Barn Burning-A Comprehensive Summary and Analysis

William Faulkner’s short story “Barn Burning” is a powerful tale of family, loyalty, and the struggle between right and wrong. Published in 1939, this story has become a classic in American literature, known for its complex characters and deep themes.

In this post, we’ll break down the story, explore its main ideas, and look at why it’s still important today.

The Story at a Glance

“Barn Burning” follows the Snopes family, focusing on young Sarty Snopes, a ten-year-old boy caught between his loyalty to his family and his own sense of right and wrong. The story begins with Sarty’s father, Abner Snopes, on trial for burning down a neighbor’s barn. Though Abner is found not guilty due to lack of evidence, the family is forced to leave town.

As they move to a new place, Sarty witnesses his father’s destructive behavior and struggles with his own conscience. The story reaches its climax when Abner plans to burn down another barn, belonging to their new landlord. Sarty must decide whether to remain loyal to his father or do what he believes is right.

Main Characters

Sarty Snopes

Sarty is our main character and the story’s heart. He’s just a young boy, but he’s facing some pretty grown-up problems. Imagine being ten years old and having to choose between standing by your family and doing what you know is right. That’s Sarty’s big struggle throughout the story.

Sarty is described as small and wiry, with eyes that are “like pieces of a broken plate.” This description gives us a sense of how fragile and vulnerable he is. But don’t let his size fool you – Sarty’s got a strong spirit and a good heart.

As the story goes on, we see Sarty grow up fast. He starts to question his father’s actions and the family’s way of life. It’s like watching a flower trying to grow in rocky soil – tough, but determined.

Abner Snopes

Abner is Sarty’s father and the story’s antagonist (that’s a fancy word for “bad guy”). He’s a bitter, angry man who seems to have a grudge against the whole world, especially rich folks.

Faulkner describes Abner as “stiff” and “wolf-like,” which gives us a pretty good picture of his personality. He’s rigid in his beliefs and behaviors, and he’s got a predatory, dangerous side to him.

Abner’s most notable trait is his habit of burning barns when he feels wronged. It’s his way of getting back at a world he thinks has treated him unfairly. But this destructive behavior hurts not just his “enemies,” but his own family too.

Other Family Members

• Sarty’s Mother: She’s a quiet, long-suffering woman who tries to keep the peace in the family.
• Sarty’s Sisters: They don’t play a big role in the story, but they represent the passive acceptance of Abner’s behavior.
• Sarty’s Older Brother: He’s more like his father, willing to go along with Abner’s schemes.

Setting

The story takes place in the American South, probably in Mississippi, sometime after the Civil War. This setting is crucial to understanding the story’s themes.

Picture a world where the old ways of life are changing, where poor farmers like the Snopes family are struggling to get by. The land is dusty and hard, much like the lives of the people who work it.

The story moves from one small town to another, always with a sense of impermanence. The Snopes family is always on the move, never able to put down roots. This constant motion reflects the unsettled nature of Sarty’s life and his inner turmoil.

Key Themes

Family Loyalty vs. Moral Duty

This is the big one, folks. The whole story revolves around Sarty’s struggle between being loyal to his family (especially his father) and doing what he knows is right.

On one hand, we’ve got family loyalty. It’s a powerful force, right? Most of us are taught from a young age that family comes first. For Sarty, going against his father feels like a betrayal of everything he’s ever known.

On the other hand, we’ve got moral duty. Sarty knows, deep down, that his father’s actions are wrong. Burning other people’s property isn’t just illegal – it’s plain mean.

Imagine you’re Sarty. Your dad, the guy who’s supposed to teach you right from wrong, is doing something you know is bad. Do you stick by him because he’s family? Or do you stand up for what’s right, even if it means going against your own flesh and blood?

This conflict is at the heart of the story, and it’s what makes “Barn Burning” such a powerful tale. It’s not just about a boy and his dad – it’s about the choices we all face when our loyalties are tested.

Class Conflict

Another big theme in “Barn Burning” is the tension between different social classes. Abner Snopes, with his shabby clothes and rough manners, represents the poor working class. He’s always butting heads with the wealthier landowners who employ him.

Faulkner shows us a society where the gap between rich and poor is wide and getting wider. Abner’s resentment of the upper class drives a lot of his actions. He sees the fancy houses and nice things of his employers and feels angry and cheated.

But here’s the thing: Abner’s way of fighting back (by burning barns) doesn’t actually help his family. If anything, it keeps them stuck in poverty, always on the run from the consequences of his actions.

