Image taken from the Films Media Group's website
Write about an idea you have about the story that we read in class. Your idea doesn't have to cover the whole story -- it could focus on one specific passage or passages. Look for ideas from the class activities and discussions that surrounded our exploration of this text.
Develop that idea with specific details from the text. Talk in detail about the examples you use and how they relate to your bigger idea.
Give your entry a title that fits your idea. Also don't forget to include your name.
For Abner, fire a way of maintaining integrity
ReplyDeleteby Emil Friedman
“Barn Burning” offers a relatively simple plot-line, but complex ideas and underlying themes. One of the more subtle ones is the role of fire in Abner’s life. Upon analyzing the situations that include fire, one could validly conclude that fire was Abner’s way of maintaining integrity and respect.
The first scene that includes fire, aside from the initial trial, is when Abner lights a fire while camping in a grove of oaks and beeches. What’s notable is that Abner’s fire is “small, neat,...a shrewd fire.” This is coming from the same man who burned down a barn. In the same paragraph, it is stated that “the element of fire spoke to other men, as the one weapon for the preservation of integrity...and hence to be regarded with respect and used with discretion.” [This all occurs on page 3.]
My interpretation is that Abner actually does use fire with discretion: the campfire for his family, for instance, was small, neat, and safe, as it should be. But when he feels disrespected or looked down upon, fire is Abner’s way of “getting back” in a very major way.
The real debate is whether what Abner’s way of “getting back” is acceptable or not. On one hand, Abner is, indeed, a man of integrity, and it doesn’t sit well with him that, for example, an African-American told him to wipe his shoes. (Racist, of course, but this was a different time.) On the other hand, one could argue that Abner’s habit of lighting property on fire is absurd and reprehensible. After all, Major de Spain actually didn’t seem like that bad of a guy, and yet he was another victim of Abner and his “barn burning” antics. And, obviously, what Abner’s doing is completely against the law.
Quite honestly, I don’t know that there is a correct side to this debate. In fact, I think that the author himself didn’t have a bias towards one side or the other while writing the story, which makes it so difficult to argue.
I think that this is a very intuitive way of viewing Abner's actions as well as his personality. The connection between his sense of pride and his obvious control over fire is an interesting and notable link. I find also that the recurrent descriptions of Abner, including terms like cold, stiff etc, are very contradictory to the fire that becomes a symbol of his personality, fire being hot and flowing. I Do think, however, that to argue that Abner's actions are acceptable is questionable. There is a big difference between self preservation of personal pride and justified "payback".
DeleteI do not think that fire was the primary way for Abner to, "maintain integrity and respect.” Rather, Abner used fire as a release. Although he, Abner, does hold a grudge against anyone who wounds his pride, setting fire to something allows him to become who he really is-a psychopath. “why should not a man who had not only seen the waste and extravagance of war, but who in his blood an inherent voracious prodigality with material not his own, have burned everything in sight (Faulkner 3). Sarty’s father’s obsession with not only the blaze itself but the burning of things implies that he, at his core, burns things to show his true form, and doesn't mind that by effecting those who hurt his respect or integrity, he kills two birds with one stone.
Delete@Noah - Interesting perspective. I think "release" is actually a great way of describing Abner's use of fire. There are so many different ways of looking at his strange use/abuse of fire.
DeleteI also believe that Abner's use of fire is in order to maintain respect. I think that it is possible that before this short story, Abner could have been a respected man and his decline in social status lead him to become angry and bitter. He wants to have the respect that he used to have from his peers and he can no longer get it because of his low social status, this led him to resort to fear in order to gain respect. By burning down all those barns, Abner created a dangerous and unpredictable reputation that led his peers and family to fear and therefore respect him.
Delete@ Noah/Emil I completely agree that burning down barns is his way of releasing or relieving stress. Everyone has their own way of dealing with stress, and Abner does so in his own unique, and somewhat strange way.
DeleteI disagree with your statement that fire was Abner's way of maintaining integrity and respect, but I do agree that fire was Abner's way of getting back. I feel that fire symbolizes the internal rage that Abner is dealing with. He is trying to deal with his social status being diminished to that of a tenant farmer which, in his mind, is just as bad as a black sharecropper, and when white people in positions of authority irritate him, he uses fire to alert them not to mess with him. When you mentioned how the campfire for his family was small, neat, and safe I feel that showed how the internal struggle was tamed at that point because nothing was agitating it.
DeleteFaulkner shows Abner as having a split personality and I feel that he may be hinting that Abner has signs of being a sociopath. Abner does what he wants to do when he wants to do it lacking any sense of remorse. He continually commits the same crime over and over and feels as though he should not be punished. He disregards anyone that has a higher social status than him and in turn seeks to destroy their property-is it possible that Faulkner purposely made Abner's character embody traits of a sociopath?
The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree
ReplyDeleteEthan Schalekamp
Colonel Sartoris Snopes seems to be an unusually cynical individual, considering his under ripe age of ten. When the necessary observations of his lifestyle and family are made, his judgmental, antagonizing tendencies suddenly become much more understandable. The simple fact of the matter is that Sarty's life has sucked. His stony father appears to be a regular arsonist, responsible for his family's perpetual migration, and his mother appears to do nothing but live in fear of her husbands actions. With a family that is, for the most part, seemingly detached and only a former mercenary turned arsonist to look to as a role model, I can understand Sarty's sour attitude. Take for example his reaction to the judge in the makeshift deli turned court room at the beginning of the story. The judge does nothing but ask the be boy his name and already we read from Sarty's point of view that he is preparing himself to protect his father from this common enemy who cannot be trusted. Or, if this is not enough, observe Sarty's explosive, blind violence with the other nameless boy upon exiting the corner deli/court room. Then, of course, you have several examples of Abner Snopes' own violent, antagonizing nature. These include his hostile remarks to the general attendance of his court hearing, his disfiguring of the precious deSpain French rug, and not to mention the multiple barns which happened to find their way into contact with Abner's matchbox. What I am suggesting, obviously, is that, although he is able to break away and create for himself a better situation in the end, Sarty's cynical, violent personality is a direct result of his father's influence. On has to ask, does Abner Snopes care even the least bit for his youngest child? Has he made any attempt to shield him from the discomforts and miseries of his families self induced hell? Most of all, has he ever even tried to hide his barn burning, if barn burn he must, from his could-have-been innocent, happier child? We don't know but I think the answer is quite easy to infer. However, fruit is nothing but a means for an end. In nature, a fruit's only purpose is to carry the seeds of a tree to another location to grow and bloom on its own, so even if stiff, grey Abner Snopes managed to produce such a sour fruit, whose to say that the tree that sprouts from its seeds won't be the sweetest of them all, now that Sarty made the decision to leave to live his own life?
Trying to Honor Nothing
ReplyDeleteGideon Schmidt
I think that Sarty tries to look up and be faithful to his father, but Abner’s actions make it impossible. Sarty definitely wants to see his father as someone he could look up to. For example, on page one, Sarty knows that for his father’s sake, he will have to lie and say that Abner didn’t burn the barn or something along those lines. And he would have done it, too, except for he wasn’t called on to testify.
Now how does his father reward him for this? His father, being the short-sighted man that he is, doesn’t realize that Sarty was going to stick up for him. He hits him, saying “You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you won’t have any blood to stick to.” This shows that Abner tends to jump to conclusions, and often without much evidence. He didn’t have any reason to believe that his son was going to spill the beans, but for some unknown reason he chose to believe it. This is why Sarty can’t exactly be a good and faithful son, since his father tends to jump to conclusions that make him a very difficult person.
Also Abner makes a very poor role model, and young as Sarty is, he recognizes that. Generally, burning down barns is not something that society will smile upon, especially if they are not your own. Making a habit of it does not improve the matter either. While Sarty does recognize this, he lacks a better role model. His mother has a very weak personality, appearing only in the story to try to convince Abner not to go do something crazy, and Sarty also recognizes this as an undesirable trait. His siblings do not make good role models either, given how the story shows them; “bovine” is not an adjective used to describe anything in a positive light.
