Introduction:
One of the most significantly noteworthy aspects of the William Faulkner’s short story ‘Barn Burning’ is the manner in which the narrative employs perceptual and conceptual characteristics of a young boy to that of his father in order to espouse the relevance of socio-cultural moral and ethical stances. This, moreover, is something that is especially accentuated when considering it in light of the subtly consistent adversarial relationship that seems to inevitably develop between Sarty and his father, Abner Snopes.
Respectively identifying the protagonist (s) & the antagonist (s)
While Sarty’s conceptual inclination brings him to view his father’s indulgence in barn burning as something overtly immoral, this is a view that his father contends with the notion that being loyal to ones family is of utmost importance and that thus, Sarty should learn to accept rather than contradict his father’s behavior. Abner Snopes, Sarty’s father, emphasizes his point by stating that ‘You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain't going to have any blood to stick to you’ Faulkner, 1997: p. 219).
Throughout the narrative, Sarty’s description
(s) of his father come through with a sort of
grudging respect that indicates that although
he is aware of as well as against the characteristics
of his father’s actual, he is psychologically
unprepared to openly admit to this conflict. Take
into consideration, for instance, Sarty’s
description of his father as having character
traits that ‘impressed strangers, as
if they got . . . a feeling that his ferocious
conviction in the rightness of his own actions
would be of advantage to all whose interest lies
with his’ (Faulkner, 1997: p. 218-19).
The relevance of Sarty’s role as that of protagonist, however, becomes especially apparent when considering that this respectful admiration, however, grudging as it is, erodes upon the pretext of his father’s decision to burn down yet another barn, this time the barn of Mr. de Spain. Moreover, Abner’s role as antagonist too, is underscored when considering it in light of the fact that he begins to increasingly shed the little regard that he has for morality. While he had stuck to certain subtle moralities during his previous escapades with barn burning, particularly the sending of some sort of arcane warning message to the victim to be; Abner plans on setting the de Spain barn alight without offering even the slightest warning.
This induces Sarty to overcome his fear of his father and to urge the latter to at least send a warning of some sort; ‘Ain't you even going to send a [slave]; At least you sent a [slave] before’ (Faulkner, 1997: p. 227). In addition to this, moreover, it would also be relevant to acknowledge the fact that Sarty does feel inclined to protect his father’s respect and dignity due to what the latter terms as the ‘pull of blood’ (Faulkner, 1997) or duty to his family. The significance of this contradictory attitude, moreover, tends to be accentuated when considering that although Sarty is on the verge of rightfully testifying against his father in the courtroom, he becomes uncharacteristically loyal to protecting the latter’s guilt immediately after leaving the courtroom.
The overtures of innocence and sorrow in Sarty’s statement that ‘He aims for me to lie, he thought, and I will have to do hit’ (Faulkner, 1997: 217) are resplendent of the psychological conflict (s) that the young protagonist must face as an inevitable result of his predicament. Eventually, however, the idea of Sarty’s role as protagonist within Faulkner’s ‘Barn Burning’ is sealed when he, Sarty, decides to break away from the ostensible restraint of the ‘old blood which he had not been permitted to choose for himself’ (Faulkner, 1997: p. 227). |