Through this theme, Faulkner asks us to think about inequality and how people respond to it. Is Abner’s anger justified? Maybe. Is his response helpful or right? Probably not.

Coming of Age

“Barn Burning” is also a coming-of-age story. We watch Sarty grow up fast as he faces tough choices and hard truths about his family.

At the start of the story, Sarty is a loyal son who defends his father without question. He even thinks about the boys who call his father names: “Enemy! Enemy! He thought, maybe he couldn’t help but say it aloud.”

But as the story goes on, Sarty starts to see things differently. He begins to understand that his father’s actions are wrong, and he struggles with this knowledge.

By the end of the story, Sarty has to make a grown-up decision: warn the landowner about his father’s plan to burn the barn, or stay quiet and be complicit in the crime.

This journey from blind loyalty to moral awareness is a classic coming-of-age theme. It’s like Sarty is waking up to the complexities of the adult world, where right and wrong aren’t always as clear-cut as we’d like them to be.

The Power of Fire

Fire plays a central role in “Barn Burning,” both literally and symbolically.

On a literal level, Abner uses fire as a weapon against those he feels have wronged him. It’s his way of asserting power in a world where he often feels powerless.

Symbolically, fire represents a few different things:

1. Destruction: Just as fire destroys barns, Abner’s actions destroy his family’s chances for a better life.
2. Passion: Fire can represent Abner’s burning anger and resentment.
3. Purification: For Sarty, the fires his father sets eventually lead to a kind of purification or cleansing, as he breaks away from his family’s destructive patterns.
4. Transformation: Fire changes things irreversibly, just as the events of the story irreversibly change Sarty’s life and understanding of the world.

The way Faulkner uses fire in the story adds depth and richness to the narrative, giving us a powerful image to connect with the story’s themes.

Plot Summary

Let’s break down the story into its main parts:

The Opening Scene

The story kicks off in a courtroom. Young Sarty is called to testify against his father, Abner, who’s accused of burning down a neighbor’s barn. Sarty is relieved when he’s not made to testify, and Abner is let off due to lack of evidence.

This scene sets up the central conflict right away. We see Sarty’s loyalty to his father being tested, and we get our first glimpse of Abner’s destructive behavior.

Moving to a New Town

After the trial, the Snopes family is forced to leave town. They move to a new place where Abner will be a sharecropper for a wealthy landowner named Major de Spain.

On the way, Abner hits Sarty, telling him, “You were fixing to tell them. You would have told him.” This shows us how Abner values loyalty above all else, even if it means doing wrong.

The Incident at de Spain’s House

When they arrive at their new home, Abner decides to pay a visit to the big house where Major de Spain lives. In a show of defiance, he deliberately steps in some fresh horse droppings and tracks it all over de Spain’s expensive rug.

Mrs. de Spain is upset and sends the rug back to be cleaned. Abner does a terrible job of cleaning it, deliberately ruining the rug in the process.

This incident shows us Abner’s resentment of the upper class and his tendency to lash out destructively.

The Court Case

Major de Spain takes Abner to court over the ruined rug. The judge orders Abner to pay 10 bushels of corn to cover the damage.

This scene further escalates the conflict between Abner and the landowner. We can see Abner’s anger growing, and we start to worry about what he might do next.

The Climax

Furious about the court decision, Abner orders Sarty to fetch oil. Sarty realizes with horror that his father is planning to burn down de Spain’s barn.

This is the moment of truth for Sarty. He has to decide whether to go along with his father’s plan or to do something to stop it.

The Resolution

In a moment of courage and moral clarity, Sarty runs to warn Major de Spain about the impending arson. As he’s running back, he hears gunshots.

The story ends with Sarty on a hill, looking back at the scene he’s left behind. He doesn’t know for sure what happened, but he knows his life has changed forever.

This ending leaves us with a sense of hope for Sarty’s future, even as we feel the weight of what he’s lost.

Symbolism in “Barn Burning”

Faulkner uses several powerful symbols throughout the story:

The Barns

Barns represent stability, wealth, and the established order. By burning them, Abner is attacking the social structure he resents.

Fire

As we discussed earlier, fire is a multi-layered symbol in the story. It represents destruction, passion, purification, and transformation.

Blood

Blood is mentioned several times in the story, usually in reference to the “old blood” that Sarty feels inside him. This represents the family ties that Sarty struggles against.

The De Spain Mansion

The big house symbolizes the wealth and power that Abner resents. It stands in stark contrast to the Snopes family’s poor living conditions.