So all of these factors make it hard for Sarty to have someone to honor and to look up to. His father is crazy, the rest of his family is portrayed as slow and weak of personality, and no other adult has a chance to make an impression on him since the Snopes family is constantly on the move. This is why when (on page 11) Abner lights de Spain’s barn on fire, and Sarty runs away, he doesn’t look back.
I generally agree with your negative perception of Abner. However, I'm not completely convinced that Sarty would, in fact, have stuck up for his family in the initial court hearing had he been required to testify. I think part of the deeper meaning of the story is that Sarty is different from the rest of his family in that he has integrity.
DeleteI completely agree with your comments about the rest of the family members. I think it's pretty crazy that Abner's wife does so little to stop Abner's irresponsible activities. I understand that the story takes place during a time when women didn't have much say, but I agree that the rest of the family, particularly the wife, probably do have weak personalities. Like you said, this makes it difficult for Sarty to have someone good to look up to.
Sarty definitely would have stuck up for his father. Back to the courtroom on page one, "He aims for me (Sarty) to lie, he thought, again with that frantic grief and despair. And I will have to do hit." It seems pretty obvious that while Sarty knew that his dad had indeed burned down the barn he knew that the honorable thing to do as far as his family was concerned would be to lie. He didn't want to lie, no doubt, but there's really no argument that he would have stood up for his father.
DeleteI think that the author made it so Sarty wouldn't actually testify in court so that we, the audience, wouldn't be quite positive one way or the other regarding if Sarty would stick up for his father or not. I'm just saying that it's not necessarily a definite yes-or-no type of thing.
DeleteI agree with Gideon that Sarty would've most likely stuck up for his father in court. While I do agree that the author wrote that section in such a way that it could've gone either way, all signs would lead to Sarty trying to protect his family and his father, as the barn burning was the event that started to influence Sarty's opinion of his dad, and it wouldn't have effected him much at that point.
DeleteI found it interesting that you pointed out that Abner was Sarty's strongest role model, with his mother portrayed as weak, and his siblings just acting like miniature versions of his parents. It was an aspect that I hadn't thought of, but makes perfect sense, and would definitely have an influence on his upbringing and personality.
Withdrawn, or Simply Robotic?
ReplyDeleteMolly Nealon
As was discussed in class, "Barn Burning" centers around many important themes that are initially disguised by the almost childlike simplicity of the plot line of the story. A commonly discussed theme among those originally identified was that of the "stiffness" of Abner's character. In part connected to this, is the commonly discussed "mechanical" and/or "harsh, cold" mannerisms of Sarty's father throughout the story. I think that Faulkner, through these commonly used adjectives, is trying to let the reader know even more about Abner's character than is immediately prominent.
It seems plausible that Abner's character could just not want to talk about his feelings, experiences, and thoughts. However, when you take a closer look at the way Faulkner describes him and his actions, it is evident that there is way more to this than just a father incapable of expressing his feelings. For example, Abner is commonly described as having "wolflike features," and "shaggy iron-gray brows...[with] pebble-colored eyes." In addition, the "machinelike deliberation of the foot," which hits surfaces with "clocklike finality," say something about the cold-heartedness of Abner. (Faulkner 4-5)
Being so often described as almost a robot, when looked at closer, Abner's character comes to be more understood. Through all his actions Abner makes it clear that he is without compassion or empathy towards anybody at all. Abner works like a machine, doing things that are usually strategically planned, or painfully rushed and random, "without heat," as Sarty commonly depicts it.
A prime example of this occurring would, of course, be when Abner strikes Sarty. Without even knowing if Sarty was going to lie for him in court or not, he hits him, claiming he was "fixing to tell them" what Abner had done. Abner acts on a whim, without taking time to listen to Sarty's side of the story, and hitting him (Faulkner 3). He does this without heat, as Sarty says it.
Abner seems to do a whole lot of things without heat. He acts without thinking or feeling first. He is cold, and not a force to be reckoned with, as he will not hesitate to burn your barn down, without so much as a second thought. Abner acts mechanically, whether it be through the meticulous planning of his actions (deliberately stepping in the droppings and ruining the carpet (page 4), sending the black man to deliver the message that he will reduce Mr. Harris' barn to ashes (page 1)) or the random decisions that lead to pent-up anger and, eventually, complete surrender (hitting Sarty (page 3), causing him to leave later in the story (page 11).)
Abner does not think, Abner simply does. Much like a robot who is programmed to do specific tasks, Abner coldly acts on suspicions and grudges. All through the story, Abner is depicted like this, which leads me only to believe that depicting Abner's robotic mannerisms were one of Faulkner's intentions as he wrote "Barn Burning."
I have to respectfully disagree with you for a few reasons. I do not believe that Abner is mechanical, I believe that is what he appears to be like on the outside with a hidden complexity underneath. What Abner does is rather strategic and thought out, perhaps due to his background in the war, and when he sends the black man he has thought out what words he should say and has enough restraint to wait until the message has been received. Abner clearly wants to make an impression with each of the barn owners of which he burns, wanting them to think and wanting them to suffer. Another example being when he says "Pretty and white, ain't it? […] That's sweat. Nigger sweat. Maybe it ain't white enough to suit him yet. He wants to mix some white sweat with it." (Pg. 5) which is a clear indication as to his uncomfortable social level and his wanting them to suffer a bit. He has thought out what he is doing and continues to do so after. He is sly and although his repetitive barn burning actions seem simple and mechanical, it is evident that Abner is thinking about what he is doing. You also mentioned him being described like a wolf which I agree with , and wolves look like killing machines on the outside but are known to be quite cunning and smart on the inside. I believe this is what Abner's character is portraying.
DeleteMolly, I agree with how robotic Faulkner portrays Abner in the story. The fact that Abner planned out tracking mud and droppings on Major de Spain's white rug shows how evil he really is. "Watching him, the boy remarked the absolutely undeviating course which his father held and saw the stiff foot come squarely down in a pile of fresh droppings where a horse had stood in the drive and which his father could have avoided by a simple change of stride." (Faulkner 4). It is scary to think of a character that can carefully plan out burning barns without showing any emotion. In some ways I think Faulkner portrays the character Abner as evilness. I like how you included a lot of detail and your last sentence is really thought out and deep.
DeleteMolly, I agree with how robotic Faulkner portrays Abner in the story. The fact that Abner planned out tracking mud and droppings on Major de Spain's white rug shows how evil he really is. "Watching him, the boy remarked the absolutely undeviating course which his father held and saw the stiff foot come squarely down in a pile of fresh droppings where a horse had stood in the drive and which his father could have avoided by a simple change of stride." (Faulkner 4). It is scary to think of a character that can carefully plan out burning barns without showing any emotion. In some ways I think Faulkner portrays the character Abner as evilness. I like how you included a lot of detail and your last sentence is really thought out and deep.
DeleteAbner's Character
ReplyDeleteAlanna Deery
Abner Snope's is an angry, distraught and jealous character. He is angry at anyone who has more social status and money than he does, he is distraught by this because he used to be important in the war and now is poor and has virtually no social status, and he is jealous of any one who has what he does not.These are his reasons for burning barns.
Abner had fought in war as a missionary (Pg.11). This means he fought for money and not a noble cause as Sarty thinks he had. We know that Abner must have been only on the edge of society all the time he fought in the war, and now, Abner continues to fight a war when back in society;where he is now isolated from his previous identity. This war is about class, his weapon fire, and his enemy the barns (but to be more precise the wealthy owners of the barns).
Abner expresses his distaste for the wealthy landowners that dictate his life. "Pretty and white, ain't it? […] That's sweat. Nigger sweat. Maybe it ain't white enough to suit him yet. He wants to mix some white sweat with it." (Pg.5). This is Abners way of saying how he is very uncomfortable about sharecropping and that he, a white man, has become that of a slave. He has the girls wash the carpet, he is not a stupid man and knows what he is doing. By not washing the carpet, he is still taking a stand on what he had said and not 'erasing' his actions.
