In the short story "Barn Burning," William Faulkner introduces readers to a number of complex and dynamic characters. Each of these characters plays a significant role in the story and helps to convey its central themes and ideas.
One of the central characters in "Barn Burning" is Abner Snopes, a poor and uneducated man who is on trial for the crime of burning down a barn. Abner is a complex and multifaceted character, and his actions and motivations are not always easy to understand. On the one hand, he is driven by a sense of pride and a desire to protect his family, and he will go to great lengths to ensure that they are treated with respect and dignity. On the other hand, he is also prone to violent outbursts and has a tendency to lash out when he feels that he or his family has been wronged.
Another important character in the story is Abner's son, Sarty Snopes. Sarty is a young boy who is torn between his loyalty to his father and his sense of right and wrong. He loves his father deeply, but he also recognizes that his father's actions are wrong and that they will ultimately lead to their family's ruin. Sarty's internal struggle is a major theme in the story, and it serves as a commentary on the complexities of family relationships and the challenges of growing up.
Other significant characters in "Barn Burning" include Abner's wife and daughters, who are all subservient to his wishes and desires, as well as Mr. Harris, the owner of the barn that Abner burned down, and the judge who presides over Abner's trial. These characters serve as foils for Abner and Sarty, and they help to illustrate the contrast between the Snopes family's impoverished and chaotic lifestyle and the more stable and affluent world of the Harris family and the legal system.
Overall, the characters in "Barn Burning" are complex and well-developed, and they play a crucial role in conveying the themes and ideas of the story. Whether they are supporting or opposing characters, each of them serves to deepen our understanding of the struggles and conflicts that shape the lives of the Snopes family.
Colonel Sartoris “Sarty” Snopes Character Analysis in Barn Burning
As a result of their fear, no one wants to stand up for independence, and the towns people report anyone who they suspect has any books in their possession. I spotted him right away. But the story makes it clear that his father, in fact, was just a mercenary looking for money. Even made me a bit jealous. This is perhaps the reason he was shot during the wary by a member of the police, and now walks with a limp. Sarty may be too young to influence his father, but he is aware enough to pay close attention to everything around him.
Barn Burning Character Analysis Essay
We had hardly anything in common to talk about, but that didn't matter. She stripped down to her underwear, pulled on the shirt; and lay down on the bed. I had a lot else on my mind then, and didn't have time to worry about things like age. She'd take an imaginary tangerine in her hand, slowly peel it, put one section in her mouth, and spit out the seeds. Seated by the window, he was drinking cafe au lait. The Outsiders by S. Bierce advises his readers to stay out of dangerous situations which do not affect their personal lives, in particular, events that only serve to boost their ego.
Character Analysis William Faulkner's Barn Burning Essay on Barn burning, William Faulkner
He is a poor man trying to make a living for his family by harvesting crops. Twenty years later, Sarty would understand that if he said the men only wanted truth or justice, his father would have hit him again. But I decided to give it a try. First, I eliminated the ones too close to other people's houses. In the spring of the year after we met, her father died, and she inherited a little money from him. No change in the barns, just white frost covering their roofs.
Character Analysis Of William Faulkner's Barn Burning
Cold and violent, Snopes has a harsh, emotionless voice, shaggy gray eyebrows, and pebble-colored eyes. There was nearly a dozen years' age difference between us, she being twenty and I thirtyone. The barns are waiting to be burned. December's come again, and the winter birds fly overhead. Abner, though, is not yet in bed, and the last thing Sarty remembers before going to sleep is his harsh silhouette bending over the rug.
Barn Burning Characters: Sartoris & Abner Snopes Analysis
He feels a fierce, instinctive loyalty to the rest of his family, but that loyalty coexists both with a feeling that his connection to his family is inevitable, and with a hunger after other, alternative kinds of connections. People go to jail for many reasons: robbery, murder, hate crimes, and there are people who are sitting in jail for a crime they did not commit. While Reconstruction was meant to rebuild the South and reunite it with the North after the material devastation of the war, by the 1890s it was clear that the effort had in many ways been a failure. He tells Sarty that he must learn to stick with his own blood in order to survive. In the world of Sartoris, violence is a basic feature of manhood and this is a thing he comes to know from staying with his father. I was completely relaxed when I was with her.