The Rug

The expensive rug that Abner ruins symbolizes the gap between the social classes. Abner’s deliberate dirtying and damaging of the rug is his way of striking out at the upper class.

Writing Style and Narrative Technique

Faulkner’s writing style in “Barn Burning” is distinctive and powerful. Here are some key aspects:

Stream of Consciousness

Faulkner often uses a technique called “stream of consciousness,” where we get to hear a character’s thoughts as they occur. This is especially noticeable with Sarty. We often get glimpses into his confused, emotional thought process.

For example: “Maybe he’s done satisfied now, now that he has…” This fragmented thought gives us a real sense of Sarty’s troubled mind.

Rich Descriptions

Faulkner’s descriptions are vivid and detailed. He doesn’t just tell us what things look like – he makes us feel like we’re right there in the scene.

Take this description of Abner: “the flat hat, the formal coat with its tail pinned up like a swallow-tail of a robin, the stiff black trousers.” Can’t you just picture this odd, formal-looking man?

Complex Sentences

Faulkner is known for his long, winding sentences that mirror the complexity of his characters’ thoughts and emotions. These sentences can be challenging to read, but they create a rich, immersive experience.

Shifting Perspectives

While the story is mostly told from Sarty’s point of view, Faulkner sometimes shifts to a more omniscient narrator. This allows him to give us insights that Sarty himself might not have.

Historical Context

Understanding the historical context of “Barn Burning” can help us appreciate the story even more:

Post-Civil War South

The story is set in the American South sometime after the Civil War. This was a time of significant social and economic change.

The old plantation system was breaking down, and many poor white farmers (like the Snopes family) struggled to make a living as sharecroppers. This created a lot of tension between the poor farmers and the wealthier landowners.

Class Struggle

The conflict between Abner and the wealthy landowners reflects the broader class tensions of the time. Many poor Southerners felt angry and resentful towards the upper classes, who seemed to have maintained their wealth and power even after the war.

Changing Social Order

The story also reflects a time when traditional values (like unquestioning loyalty to family) were being challenged by new ideas about individual moral responsibility.

Character Analysis

Let’s dive deeper into the main characters:

Sarty Snopes

Sarty is the story’s protagonist and the character we sympathize with most. He’s young, impressionable, and caught in an impossible situation.

At the start of the story, Sarty is loyal to his father almost to a fault. He’s willing to lie for him and defends him fiercely, even in his thoughts. But as the story progresses, we see Sarty start to question this loyalty.

Sarty’s internal conflict is the heart of the story. He struggles between his ingrained sense of family loyalty and his growing understanding of right and wrong. This struggle is reflected in his thoughts about “the old fierce pull of blood.”

By the end of the story, Sarty makes a brave choice to warn Major de Spain about his father’s plan. This decision marks his transition from a boy blindly following his father to a young man making his own moral choices.

Sarty’s character arc is a classic coming-of-age journey. He loses his innocence, but gains a stronger sense of self and morality.

Abner Snopes

Abner is the story’s antagonist and a complex character in his own right. He’s not a straightforward villain, but a man shaped by hardship and resentment.

Physically, Abner is described as stiff and military-like, with a “wolflike independence.” This description gives us a sense of his rigid, unyielding nature.

Abner’s most defining characteristic is his anger, especially towards those he sees as his social betters. He expresses this anger through small acts of defiance (like ruining the rug) and large ones (like burning barns).

While it’s easy to dislike Abner, Faulkner gives us hints of why he might be the way he is. We learn that he was wounded in the Civil War, possibly while stealing horses. This suggests a history of both trauma and dishonesty.

Abner’s treatment of his family, especially Sarty, is harsh. He values unquestioning loyalty above all else and is quick to use physical punishment.

In many ways, Abner represents a dying way of life in the South – proud, resistant to change, and ultimately self-destructive.

Other Characters

While Sarty and Abner are the main focus, other characters play important roles:

• Sarty’s Mother: She represents the long-suffering women who often bore the brunt of their husbands’ actions in this society. She tries to protect Sarty but is ultimately powerless against Abner.
• Major de Spain: As the wealthy landowner, he represents the upper class that Abner resents. His actions (like charging Abner for the rug) are legally justified but show a lack of understanding or empathy for the Snopes family’s situation.
• The Justice of the Peace: In both court scenes, the Justice represents the law. His decisions highlight the tension between legal justice and moral justice.