This is not to say that what Abner is doing a 'smart' thing when it comes to burning the barns. But for him it doesn't have to be, he is fighting this 'war' and he is clearly willing to fight it more than a "dozen" (Pg.3) times. And unless Abner acquires wealth and class somehow, the war will not end. The rest of the family having to be dragged along with it.
Lastly, trees are an important thing we discussed during class that I would like to bring up quickly regarding Abner's character. In the war, Abner may have lived in the woods, and he has been described like a wolf (Shaggy graying eyebrows -Pg 4, stiff-Pg.4, cold harsh-Pg.2) and at the end of the book Sarty heads for the forest and the birds are singing (Pg.11). I believe that this means that the forest is free from its 'wolf' and is now safe. This is the same for Sarty who is now free from his father and free from his family struggles at last.
I also agree on how Abner is fighting a ‘class war’ in hopes to somehow regain his pride and social status that was previously lost after the war. I’m only somewhat confused on one minor detail about Abner being a missionary because I originally thought that Abner didn’t actually fight in the war but stole goods from both sides. But I thought it was really interesting how you use Abner’s comparison to a wolf and relate it to how Sarty is finally freed from his father’s grasp.
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ReplyDeleteFamily loyalty vs. Justice
ReplyDeletePriyanka Vijay
I think that “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner delivers a strong message of choosing whether to stay loyal to your family or to tell the truth and have the possibility of losing your family. “You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to.”(Faulkner 3). Abner’s son, Sarty is torn at the end of the story, between staying and watching his father burn down De Spain’s barn or running to warn De Spain about the chaos and injustice going on.
I think that Abner’s reasoning for burning down the barn was because he felt he was treated like someone in a lower social class than him but in fact, he was in a lower social class. Abner used to have a higher status when he was in the army and he is stuck in a fantasy of wishing he had more money. When people treat him with disrespect, he takes it too personally and uses his hobby of burning barns as a way to release and express his anger.
“Wipe yo foots, white man, fo you come in here. Major ain’t home nohow”
“Get out of my way, nigger, his father said , without heat too, flinging the door back and the negro also...” (Faulkner 5)
All throughout the story I could see the evident struggle between sarty’s inner self and the self who wanted his father to approve of him. On one hand, Sarty knew his father would never stop burning down barns and getting their whole family in trouble. On the other hand, Sarty always had a longing for respect from his father and the family. Sarty would stand up for his father in wrongful punishments against him just to show him he was on his side and not the Court’s side.
“So I’m going to charge you twenty bushels of corn against your crop... “You done the best you could!” He cried. “If he hit done different why didn’t he wait and tell you how? He won’t git no twenty bushels! He won’t git none!” (Faulkner 7).
In the end, the lack of respect received from his father throughout Sarty’s unfulfilled life gets in the way of standing by while another barn gets burned in a raging fire. Also, Sarty didn’t want the rest of his family to have to pay for another mistake his father would make. Sarty’s hate for Abner’s wrongdoing is stronger compared to his faith in his family. “De Spain!” he cried, panted. “Where’s...” then he saw the white man too emerging from a white door down the hall. Barn!” he cried. “Barn!” (Faulkner 10)
I agree with your statement that Barn Burning has strong family loyalty vs. justice themes, but I personally thought that Sarty had different reasons for telling De Spain about the fire. In my opinion, at the end, Sarty chose justice because he knew it was right, and still felt guilty for betraying his family. In the second to last paragraph, when Sarty is on his own, he tries to justify his father's actions by calling him a brave man. By doing so, I think Sarty was attempting to justify his own act of integrity, by thinking it was something his perceived father would do.
DeleteLike Father Like Son
ReplyDeleteMelissa Stuart
As I thought about “Barn Burnings”, I found myself intrigued by the last two paragraphs on page 11. In the second to last paragraph, Sarty continues to defend his father, calling him brave, and noting that he was in Colonel Sartoris’ Cavalry. William Faulkner then tells us that Sarty still does not know Abner was only in it for the money. I think that no matter what happens, a piece of Sarty will always want to believe in his father. He may know that what he is doing is wrong, but in his heart Abner will always be his father and he will always want to see the good in his dad.
I think Sarty will always be a little like his father. Faulkner says Sarty is a little stiff at the end but he can just walk it off and everything will be okay. However, I thought it was odd how this seemed like a positive moment in the story, but Sarty is walking downhill and into dark woods. Both these details seem negative to me. We discussed how Abners attitude could be because of a sudden change in social status for him and Sarty is now in a similar situation. He had a home, food, and a family, but now he has absolutely nothing but the rotten clothes on his back and is “shaking steadily in the chill darkness” (Faulkner 11).
Finally Sarty runs away and I was wondering what pushed him over the edge this time. It was implied that the whole family had to pack up and move multiple times “He did not know where they were going. None of them ever did or asked, but it was always somewhere” (Faulkner 3). I think he finally snapped either because Sarty truly was tired of constantly getting in trouble and moving, or because he was bothered that his father was not going to get a slave to set the fire this time.
The last sentence of the story is “He did not look back” and I think this shows that Sarty wants to leave his past behind but I don’t think he can. I believe that to some extent you can forget your past but I also believe that no matter what, your past and your family are a part of you forever. Sarty will always try to see the good in his father and he will be a little stiff once in a while.
I had very similar ideas to what you said about Abner and Sarty's relationship. Sarty was always trying to please Abner. I had a different interpretation of the last sentence "He did not look back." I think that Sarty will forget and move on from his past and that Sarty will grow as a person from having such a rough past. I think that he didn't look back so he was tempted to go back to his old life. I believe this was Sarty's chance at a new life.
DeleteAbner's Fire
ReplyDeleteLesley Yan Santos
In "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner, Abner's actions are often described as being "without heat". This was interpreted in class as having no emotion. Abner's character in general, is very quiet and reserved. In my opinion, Abner is one of those people who associates emotion with weakness and therefore he refuses to show any. By not showing any emotion, he is able to appear mysterious as well as maintain a certain level of intimidation. This also makes him dangerously unpredictable.
This idea of being unpredictable is shown in his strange desire to burn down the barns of people he dislikes. In a way, these fires are his way of expressing himself. Whenever he lights a fire, he is releasing all of his emotion and hate (normally hidden by his silent nature). To him, fire is emotion.
Looking at it this way, gives light to a whole new side of Abner. The types of fires he normally sets are very big as they are designed to engulf and destroy whole buildings. Fires like these are loud and bright especially at night when Abner often set them.
Altough in many cases they start out small, these fires tend to spread/grow bringing panic to those around him. By setting fire to people barns, Abner is not only destroying the building, but there is also the potential that the animals inside the barn may be harmed or killed. If this were to happen, it could further harm the owner of the barn both financially and emotionally giving more satisfaction to Abner.
Fires however are not always portrayed as being uncontrollable and destructive. For example, when in the form of a candle, a fire can be described as calming, maybe even mesmerizing. According to Sarty, Abner often lights fires like these, describing one of them as "a small fire, neat, niggard almost, a shrewd fire" (Faulkner 3). This shows that despite his somewhat volatile nature, Abner can control himself.
I agree that fires are Abner's way of expressing himself. To add on to what you were saying, setting barns on fire are pretty much his only way of taking action without being interrupted or discriminated against. This is why he seems so reserved when he is not burning barns, because he never really has the chance to say anything. However, when he is burning barns down, he was the ability to make something significant happen without anyone being able to do anything about it.
DeleteI agree with your explanation of Abner showing no emotion to be not known as weak but I think that there is also another aspect to it. I think that Abner's way of expressing anger is shown when he burns down farms. He is angry that he is not treated like other white people, and mad that people keep on accusing him of things. I think that the reason for his desire to burn barns is simply because of the fact that his social status from years ago to now has been downgraded, and his anger towards that.
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ReplyDeleteLennie’s Weakness
ReplyDeleteAnjuli Smith
In “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner, I believe the author was trying to convey how weak Sarty’s mother, Lennie had become. Throughout this short story, the majority of the dialogue you hear from her is when she begs Abner not to do something. Before he goes to Major de Spain’s house to deliver the rug, and when he goes to burn the barn, she begs him not to, but it is obvious her pleas aren’t affecting Abner at all, and she knows this. On page 9, the author describes her as having “her mouth open and in her face the same quality of hopeless despair as had been in her voice” (Faulkner 9). She does not have the strength to stand up for herself when he treats her violently either, (“[he] flung her back...hard, into the wall” (Faulkner 9)).
