Barn Burning
...th sides. When the family had to leave the town they were living in, they camped out on the way to their new home. Abner built a small fire not big enough to keep them warm. He did that because when he was in the war and stole horses; he was always on the run. He had to build small fires to keep from being seen. Sarty always believed his father was a good soldier, but when he hears about what his father really did during the war, it shows his father as a different man in his eyes. When they arrive at their new home, Abner has Sarty go with him to see Major de Spain, the neighbor. On the way Abner steps in manure, and Sarty believes he could have avoided stepping in it easily. When they get to Major de Spain’s house, he isn’t home. Abner goes in anyway, and the servant tells them not to get the rug dirty. Abner of course steps on it with his dirty boot. This just shows Sarty and the audience how disrespectful his father really is. When the Major de Spain finds out what he had done, he takes the rug to Abner and tells him to clean it. Abner makes his two daughters clean it. Then later that night he destroys it again. As a result he Major de Spain takes Abner to court, and Abner gets fined bushels of corn from his crop. Of course Abner thinks this is unfair, and he gets mad. This is a sign that Abner is going to burn a barn again. The fire is a symbol of Abner’s anger. The turning point of this story is the defining part where Sarty finally stands up and says that he is not going to take it anymore. Abner tells Sarty to assist him in burning down the Major de Spain’s barn, and Sarty refuses. Sarty knows that he has to do something. He can’t let his father burn down a barn again. Abner realizes that Sarty is going to run and tell Major de Spain. Abner has his wife Lennie hold him, but Sarty gets loose, and runs to the Major de Spain: “De Spain, Barn! Barn!” “What? Barn?” “Yes! Barn!” “Catch him” (Faulkner 493). Then the Major de Spain rode to the burning barn, and Sarty ran away from the barn. Sarty knows he cannot go back home now. He has chosen the right path that tears him from his father. He would probably like to see his mother and sisters again, but there was no turning back. He had to leave for good. The climax of this story is when the Major de Spain gets to the barn, and fires his gun. Sarty hears the gun shot from the direction of the burning barn, but he doesn’t turn back. He doesn’t know if his father was shot or even if he was dead. He will never know what happened at the barn that night. The epilogue of this story is the beginning of Sarty’s new life. When he made the choice to turn on his father, he made the choice to start a new life. Faulkner does a great job with symbolizing Sarty’s new life “It would be dawn and the sun-up” (Faulkner 494). That quote from the story shows that the worst of it would be over and a new life would begin. When sun comes up it will be light and light symbolizes a new life. Faulkner did a great job at getting the different themes out there. Both of these themes are timeless. Everyone in life has to choose right from wrong, and everyone comes of age. We all go through the metamorphosis, when we have to decide to make our one way in life. Whether that is moving out of your parents, or in Sarty’s case leaving your family for good. Some choices or tougher than others, but you have to deal with the cards you are dealt with. What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger, and Sarty will be stronger in the end. I found an article on the web about “Barn Burning”. It was written by Jo...