Themes Revisited

Now that we’ve looked at the plot and characters in detail, let’s revisit the main themes of the story:

Family Loyalty vs. Moral Duty

This theme is embodied in Sarty’s struggle. Throughout the story, he’s torn between his loyalty to his father and his own sense of right and wrong.

We see this conflict play out in several key moments:

1. In the opening court scene, where Sarty is relieved not to have to testify against his father.

2. When Abner hits Sarty for almost telling the truth in court, showing how Abner values loyalty over honesty.
3. When Sarty tries to defend his father’s actions to himself, thinking, “Maybe he’s done satisfied now.”
4. In the final scene, when Sarty chooses to warn Major de Spain about the barn burning.

This conflict isn’t just about Sarty’s personal struggle. It represents a larger question about the nature of morality and loyalty. Should we stand by our family no matter what? Or do we have a higher duty to do what’s right, even if it means going against our loved ones?

Class Conflict

The tension between social classes is a driving force in the story. We see it in:

1. Abner’s resentment towards the wealthy landowners.
2. The contrast between the de Spain mansion and the Snopes’ shabby cabin.
3. The court cases, where Abner feels the system is rigged against him.
4. Abner’s deliberate dirtying and damaging of the expensive rug.

This theme reflects the real-life tensions in the post-Civil War South, where many poor farmers felt trapped in a cycle of poverty while the wealthy seemed to maintain their status.

The Nature of Justice

The story raises questions about what true justice looks like. Is the legal system in the story truly just? While Abner is clearly in the wrong, the story also suggests that the system itself might be unfair.

For example:

1. In the first court case, Abner gets off on a technicality, even though he’s guilty.
2. In the second case, the punishment (10 bushels of corn) might seem fair to the judge, but it’s a heavy burden for a poor family like the Snopes.

Through these instances, Faulkner invites us to think about the complexities of justice in an unequal society.

Symbolism Expanded

Let’s delve deeper into some of the key symbols in the story:

Fire

Fire is central to the story, appearing in its title and driving much of the action. It represents:

1. Destruction: Abner uses fire to destroy the property of those he resents.
2. Power: For Abner, fire is a way to assert power in a world where he often feels powerless.
3. Passion: The fire mirrors Abner’s burning anger and resentment.
4. Purification: For Sarty, the fires ultimately lead to a kind of purification as he breaks away from his family’s destructive patterns.
5. Transformation: Just as fire irreversibly changes what it touches, the events of the story irreversibly change Sarty’s life.

Blood

Blood is another recurring symbol in the story. Sarty often thinks about the “old blood” that he shares with his father. This represents:

1. Family Ties: The blood bond between Sarty and his father.
2. Inherited Traits: Sarty fears that he might have inherited his father’s destructive nature.
3. Loyalty: The “pull of blood” represents the family loyalty that Sarty struggles against.

The De Spain Mansion

The grand house of Major de Spain symbolizes:

1. Wealth and Power: It represents the upper class that Abner resents.
2. Social Divide: The contrast between the mansion and the Snopes’ humble living conditions highlights the vast gap between social classes.
3. Order and Stability: The mansion represents the established social order that Abner wants to disrupt.

The Rug

The expensive rug that Abner ruins is a potent symbol:

1. Class Difference: The rug’s luxury highlights the gap between the de Spains and the Snopes.
2. Defiance: Abner’s deliberate dirtying of the rug is an act of rebellion against the upper class.
3. Destructive Nature: The ruining of the rug foreshadows Abner’s larger destructive acts.

Writing Style In-Depth

Faulkner’s unique writing style is a crucial part of what makes “Barn Burning” so powerful. Let’s examine some specific techniques he uses:

Stream of Consciousness

Faulkner often dips into Sarty’s thoughts, giving us a raw, unfiltered view of his inner struggle. For example:

“‘Ain’t you going to even send a nigger?’ he cried. ‘At least you sent a nigger before!’ His grief and despair were too strong for him now and he cried, ‘I’ll go!’ He began to run.”

This passage shows Sarty’s emotional turmoil and the quick succession of thoughts and feelings he experiences.

Rich Sensory Details

Faulkner uses vivid sensory details to bring scenes to life. For instance, when describing the de Spain mansion:

“He saw the house for the first time and at that instant he forgot his father and the terror and despair both, and even when he remembered his father again, the terror and despair did not return. Because, for all the twelve movings, they had sojourned until now in a poor country, a land of small farms and fields and houses, and he had never seen a house like this before.”

This description helps us see the house through Sarty’s awe-struck eyes, emphasizing the vast difference between his world and that of the de Spains.