She is even willing to hold Sarty back when Abner goes to burn Major de Spain’s barn. When her sister tells her to let Sarty go, she says “Don’t you see I can’t?” (Faulkner 10), which makes it seem as though she is afraid of Abner. Like she is afraid of what he might do to her if she fails to follow his orders.
Also, for her to have children as old as Sarty’s siblings seem to be, surely she must have known Abner long enough to know the reality of his past. About how Abner wasn’t actually a brave war veteran who had served in Colonel Sartoris’ calvary. If she had known this though, she shouldn’t have been okay with naming her youngest child “Colonel Sartoris Snopes,” which was most likely a way for Abner to boost his war veteran persona.
Lennie probably wasn’t always weak like this, but I suspect that she lost her self-respect after becoming Abner’s wife and being subjected to his domination. I do not believe this weakness is her fault though, because Abner is a very strong person and also rather intimidating. Also, in the era of the Civil War, being a married woman had different implications than it does now. Back then, there was still the opinion that women were inferior to men, and existed to serve their husbands and make them happy. This idea of inferiority is even clear from Sarty’s point of view: while we don’t hear much description about his older brother, he describes his sisters as having “an astonishing expanse of young female features untroubled by any surprise even, wearing only an expression of bovine interest” (Faulkner 10). He compares them to animals, beyond that, even cows, who are generally used only for their reproductive abilities and their meat. This comparison might be a metaphor for the way his opinion of women has been shaped. Considering the regard he has for his father in the beginning of the story, it would make sense that his opinion of women mirrored his father’s, and that his father most likely does not respect Lennie very much.
I agree that in writing this story, William Faulkner was showing Sarty's mom as becoming progressively weaker. I don't however, believe that this "weakness" and "lack of self-respect" is solely the fault of Abner. Even though her husband is very dominating, it doesn't mean that Lennie herself cannot be dominating as well. Her main problem, is her inability to stay strong and firm when trying to confrot Abner. Had Lennie been firmer and matched Abner's "level" of domination, maybe he would realize how irrational he was being in destroying other peoples property. Ultimately, this would change the life of their family as they would no longer have to constantly be on the run. Also, in naming her son after Colonel Sartoris Snopes, it gives her son a sort of honor/respect that Abner doesn't have. In a way, this is Lennie's way of telling her son not to take after his father's criminal ways.
DeleteI completely agree with what you are saying in terms of Lennie's weakness and inferiority to Abner, because all throughout the story it is repeatedly stressed that basically all Lennie does is beg her husband to not do things. However, I do not think that the only reason Lennie is weak is because of Abner's actions, I think all parts of her life cause her to be like this. Sarty, in addition to Abner, is seen in the story disrespecting his mother. An easy example would be towards the beginning of the story, just after the initial trial between Mr. Harris and Abner. Sarty gets hurt, and as his mother, Lennie starts to ask him if he's okay, and wants to help him clean up, when he stops her, telling her that it doesn't hurt and he doesn't need her help. Any suggestions she puts out, anytime she tries to speak, either Sarty or Abner try to stop her, and I think this is the main reason why Lennie appears to be so weak. Years of being treated as if you are inferior will do great damage to a person, and that is clearly demonstrated here with Lennie.
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ReplyDeleteA Man Who's Lost Everything
ReplyDeleteby Noah Wilkerson
In Barn Burning by William Faulkner, it is made clear immediately that Abner is a very odd man. Introducing him in court as an accused barn burner, Faulkner quickly gives a clear idea of the man; wiry, wearing an old black coat, speaking little and with a cold fury about him. He comes off as a powerful man, and he holds a hatred of authority, evident in his crime against Mr. Harris. When Mr. Harris gave Abner wire for a fence, Abner responded by sending a cryptic message and burning down Mr. Harris' barn. (Faulkner 1) This is the first indication given of Abner's need for superiority. He see's Mr. Harris' generosity as a personal jab at his position, and responds violently and without reason. Abner sees fire as "the one weapon for the preservation of integrity." (Faulkner 3) Abner used the barn burning as a way to make himself feel more powerful than Mr. Harris, a man who only aimed to help him.
Abner's pride again causes havoc upon his arrival at Major de Spain's house, where Abner is stopped from entering by a black man with "nice grizzled hair in a linen jacket." (Faulkner 5) Clearly, this man is much more well off than Abner and his family, with their battered and worn belongings. This assertion of authority from a man Abner believes should be below him drives Abner over the edge, smearing horse droppings onto an expensive rug. When Major de Spain confronts Abner, he charges Abner only twenty, bushels of corn, later even lowered to ten, for the hundred dollars the rug costed. This generosity, like that of Mr. Harris, is lost on Abner, who again refuses to pay it, and again resorts to burning down Major de Spain's barn.
Pride, then, is made to be a prominent theme in Barn Burning, being one of Abner's main motivations for the chaos he causes. Abner refuses to take the offers of Mr. Harris and Major de Spain because of his refusal to acknowledge his position after the Civil War. While Abner's stories of his past are all questions at best, he claims to have at one point been a professional horse trader before the war. (Faulkner 9) Due to the outcome, with the North coming out victorious, as well as his horse theft during the war, he is now incredibly low on the social ladder. So low that even a black man, who he once would've been much higher than based purely on race, now has higher authority than him. Abner, unable to accept this, channels his anger through the destruction of those above him.
Sarty's Metamorphosis
ReplyDeleteJonathan Rettig
I believe that Sarty is almost a dynamic character in the short story "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner. He changes from being a kid, brainwashed by his corrupt father's ideas of family loyalty versus morals and principles. In the beginning of the story, Sarty, has been pressured by the father to believe that his father's enemies are his enemies, such as the law. "He could not see the table where the Justice sat and before which his father and his father's enemy (ourn enemy he thought in that despair; ourn! mine and hisn both! He's my father!) stood",(Faulkner p1). Here without any other reason than being against his father, Sarty already decides that the justice is his enemy. This shows the family loyalty that I believe Abner had drilled into Sarty's thought process.
This idea that Abner drills ideas of family loyalty into Sarty's mind is shown on page 3 where Abner scolds Sarty for apparently almost ratting his father out. "You were fixing to tell them. You would have told him...You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain't going to have any blood to stick to you,"(Faulkner p.3). In this quote, Abner uses the word blood to refer to family, as in, if you are not loyal to your family (me), your family will not support you. Abner seems to use violence, fear, and threats to brainwash/ discipline Sarty. But throughout the story, Sarty becomes more rebellious and develops his own ideas of what is right and wrong. He breaks away from the morals his father had initially taught him to form his own morals of right and wrong which is very impressive for Sarty being the age he was. In the end of the story, Sarty tries to stop his father from doing something that Sarty would now realize is very wrong. Unfortunately, Sarty is unsuccessful in his valiant attempt to stop Abner from burning DeSpain's Barn, but the fact that he tried to shows that he has changed drastically from the beginning of the story. At the very end of the story, after Abner was shot, It says that "He went on down the hill, toward the dark woods within which the liquid silver voices of the birds called unceasing-the rapid and urgent beating of the urgent and quiring heart of the late spring night, he did not look back,"(Faulkner 11). I believe that in this excerpt the dark woods represents Sarty's future alone, it seems dark and intimidating, but he wont look back on his childhood or the ideas his father had brainwashed him with. He had moved on past his father and will live a life on his own, to live think independently and develop his own thoughts. He changes dramatically from someone who had been completely dependent on his corrupt father to an individual with his own thoughts which is what makes him a dynamic character in my mind.
I also think Sarty is a very dynamic character, and bring up his change in morals/break from his father, but focus on the reasons for the break and attributing it to the lack of response from his father. I said that if his father had been proud of Sarty, Sarty never would have turned his back on his father, but instead his father ignored his sons devotion, thus resulting in Sarty's betrayal.
