Barn Burning

Barn Burning

In William Faulkner’s short story, “Barn Burning” the character, Sartoris Snopes deals with internal problems that he has with his family. The young boy does not believe in the acts of barn burning that his father indulges in and that the rest of the family allows to go on. Because of his young age, not more than ten years old, there seems to be nothing that Sarty could do to end the mania of his father.

The story first starts out with the child standing outside of the courthouse while his father was inside being accused of burning down a fellow citizen’s barn. This is the first point at which the author reveals that there is something wrong between the boy and his father. The words “He aims for me to lie…and I will have to do it” shows that there is something the family is hiding, and though the boy doesn’t want to lie he has to in order to save his family. Another thing that stands out in this scene is that the boy calls the justice his enemy simply because he is the enemy of his father. Yet when the boy is summoned inside the courthouse he notices that the man looks nothing like an enemy, in fact he seems kind and gentle. Although the father is not charged with the crime, the justice advises him to leave the town, which the family had already planned to do. Outside the courthouse, someone yells out the words “Barn Burner” to the family as they were leaving. Sarty then charges at the person, fighting in defense of his father although the words spoken were true.

One the way to their new home the family stops to camp out overnight. During this part of the story Abner Snopes summons his son Sarty to him. He tells his son that he is growing into a man and needs to learn how to stick to his own blood. He knows that the boy wanted to tell the justice the truth about who sat fire to the barn. This is yet another scene that reinforces the idea of some sort of major problem between the father and son.

Once the family reaches the next town and the boy sees his surround he begins to feel more at ease. He starts to think that maybe his father will change his ways and that the people of the town will be safe from him and his fires. However, those thoughts would not last long because his father would begin to cause problems in the town immediately. Abner Snopes visits the house of Major de Spain, the man he is to work for, and intentionally leaves his foot markings on an expensive French rug that lies at the front entrance of the home.

When Major de Spain finds out what Abner has done to his rug he beings it to the family’s home