William Faulkner’s Barn Burning Abner Snopes Character...

William Faulkner’s short story â€Å"Barn Burning† describes a typical relationship between wealthy people and poor people during the Civil War. The main character, Abner Snopes, sharecrops to make a living for his family. He despises wealthy people. Out of resentment for wealthy people, he burns their barns to get revenge. Abner’s character over the course of the story is unchanging in that he is cold hearted, lawless, and violent. First, Abner’s unchanging character shows his cold heartedness. After being sentenced to leave the country for burning a man’s barn, he shows no emotions to his family. During the story, there was not a time when he apologized or offered a word of encouragement to them. His tone of voice when talking to†¦show more content†¦Abner was later charged for the damages he did to the rug. â€Å"This is enough to satisfy Abner yet again that the social system only works in behalf of the rich, and he sets out that night to redress this wrong by burning DeSpain’s barn† (855). Abner’s unchanging character is evident not only in his role as being cold-hearted but also in his role as being lawless. â€Å"Barn Burning† makes an interesting case for Abner Snopes as the pitiable creation of the landed aristocracy, who seeks dignity and integrity for himself, although his only chance of achieving either would seem to lie in the democratic element of fire as the one defense available to all, regardless of social class†(855). Abners act of breaking the law begins when he was supposed to be fighting in the Civil War, but instead he stole horses from both sides of the lines. When Abner returned home, he continued his act of breaking the law by committing arson. At the beginning of the story, Abner is in a makeshift courtroom where he is being tried for burning Mr. Harris barn. There was no evidence to rule against Abner so he was advised to leave the country. â€Å"I aim to. I don’t figure to stay in a country among people who†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (217). After sly remarks of â€Å"barn burner†(218) from a group of people standing near, Abner tells his family to get in the wagon and get ready for travel. Abner and his family traveled to their next house where things got off to aShow MoreRelatedBoth sides of the Coin in William Faulkner’s short story, Barn Burning812 Words   |  3 PagesWilliam Faulkner’s short story, â€Å"Barn Burning,† the character Abner Snopes, who is Sarty’s father as well as a main character of the story, stands out the most compared to other characters because of Faulkner’s description with a sense of irony and critic. Faulkner presents multifaceted characteristics in Abner Snopes that makes the readers think beyond the view of the narrator based on logics and circumstances in Abner’s conditions. The setting of ‘‘Barn Burning’’ is the post-Civil War South, theRead MoreWilliam Faulkners Barn Burning: An Indicative of Literary Modernism1989 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿There are several ways in which William Faulkners short story Barn Burning is indicative of literary modernism. It depicts a relevant historical period and is part of the frontiersman literary tradition (Gleeson-White, 2009, p. 389). The author utilizes a number of purely literary approaches that were innovative for the time period in which the tale was originally published (in 1932), such as employing a young child as a narrator complete with misspelled words and broken, puerile thoughts. 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In the end the boy’s courage and sense of justice wins and he not only walks away from his father’s iron clad control over his life, but he is able to warn his father’s next victimRead MoreWilliam Faulkner s Barn Burning Essay2004 Words   |  9 Pagesdevotion in families of today, are lost and bravery shows no character in a person. It is a personality that each individual has in them only to be used in the most courteous way and should not be used selfishly. Loyalty cannot be purchased and must be earned. If it used in the wrong way, it can climax to a disaster. The short story writer William Faulkner emanates moral values in a young character in â€Å"Barn Burning,† Sartoris â€Å"Sarty† Snopes. As a ten year old boy, forced to choose between his kin bloodRead MoreOedipus in Sophocles Oedipus Rex and Young Colonel Sartoris Snopes in William Faulkners Barn Burning: A Comparative Analysis of Characters1034 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿When attempting to compare the characters and the lots of Oedipus in Oedipus Rex and Young Colonel Sartoris Snopes in William Faulkners Barn Burning, there are a number of immediate and salient points of similarity for one to consider. One of the principle points of similarities between these two is related to their personalities both male characters are prone to fits of action which they can only fully understand (if at all) in hindsight. Another is the fact that the quandaries they find themselvesRead Moreevery day use3221 Words   |  13 PagesThe paper s title Your name Page number Character analysis of the story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker 1) Pay attention to the character’s ethics. Does the character make just or unjust choices? 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