DeleteAscending From Darkness
ReplyDeleteNoah Rohde
“Barn Burner,” by William Faulkner represents the thoughts and emotions of Colonel Sartoris Snopes. At first, the short seems very simple. A young boy and his family struggle to survive because their father is somewhat insane. Under this front, Faulkner provides examples of escaping from an evil and finding oneself. Along with this, Faulkner inserts the nighttime into his story to show how the dad, Abner, has control of his son Sarty.
To highlight these two messages, anything that pertains is exposed to the reader during the night. An example of this is when Abner and Sarty are heading to Abner’s De Spain’s house to return the “spotless” rug. As they ride, Sarty tries to help his dad out by being as helpful as possible. Although he attempts this, Sarty only gets coldness from his dad in return. The relationship that the two have is one where Abner clearly has an advantage and control over his son.
Many months later, Sary’s father would burn down De Spain’s house. What would set Sarty off and made him see who his father really was was his fathers nonexistent emotion to possible murder. “The hand came even faster than the blow had, the same hand which had set the can on the table with almost excruciating care flashing from the can toward him too quick for him to follow it....’Empty the can into the big one and go on. I’ll ketch up with you’ “ (Faulkner 9). To Sarty it must have seemed that all his father cared about was burning De Spain’s house and releasing himself to his fatal vice. After running away from his family and attempting to stop his dad. Sarty decides to leave his father and his control his own future. Sarty does this while walking into the morning sun, symbolizing exiting his father's influence.
I agree with your last statement. But I respectfully disagree with the whole advantage idea you are playing with. Sarty chooses to follow his father as he is a parental figure and Sarty believes that his father would eventually open up to him. He is not controlling but influencing Sarty into doing what he desires as Sarty is still very young and does not completely see the difference between right and wrong. Sarty is too naive and only understands the concept of give and take, His father does not control him but Sarty is merely "inspired' by Abner.
DeleteAbner's Superiority
ReplyDeleteIn "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner, I found it interesting that Abner made his children wash the rug that he initially got dirt on. His wife offered to clean it, but he made his kids do it instead. This thought initially stuck me as the most interesting because up until this happened, I had trouble finding anything that really struck me as out of the ordinary or intriguing. With this, I was just amazed that he made his daughters do this. I mean I understand that this was a long time ago, but I would image he would just clean it up with his son. I also noticed that he seemed to use an intimidation factor to have them continue to work on the rug. "...driving them though never raising his voice again"(Faulker, 6).
I think this speaks to Abner's general feeling of superiority over the rest of his family. Now I understand that he is the father of the family and he and his wife tell the kids what to do, but this was taking it to another level. He was the reason anyone had to clean the rug, so it should've been him. He may have been feeling like worked hard all day and the kids should've had to work, but I don't think this was the right type of thing to have them do.
Another possible aspect would be that I am overthinking the thought of him being superior and he may have simply been in a bad mood because of everyone being mean to him. After all, if everyone was being that mean to me, I know I would be in a bad mood and probably make some decisions I would potentially regret.
But then I may be under thinking my over thinking because Abner seems like someone who is used to being discriminated often like this.
So I now conclude that the reason he forced his daughters to clean of the rug he got dirty was a combination of him feeling superior to them, and him being in a bad mood because if the discrimination.
I agree that Abner made his daughters clean the rug to feel superior. I also agree that this is because of his past and change in social status. You do make a good point that it does take place during a time when women were expected to do the cleaning and men did the physical work. He easily could have had his wife help but again, he just wanted to feel superior and in control. I see your point that he may have been in a bad mood, but I feel that he did it mostly to feel powerful. I think he would do anything to anyone in order to feel superior.
DeleteI agree with many of the points that you have mentioned above, in particular, the part where Abner feels the need to feel superior. The majority of Abner's actions throughout the story are out of spite and are essentially his way of trying to make himself "better" than the other people that are part of his life. As you said, he does this by making other people clean up after him, beating Sarty, and burning down barns.
DeleteHowever, I do disagree with your point that Abner's actions are a result of the public being mean to him. If you think about it, the whole reason why everyone condemns Abner in the first place is because of the reputation that Abner has developed based on his actions. Had Abner never had done any of those things in the first place, such as burning barns, then Abner would be treated as any other normal citizen.
Melissa, I agree with your agreement. Patrick, I disagree with your disagreement because he burns down barns because of everyone being mean to him as his way of expressing himself in his own way. So while he is condemned because of his actions, he does his actions because of him being condemned.
DeleteAbner’s Attitude towards Others
ReplyDeleteBarn Burning
“Barn Burning” by William Faulkner portrays the attitude and emotion of Abner. Since he used to live a wealthy life, Abner does not like to be treated slaves, he wants to be respected. This attitude of his can be seen throughout the story. His interactions and conversations with others is always so serious and can be explained as dark. This theme of darkness that shows his attitude and emotion can be seen throughout many places in the story.
When Sarty follows Abner to the forest, there is a moment of silence before his father talks. Sarty does not answer his father the first time and the second time he answers a “yes” very silently. His father hits him and this makes Sarty talk very quietly. At this point, Sarty is afraid of his own dad, and that is the impression Abner manages to make towards his own son. This is Abner’s angry and hurtful behavior. I think the reason for his attitude is that so many people keep on accusing him on whatever he does. He is called to court very often, accused of burning down a barn, and then moves on to another county. After moving the whole cycle starts all over again. When Abner is told not to step on the rug in the manshion, he does it anyway because he did not like the way he was being treated. This is another aspect to why Abner is full of darkness. He is being treated on a lower status than most of the white people. I think that if Abner was treated of an equal status, he would not be burning down barns for a job or people all arrogant with others. Anybody in his place would be mad and act the same way as Abner. Abner knows that what he is doing is wrong, but his surroundings make him act the way he does.
I agree with you Dhanya and your interpretation of Abner. I also think that Abner's actions come from his view of his social status. He feels that he used to be above many people including African Americans and now that he has become poor and especially after the Civil War, he feels inferior and he takes it out on his superiors such as De Spain. Also I think he treats his family with such force and control because they are the few people he is still superior to and pushing them around and having power over them makes him feel higher on the social status.
DeleteI totally agree with your interpretation of Abner. I also think he does not like to be treated like someone with a low social status because he is living this facade of thinking he should be treated better than the slaves or anyone in poverty due to the higher status he used to have during the war. Abner craves the status he once had and detests the class he is now in so he releases the anger through fires. I disagree with the sentence, "Anybody in his place would be mad and act the same way as Abner." because I think he took some unfair punishments and rude comments way too personally. I think burning barns and ruining the whole family's reputation is a bit too extreme and insane for just anyone to do. A sane person would not risk his family's already horrid reputation just to release anger via raging fires. Abner is cold and full of resentment but he lacks clarity and practicality in his decision making process. Abner acts on his anger and doesn't think about the repercussions. I agree that his surroundings make him act the way he does because he is unfairly treated and punished because of his status and he tends to respond in a way that causes more problems for him and his family.
DeleteNeed to Appease
ReplyDeleteRicardo Rivadeneira
The short story "Barn Burning" is about a lot of things. It's about the South, Reconstruction, a family during hard times, but it is also about a child's need to appease his/her parents. Regardless of the kind of person someone's parents are, one always feels a need to make their parent proud. Even in adulthood, the need to make one's own parents proud still remains if a good relationship is retained through the years. I think Sarty consistently defends his father because he feels the need to make his father proud of him. The book hints that the whole scenario has occurred before (the whole family moving because of the father's actions), so why would Sarty ever defend his father/think his father is right when he is clearly in the wrong? Because of the need to appease his parent. His father's lack of pride is what eventually leads to Sarty "betraying" his own father. By the end of "Barn Burning," Sarty is not only too tired of his father's lack of response, he is fed up with the consequences of sticking up for his father and getting no response, and he goes to Major de Spain and warns him of his father's heinous actions. Even after making the decision to sort of turn his father in, he still believes his father was a good man; these thoughts are perhaps no longer trying to make the father proud, but trying to make himself believe that his father does not hate him. Obviously, this makes Barn Burning a lot more than just a story about a stupid kid who supports his criminal father for no reason. Barn Burning details the experience of a child who can not attain the support of his father and so turns his back on everything he has just to get away from the one bad thing, obviously implying the pride of a parent is psychologically important for a child.
