man who was in the war. "Barn Burning" is about a man named Abner Snopes who is a serial arsonist. He burnt down his neighbor's barn out of anger and his son, Sarty,

We as readers only get to know Sarty's thoughts. Throughout the story we figure out that Sarty is wrestling around with the thought that his father is in the wrong, but he is told that he has to stay loyal to family; so, he cannot tell anyone about his father's actions. When the Snopes arrive at their new home, Abner and Sarty walk to the landlord's house. Sarty thinks at this point, "They are safe from him. People whose lives are a part of this peace and dignity are beyond his touch, he no more to them than a buzzing wasp:... this peace and dignity rendering even the barns and stable and cribs which belong to it impervious to the puny flames he might contrive..." (192). This gives readers insight to the fact that Abner's burning of his neighbor's barn was not the only crime that he had done. The narration through this story very detailed that if one closed their eyes they would be able to picture the story in their mind. Readers can picture everything; including the characters and

At the beginning of the story Abner is in a courthouse that is part time a courthouse and part time a store. When the family moves to the new landlord's property they have to load up their wagon. As they are traveling Sarty thinks, "He did not know where they were going. None of them ever did or ever asked, because it was always somewhere, always a house of sorts waiting for them a day or two days or even three days away. Likely his father had already arranged to make a crop on another farm..." (191). This shows that wherever the Snopes end up they are always working for a owner or landlord. They are sharecroppers and this shows what kind of class they are in. When Sarty sees Major de Spain's house he thinks, "Hit's big as a courthouse..." (192). The only courthouse that he has ever seen is the one from the old country and it was not even a real courthouse. From the way that the Snopes live, it a probably a reason that Abner lashes out and commits crimes everywhere they move to. When you did through the setting it really reveals a lot more about the