Comparison and Contrast: Barn Burning Sartoris Snopes is a young boy with a major conflict in his life; “be true to his blood”? or tell the truth. His father, a shady character with very cruel intentions has had to relocate his family because he is a “barn burner”. After one of Sarty’s fathers pigs gets loose for the second time, one of his neighbors tells him he can have it back for a dollar fee which angers the father so much that he burns down the neighbors’ barn. So Sarty’s father is asked to appear before the Justice of the Peace to settle the matter.
Barn Burning A father figure is commonly known for his compassion and wishes to have the best for his family’s interest. However, this is not what happens in “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner. Faulkner’s character Abner Snopes in “Barn Burning” demonstrates how society can tolerate the “blaming the world for one’s wrong actions.” Abner Snopes commits crimes usually with fire in order to cause damage against his employers, he works for in a cruel game of complete lack of respect. In the story Barn Burning, Abner Snopes is a very complex and interesting character. The story focuses on the shock of Abner’s behavior towards his ten-year-old son, Sartoris.
The relationship between Edward, William’s father, and himself changes as the story progresses. In the beginning of the book, the reader sees that Edward was never at home with his family. This absence took a toll on the relationship between father and son. Edward was always telling “mythical” stories about his life resulting in William not knowing who his father truly was. Near the end of his life, Edward is provoked
The difficulties and hardships Panchito and his family faced as migrant workers were a life of constant moving, unrecognized hard labor, and the lack of education. From the start, Panchito and his family had their lives set as a process causing them to move constantly from one place to another. In the beginning of the story, Panchito comes home from a long day of work to discover that he and his family need to leave again to find more work elsewhere due to the season being over; Panchito states, “Yes, it was that time of year. When I opened the front door to the shack, I stopped. Everything we owned was neatly packed in cardboard boxes.
This conflict climaxes in Sarty's cautioning Major de Spain that his father is going to burn the major's barn. It is after Sarty informs Major de Spain and then runs toward the major's barn that we have another example of Faulkner's narrative complexity and lengthy sentence structure. Almost the entire third paragraph from the story's end is one sentence which focuses on Sarty running. "So he ran down the drive, blood and breath roaring; presently he was in the road again though he could not see it. He could not hear either: the galloping mare was almost upon him before he heard her, and even then he held his course… "(Faulkner 1).
Sarty wants to be loyal to his father but knows that the truth must be told. When Sarty is called to testify against his father for the crime of barn burning, he becomes filled with “frantic grief and despair.” His father expects Sarty to lie on his behalf, and Sarty knows that he will have to in order to please his father which is all Sarty wants to do. Later that night, knowing that Sarty was in conflict and was
Kimberly Adams Essay #2 Barn Burning “Barn Burning” takes place in the post-Civil War where a man’s place in society is decided by his actions during the war. Ab Snopse, a man who served both the North and the South, is plagued with his non-allegiance ways to benefit himself and failure to accept authority. When Ab comes into conflict with his employer, he finds himself taking control from the authority figure, and reverting back to his mercenary ways. Having no allegiance, Ab makes the move from helping hand to the enemy by burning down barns. Being charged for burning the barn, he deserves leniency.
The way Okonkwo faces his problems in things fall apart eventually leads to his downfall. Okonkwo's dedication to his manliness is what leads him to these circumstances of violence and the way he thinks is the reason for his downfall. Okonkwo was a proud strong man who by working hard was able to bring himself to a respectable man in his clan. Okonkwo always let his anger get the best of him and show no emotion to prove he was a real man and better than his father. Okonkwo was scared of people thinking he was just like his father so he worked hard since he was a child.
While this process took many years, there are landmark events that can reveal how Okonkwo’s ways would eventually push the boy away. A clear example of this divide is after Okonkwo, against the advice of kinsmen and elders, takes part in the killing of Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna’s death was a great blow to all in the clan and family, but affected Nwoye the most. He was described as “something seemed to give way inside him, like the snapping of a tight bow. He did not cry.
Additionally, the novel continues to tell the story of Okonkwo and his family. Towards the middle of the novel his attitude continues to cause him problems. His actions cause his and his family’s life to alter. In chapter thirteen of the novel it states, “Okwonko’s gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy’s heart.” It continues to say, “The only course open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan.” During a ceremony an unexpected turn of events causes Okonkwo and his family to be exiled. Due to his personality