I do agree that in most cases, the pride of a parent is psychologically important for a child, and we always feel a need to appease our parents. However I must respectfully disagree with the idea that the lack of pride is why Sarty "sold out" his father. I think this story is partly a coming of age tale. Throughout this short story, Sarty matures and is able to develop his own opinion and realizes how wrong his father's actions and reasoning is. Besides being called up to the court at the beginning of the story, I don't think there are any consequences to sticking up for his father (besides, of course, the continuation of the barn burning), so I don't think that's part of the reason he betrayed Abner. I think it was mainly because he found the fault and his conscience needed him to do something about it. After betraying his father, he does still try to think of him as a good man, but I think it's because people find it hard to think badly of those they once admired when that person is dead. It's almost like Sarty is trying to preserve only the good things about his father, so that hopefully his father's good qualities is what people will remember about him.
DeleteAbner’s Control
ReplyDeleteJulia Wagner
In the short story, “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner, the father, Abner, has complete control over the rest of his family. His youngest son, Sarty, and Abner’s wife, Lennie, are the two people he has the most control over. Sarty, being a young age of ten, is influenced by his father a lot. Abner has control over Lennie because she is afraid of him.
In the beginning of the story, you start to see how Sarty doesn’t have control over what he thinks. When they are in the courthouse and he recognized that the justice is kind and is unable to make a young child testify but Sarty still views him as the enemy because that is what his father wants him to do.
Towards the end of the story when Abner is about to burn the barn down he makes Sarty get the can of oil he is going to use. Sarty knows that what his father is doing is wrong but he does it anyway. “… Then he was moving, running outside the house, toward the stable, this is the old habit, the old blood which he has not been permitted to choose for himself…” (page 9). Sarty is now realizing how much control his father has over him, and after warning De Spain about his father, he runs away.
Abner also has control over his wife Lennie. The extent of her dialogue in the story is her begging Abner not to burn the barn. Also, while Abner is about to burn down the barn the Aunt goes to hold back Sarty but Abner wants Lennie to hold Sarty. “Lennie. Take hold of him. I want to see you do it.” (page 10). Abner wants Lennie to prove to him that she is on his side, that she is still under his control. Then when the Aunt tells Lennie to let Sarty go she says “Don’t you see I can’t?” (page 10). She pleads for the Aunt’s help because she is worried about what Abner will do to her if she lets Sarty go.
The control or power that Abner has over his family is immense, but the last sentence in the story says “He did not look back” (page 11) so in the end Sarty broke free from his father. And now that Abner has been killed, Lennie and the rest of the family aren’t under Abner’s containment.
Uphill Battle
ReplyDeleteSarah Cook
The last two paragraphs on page 11 really stood out to me. The reason why it stood out to me was because even though Abner had burned another barn, Sarty was very upset but he still justifies Abner's actions. I think no matter what Abner did Sarty would always stick up for his father and see the good inside of him. He looked up to Abner as a role model. Even though his father made some terrible mistakes you can see how much Sarty truly cared about his father. "He was brave!" he cried suddenly, aloud but not loud, no more than a whisper. He was! He was in the war! He was colonel in Sartoris' Cav'ry!" (Faulkner 11).
It is very apparent that Sarty is like his father. Faulkner wrote "He got up. A little stiff, but walking would cure that too as it would the cold, and soon there would be sun." (Faulkner 11). This quote portrays Sarty as being stiff like Abner but then instead of staying stiff like his father did he gets up and walks it off, almost as if he is trying to get rid of the part off himself that is similar to Abner.
The last sentence of "Barn Burning" is "He did not look back." (Faulkner 11). I think that was the perfect sentence to end the story at because it could have many different interpretations. The way I interpreted this was Sarty is moving on from his past. I found it interesting how Sarty is continuing "down the hill". Almost as if he has been fighting this huge battle like walking up the hill, and he finally defeats it and is then leaving it behind as he walks back down the hill. Sarty finally is walking away from his past and walking towards a new beginning.
I agree that Sarty always defends his father and that he always does no matter what the circumstance is. I think that because the way that Sarty was brought up he is very supportive to whatever his father does. I also think that your last statement was very accurate in saying that Sarty is finally leaving his old life of supporting his dad to walking towards a new beginning in living his own life.
DeleteFinding Character.
ReplyDeleteBarn Burning.
"Barn Burning" focuses on many themes and indirectly explores many different perspectives and ideas. One idea that stuck out to me through the whole book was how Sarty described his father. His father was said to be "stiff" and cold, which signified his character to be harsh. He was overpowered by his jealousy of the higher class and was indulged in his ignorance. Sarty is constantly struggling with his father's loyalty and his own personal choices and opinions. He is going against his integrity to fulfill his father's demands. He is easily influenced and thinks for a while that what his father is doing is justified. He craves the contentment of his father and he thinks that his father would eventually reward Sarty for the support his son provides him. Abner does not realize that and does nothing but embrace his son into the persona of himself. At the end of the story when Sarty's father is killed, Sarty feels grief but does not look back. "He was a little stiff, but walking would cure that too as it would
the cold, and soon there would be the sun." I think this is a salient quote as it portrays Sarty to have a part of his father in him but he would move away from it as he progresses with his life. He is free and can make his own choices and build his own character on the basis of integrity, honesty and morality.
I agree with your statement about Sarty struggling with his loyalty towards his father, and I think it goes back to how our upbringing is a part of who we are. I agree with you about Sarty not knowing what his father was doing was wrong, because he had no prior knowledge of what was right. In the future Sarty is free to make his own decisions based on what he thinks is the right thing to do.
DeleteSarty's Struggle with Loyalty
ReplyDeleteBarn Burning
One of the biggest ideas in “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner was Sarty’s internal struggle to be loyal to his family. From the beginning of the text, Sarty is expected by his father to lie to the Justice in order to stay loyal to his family. Since Sarty doesn’t know better, he believes the Justice is his enemy because his father dislikes the court. “our enemy he thought in that despair; ourn! Mine and hisn both! He’s my father!” (Faulkner pg. 1). Even though Sarty has no real reason to think of the Justice as an enemy, he does so because his father taught him through his actions. Sarty stays loyal to his father all through the text, even when his father dirties Major de Spain’s rug.
I think one of the reasons why Sarty stays loyal to his father is because he is too young to understand that what his father does is wrong. He was raised to believe that is father was good, and all who do the opposite are wrong in comparison. There is no one to set Sarty straight, so he believes what his father tells him to.
At the end of the text, common sense kicks in, and Sarty realizes what his father is planning on doing is wrong. Sarty is faced with a decision to make, to either stay loyal to his father like he usually does, and risk people getting killed, or to go against his father’s orders and save Major de Spain. Sarty chooses to be disloyal, which results in his father being shot. This drives Sarty away from his family, causing him to grieve for his father, as it was somewhat Sarty’s fault for his death. The fact that this tragedy happened to Sarty at such a young age could lead to future difficulties staying loyal to other people, even if he believed in something different, because he could be in constant fear of history repeating itself.
Cold Fire
ReplyDeletePatrick Chi
Throughout the short story Barn Burning, Faulkner uses a wide variety of descriptive words to portray Abner, the barn burner. Among all the adjectives that Faulkner uses, the one that has the most impact is probably the constant use of the phrases "cold" and "without heat." Throughout the story, these words were used a total of 15 times, which further emphasizes the significance of these two phrases.
What's more important, however, are the times when Faulkner decides to put in these phrases. In almost every single case, Faulkner is either describing Abner himself, or the way that he speaks. On page 2, Faulkner writes: "His father spoke for the first time, his voice cold and harsh, level, without emphasis..." (Faulkner 2) This passage, along with many others that use "cold" as an adjective, clearly sets Abner's tone for his monologue. As a result of this, we, as the reader, immediately gain a sense of Abner's demeanor and personality.