Complex Sentence Structure

Faulkner often uses long, complex sentences that mirror the complexity of the characters’ thoughts and situations. For example:

“He could not see the table where the Justice sat and before which his father and his father’s enemy (our enemy he thought in that despair; ourn! mine and hisn both! He’s my father!) stood, but he could hear them, the two of them that is, because his father had said no word yet:”

This sentence structure can be challenging, but it effectively conveys the rush and tangle of Sarty’s thoughts.

Shifting Perspectives

While the story is primarily told from Sarty’s point of view, Faulkner occasionally shifts to a more omniscient narrator. This allows him to provide information that Sarty wouldn’t know. For instance:

“Later, twenty years later, he was to tell himself, ‘If I had said they wanted only truth, justice, he would have hit me again.’ But now he said nothing.”

This technique gives us a broader perspective on the events and hints at Sarty’s future.

The Significance of the Ending

The ending of “Barn Burning” is powerful and open to interpretation. Let’s break it down:

1. Sarty’s Choice: By warning Major de Spain, Sarty chooses moral right over family loyalty. This marks his transition from boy to man, from blind loyalty to moral autonomy.
2. The Gunshots: Sarty hears gunshots as he runs away, but we never learn exactly what happened. This ambiguity leaves us, like Sarty, uncertain but fearing the worst.
3. Sarty’s Future: The story ends with Sarty on a hill, not looking back, walking into an uncertain future. This symbolizes his break from his past and his family.
4. Hope and Loss: The ending is both hopeful and sad. Sarty has stood up for what’s right, but at the cost of losing his family.
5. Coming of Age: The ending represents the completion of Sarty’s coming-of-age journey. He’s no longer a child blindly following his father, but a young man making his own choices.

The open-ended nature of the conclusion invites us to imagine what might happen to Sarty next, and to consider what we might do in a similar situation.

Relevance Today

Although “Barn Burning” was written in 1939 and set even earlier, many of its themes remain relevant today:

1. Moral Choices: We still face situations where we must choose between loyalty to family or friends and doing what we believe is right.
2. Class Conflict: Economic inequality remains a significant issue in many societies.
3. Justice System: Questions about the fairness of the justice system, especially for the poor, are still pertinent.
4. Family Dynamics: The impact of a toxic family member on the rest of the family is a timeless issue.
5. Coming of Age: The process of developing one’s own moral code, separate from one’s parents, is a universal experience.

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Video: Barn Burning by William Faulkner | Summary, Theme & Analysis

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about “Barn Burning”:

1. Q: Why does Abner burn barns? A: Abner burns barns as a way of expressing his anger and resentment towards those he sees as his social betters. It’s his way of asserting power in a world where he often feels powerless.
2. Q: Is Sarty right to warn Major de Spain? A: This is a matter of personal interpretation. Sarty chooses to do what he believes is morally right, but at the cost of betraying his family. The story presents this as a complex moral dilemma without providing a clear answer.
3. Q: What does the title “Barn Burning” signify? A: The title refers to Abner’s act of burning barns, but it also symbolizes the destruction of the old social order and Abner’s own self-destructive behavior.
4. Q: Why does Faulkner use such complex sentence structures? A: Faulkner’s complex sentences mirror the complexity of the characters’ thoughts and emotions. They also create a sense of the rushing, tangled nature of life and thought.
5. Q: What happens to Sarty at the end of the story? A: The story ends with Sarty walking away from his family, heading towards an uncertain future. We don’t know exactly what happens to him, which allows readers to imagine various possibilities.
6. Q: Is Abner Snopes purely evil? A: While Abner’s actions are clearly wrong, Faulkner presents him as a complex character shaped by hardship and resentment, rather than as a purely evil figure.
7. Q: What does the de Spain mansion represent? A: The mansion represents wealth, power, and the established social order. It symbolizes everything that Abner resents and wants to destroy.
8. Q: Why does Sarty initially lie for his father? A: Sarty initially lies out of a sense of family loyalty. He’s been taught that blood ties should come before all else, including the truth.
9. Q: What is the significance of the rug-ruining incident? A: The rug incident symbolizes the class conflict in the story. Abner’s deliberate dirtying and damaging of the rug is his way of striking out at the upper class.
10. Q: How does “Barn Burning” reflect the historical context of the post-Civil War South? A: The story reflects the social and economic tensions of the time, particularly the struggles of poor farmers and the resentment towards the wealthy landowning class.