On the other hand, what may be more interesting is why Faulkner chose to use the phrases "cold" and "without heat" instead of "dark" or “harsh." I think Faulkner purposely used these words to describe Abner because it directly contrasts the properties of Abner's "weapon": fire. In a sense, this intensifies Abner's dark personality because "cold" and "fire" are complete opposites. However, in the story, the two work together to create destruction.
All in all, it is clear that Faulkner's choice of words when describing Abner's personality had a huge impact on the way the reader would view him as a person, and it really made the reader extremely clear on what kind of person Abner really is.
I completely agree with the contrast of without heat and fire. I also like how you say that they come together to create destruction. The coldness of Abner's personality destroys his relationship with his family as well as the family itself, while the barn burnings further separate the family and destroy hope for a better life. Another interesting thing about these two contrasting phrases is that while a fire is very exciting, Abner appears to do it in a cold, mechanical way, as if he is never able to express true emotion, even when doing something as vigorous as burning down an entire barn.
DeleteOne idea that stood out to me in "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner was that Sarty is very defensive to his father for all the bad choices that he chooses. There are many wrong decisions that Abner makes that are wrong and it's pretty clear that his decision is wrong, but no matter what Sarty defends him. As Sarty said, "our enemy he thought in that despair; ourn! Mine and hisn both! He's my father!" (Faulkner pg. 1). In this quote Sarty will defend his father because he believes that whoever is Abner''s enemy is Sarty's enemy. I believe that one of Sarty's most important values is that he must always be loyal to his family and most importantly his father.
ReplyDeleteI question why Sarty is so loyal to his father, because there must be some in doubt in his mind that what Abner is doing is wrong. Sarty has a sense in his thoughts that he must always be loyal to his family, which is a very good value to have. But sometimes there must be a limit to where you know that there is something wrong with what your family is doing. I understand that it may be a hard decision to make but you have to choose whether your decision was for the greater good of everyone. Sarty must learn to be independent and to make decisions for himself not having everyone choose them for him.
I completely agree with your point that Sarty is very defensive of his father. As any ten year old would, Sarty looks up to and respects him. Even at the end of the story, when Sarty has chosen justice over his family, he still consols himself by saying that his father was in the army, and was a brave man. It was good that although Sarty initially saw the world through Abner's eyes, by the end of the story Sarty was able to see the difference between right and wrong.
DeleteThe Nature of Authority
ReplyDeleteBy: Joy Keat
In Barn Burning by William Faulkner one of the most interesting relationships is the relationship between Sarty and his father Abner and the constant struggle for control. In the beginning of the story Sarty is heavily influenced by his father, Abner is the authoritative figure to him and as a result is subservient to him especially when Abner is in the court of law for burning a barn. “His father, stiff in his black Sunday coat donned not for the trial but for the moving, did not even look at him. He aims for me to lie, he thought, again with that frantic grief and despair. And I will have to do hit.” (Page 1)
Abner forcefully reminds Sarty of his duty to continuously remain loyal to his family regardless of the situation. “You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood stick to you.” (Page 3) Sarty being a youthful 10- year old hasn’t yet figured out what is truly right and wrong and Abner is constantly feeding immoral opinions completely clouding Sarty’s mind. “Our enemy he thought in that despair; ourn! Mine and hisn both! He’s my father!” (Page 1)
But in the end of the story when Abner is yet again going to burn down a barn something in Sarty snaps and he finds the courage to take action. So I feel that even though throughout most of the story Sarty seems to make poor choices at critical moments it wasn’t necessarily his fault because of how he looked up to his father as the authoritative figure.
Changing with Time
ReplyDeleteDanielle Duguid
In "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner, the last paragraph of the story caught my interest. It mentions that "He was a little stiff, but walking would cure that too" as Sarty was walking away from the woods. I believe that this is saying that he still is slightly like Abner now but soon he will grow out of it as time goes on.
Abner made an imprint on Sarty at a young age, which you can see in the beginning of the story, as Sarty blindly follows and believes everything his father says. His father's impact on Sarty's life decreases as the story goes on until he directly disobeys him and warns Major de Spain about Abner burning his barn down.
If Sarty had not finally fought back against his father, then I believe he would have grown up to be just like him. I like how the author said that he would walk off the stiffness as the night turned into morning. The metaphors in this passage are overwhelming. The stiffness, which is a metaphor for Abner stays in the darkness, which would be a metaphor for bad or evil. As Sarty walks off the stiffness or forgets his father, he becomes good.
I agree with your interpretation of Sarty and how walking out the stiffness is like leaving his father behind forever. I also think that Sart rebelling against his father took a lot of courage and I like the way that you mentioned the metaphor between Sarty rebelling and walking out the stiffness.
DeleteSarty's Escape
ReplyDeleteBy: Ashley Groesbeck
In Barn Burning by William Faulkner, the character Sarty is a ten year old boy who has lived his who life witnessing his father, Abner's crimes of burning barns and having to constantly move because of it. I think that Sarty chooses to not be like his father and that is why he runs away. Even though your surroundings and who you are make up your identity, who you choose to be can overcome the situation you were born into.
Sarty was born into an unfortunate situation where he has an abusive father who expects Sarty to lie for him in court; "He aims for me to lie, he thought, again with that frantic grief and despair. And I will have to do hit." (Faulkner 1). This alone proves that Abner is guilty because he wouldn't have expected Sarty to lie for him if he was innocent. Even though Sarty claims he would have lied to stick up for is father, because the justice never made Sarty answer whether he saw Abner burn the barn or not, it leaves the reader unsure. Abner even punishes Sarty because he thought he would have told the truth; "You were fixing to tell them. You would have told him." He didn't answer. His father struck him with the flat of his hand on the side of the head," (Faulkner 3). This leaves the reader even more uncertain whether Sarty would have lied, fearing his abusive father or whether he would have been force by his good will to tell the truth. What kind of father teaches his child at a young age to lie?
After seeing Abner's evil behavior and how it has made his mother so weak, Sarty finally escapes, "Then he was free." (Faulkner 10). Sarty decides that he will not be evil like his father and will not become weak as his mother has. It is shown how Sarty's mom is portrayed as weak because she only begs Abner, "Abner! No! No! Oh, God, Abner!" (Faulkner 9). To overcome an abusive person at age ten is very impressive, and Sarty's decision to leave shows that he controls his own identity and future. The last sentence in the story is, "He did not look back." (Faulkner 11). This is very powerful because it really shows the reader how serious Sarty's situation was were he didn't even look back to his family when he ran away. It shows how strong Sarty's character has become and how he has developed throughout the story.
Sarty's Escape
ReplyDeleteBy: Ashley Groesbeck
In Barn Burning by William Faulkner, the character Sarty is a ten year old boy who has lived his who life witnessing his father, Abner's crimes of burning barns and having to constantly move because of it. I think that Sarty chooses to not be like his father and that is why he runs away. Even though your surroundings and who you are make up your identity, who you choose to be can overcome the situation you were born into.
Sarty was born into an unfortunate situation where he has an abusive father who expects Sarty to lie for him in court; "He aims for me to lie, he thought, again with that frantic grief and despair. And I will have to do hit." (Faulkner 1). This alone proves that Abner is guilty because he wouldn't have expected Sarty to lie for him if he was innocent. Even though Sarty claims he would have lied to stick up for is father, because the justice never made Sarty answer whether he saw Abner burn the barn or not, it leaves the reader unsure. Abner even punishes Sarty because he thought he would have told the truth; "You were fixing to tell them. You would have told him." He didn't answer. His father struck him with the flat of his hand on the side of the head," (Faulkner 3). This leaves the reader even more uncertain whether Sarty would have lied, fearing his abusive father or whether he would have been force by his good will to tell the truth. What kind of father teaches his child at a young age to lie?
After seeing Abner's evil behavior and how it has made his mother so weak, Sarty finally escapes, "Then he was free." (Faulkner 10). Sarty decides that he will not be evil like his father and will not become weak as his mother has. It is shown how Sarty's mom is portrayed as weak because she only begs Abner, "Abner! No! No! Oh, God, Abner!" (Faulkner 9). To overcome an abusive person at age ten is very impressive, and Sarty's decision to leave shows that he controls his own identity and future. The last sentence in the story is, "He did not look back." (Faulkner 11). This is very powerful because it really shows the reader how serious Sarty's situation was were he didn't even look back to his family when he ran away. It shows how strong Sarty's character has become and how he has developed throughout the story.
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DeleteHeart of stone
ReplyDeleteIn barn burning there is a fire. There's a fire that burns down several peoples lives. Yet all of this uncontrolled destruction is brought by a deep, emotionless cold. The father in the story, Abner, is constantly described with words associated with the cold even when his actions are as wild and destructive as a fire. Starting after the trial when they are on the move from the country and the camp out, the father makes a specific type of fire. It's described as a small, greedy fire. Almost as if the father won't spare an expense to heat his family. Starting right from the beginning he is seen as a, not yet malicious, but a a cold hearted person. However, when he arrives at the major de Spain's farm, he refuses to wipe his feet when ordered to by a black servant, but when he finally complies he scrapes his manure coated shoes on the pristine white carpet, virtually destroying the rug. He is described as committing this heinous task, "without heat," showing how he unflinchingly destroyed the carpet, not thinking of consequences.
He doesn't stop there. When he finally sets to burn down the barn, he give is orders to Sarty in a cold, dead voice, which is especially for what he planned to do. He intended to destroy the income, the security, and maybe even the life of his employer and did so without any emotion. Abner literally cares about nothing, leaving his family to do his dirty work. A real human being wouldn't be deprived of all feeling but Abner, being fictional character, seems to be the epitome of stone. Unmovable, unshakeable, and unable to connect to any other person. Yet when he acts out, he makes sure that it reaches everything and everyone. He burnt down the barn, not because he was angry, well he might have been kind of angry withe the whole incident with the rug, but mostly because he was a bitter old man with absolutely nothing to live for, no money, and a family whom he lashes out at. He burns down the barns simply because he can, and simply to have a shred of power. He is an evil character with nothing to live for and even less to give.
I don't necessarily think that Abner is an evil character, though he is the antagonist. And I think he does live for something--his fires. He lives for that feeling that he has control over things, which is what happens when he sets things aflame. He is not able to control things in his own life, and people higher than him order him around constantly. But fire is the one thing he can control. He makes his small niggard fires but also the huge barn burning fires probably give him a feeling of power and control.
DeleteAbner's choice
ReplyDeleteVeronica Liu
Throughout the story “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner, Sarty’s father Abner chooses to make life difficult for them. In class, we looked at his actions and the consequences they had on the rest of his family.
Abner not only destroys his employer’s property, but he also sets their barns on fire. This gives the impression that he is a wild, undisciplined man, when in reality, he is very cunning. Although Abner is shown to set uncontrollable fires, he is also able to make small fires that are useful to the family. “A small fire, neat, niggard almost, a shrewd fire; such fires were his father’s habit and custom always” (Faulkner 3) He also initially plans to wait until the October harvest to burn De Spain’s barn, which would cause De Spain to lose the most money. Whether Abner’s motivation behind his constant burning is fueled by his anger against being reduced to the working class, against African Americans, or is his way of seeking revenge on the world, he definitely plans out and calculates his choices.
Not only does he attempt to blame the story’s first barn burning on a slave, but he also makes sure to provide a new place for him and his family to go after they get kicked out. This leads to his family totally relying on him, and as a result, they follow him and do not question his decisions. “The wagon went on. He [Sartoris] did not know where they were going. None of them ever did or ever asked…” (Faulkner 3) He also forces his daughters to wash a rug that he ruined, and just ruins it again afterwards. Abner chooses to be volatile and angry, and his family must live with his arsonist decisions.
I completely agree that what Abner is doing is a choice for him. It makes no sense for him to be able to control these small fires and then just randomly decide to go and burn someone else's entire barn. I think he knows exactly what it is he's doing and just doesn't really care about the impact it will have on himself and his family.
DeleteThe Stiffness of It All, by Eric Koessler
ReplyDeleteIn the story Barn Burning, by William Faulkner, there are many repeated phrases meant to hold a deeper meaning than what they appear to. However, the word stiff appears so much more often and frequently than all the others that I had to focus on it. Due to the fact that it is repeated so often, I believe it holds more than one meaning to it.
In the first half of the story, I noticed that when it appears, it always mentions the limp, such as, “the stiff back, the stiff and ruthless limp,” and “the stiff black back, the stiff and implacable limp.” This lead me to believe that the word stiff was a reminder to the reader of Abner’s problems, not just physically, but mentally as well. Whenever you hear the word stiff in the story, it reminds you of his limp, one of Abner’s many problems.
This also ties into the end of the story. In the third to last sentence of the novel, it says, “He was a little stiff, but walking would cure that as well as the cold,” which made me think that Sarty was going to walk away from Abner’s problems, his stiffness.
I also believe the word stiff is used to describe Abner’s way of acting since he left the war. During the war, he had a level of honor and prestige, and now that he is on the bottom of the social ladder, he tries to maintain that level of honor by moving and standing stiffly, much like a soldier would when marching to or from battle.
This division in meaning for the word stiff is supported by the fact that stiff is used either to specifically describe Abner’s injured foot, a manifestation of his mental problems, or the way he walks or stands in a room, his desire for glory and prestige.
Trees Can Also Burn
ReplyDeleteBy Jill Armenia
In William Faulkner's "Barn Burning" a repeated idea I found was the description of trees and wood in Faulkner's imagery. Every time Sarty changes locations, he mentions the trees wherever he then happens to be. I'm not sure if this is significant at all to the story, but it seems too coincidental to not be, since trees are so essential to starting a fire.
The repetition starts on page two and then can be found on page four, five and six, and then twice on page eleven. There is even a part of the story where all Sarty is doing is chopping trees into firewood. In the beginning of the story Abner even sends a threat by saying "Wood and hay kin burn."
I think that Sarty's repeatedly noticing and using the trees may just be an instinct for him. If his father is obsessed with burning things and his job around the house is to chop firewood, trees seem like a pretty important part of his life. I'm sure he sees them as something that brings life, and of course, can be used to set a fire. When he runs away from his father, his first instinct is to flee into the forest, maybe because he knows he will have something to rely on there: the trees, which he can use for fire and shelter and which he has spent his whole life around. When he points out the trees, he's probably noting what sort of tree they are, maybe even thinking about how hard they are to cut, or how well they burn. Sarty's upbringing by his father and the fact that he spends all day literally cutting up trees, probably has had an impact on his way of thinking about things such as this. Maybe instead of seeing trees as a beautiful part of the landscape, he simply sees them as a utility, or another day's work.
Barn Burning
ReplyDeleteNoah Daviero
In the Short story Barn Burning by William Faulkner, the character Abner Snopes is characterized as a dark, imposing, stiff figure. This characterization is extremely fitting because in most stories the dark figure is the villain and Abner is the villain here. This dark figure characterization is clearly shown before Abner is going into the De Spain’s home. “..had more than ever that impervious quality of being cut ruthlessly from tin”.(page 4) This description of Abner is probably the most accurate in the story, showing Abner’s hardness and unforgiving nature.
Abner’s hardness most likely resulted from going from being a person that was worth something in the world to a person that was at the bottom of the pecking order, even being given commands to by Negro slaves. This “slight” is enough to cause Abner to rub fresh droppings all over a $100 rug and ruin it. Abner’s reaction, to clean the rug horribly and then burn De Spains barn when his cleaning job is declared inadequate shows Abner’s inability to cope with even the slightest of problems.
Another reason why Abner might be burning barns is that he might be actually insane and think that these people have actually wronged him. However, this seems unlikely because Abner is always said to do stuff "without heat". This characterization is used in this context to show an action done totally devoid of emotion. Also, Abner clearly knows what he is doing when he is creating a stain on the rug of the De Spain's house, even though I cant tell why he would do this.