Cunningham 1

Drew Cunningham
Dr. Taylor
Perspectives on Literature
9/26/13

Barn Burning
William Faulkners Barn Burning is a complex story which details the exploits
of a father and the reactions that his young son has to a history of arson . The short
story has rich and compelling language which drives along the plot as it chronicles
Sartys inner turmoil and his familys nomadic lifestyle . In this essay I will delve into
the character development of Abner, Sartys father, as well as the young boy
himself, and try to chart how the plot is tied to character development and the
deeper meaning in Barn Burning. The themes that Faulkner depicts through his
characters in this work are the importance of familial bonds, justice in the face of
adversity and the symbolism associated with fire .
Abner is the father in this strange family and he serves as the antagonist for
the story. He is an enigmatic character who readers do not easily understand . We
get little insight into his thinking throughout the story with Sarty being the only
character whose thoughts we are privy to. What we do know about Abner is odd,
however. He is a brooding and intimidating and to this reader, appears to be
unstable. His insatiable need to incite trouble according to his sense of justice is a
driving force in the plot. The title of the story comes directly from his actions at the
beginning and the end of the story, committing arson on barns . He gets his family

Cunningham 2
banished from their settlement at the beginning of the story, and it is here that we
first see Sarty beginning to question the justice in his fathers actions . This scene
sets him up as the antagonist as well as the foil character to Sarty .
Abners character is questionable from the start since he wants his ten-yearold son to lie to a court of peers about the arson charges brought against him . This
action is an example of character insight and warns readers that Abner has a
perverted sense of justice. His actions here also introduce a couple of themes that
Faulkner may be trying to explore in the story . The first of these themes is the
strength of familial bonds and what one should do to preserve them . Sarty is
challenged early on either to lie to save his familys reputation at the beginning of
the story or to tell the truth, thus condemning them to be banished . He does not
have to give testimony, though, and he is not put in that position just yet . However,
Abner knows that he was going to tell the truth so he punishes him by hitting him
and telling him, You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you aint going to
have any blood to stick to you. (189) This piece of advice shows that Abner
believes that sticking with ones family is more important than acting in a just
manner.
Faulkner explores the family bond throughout the story with the character
descriptions of the rest of the family. It appears that Sarty is not close to anyone in
his family except his father. The lack of interaction between him and the rest of his
family supports the idea that Abner is the only character with whom he shares a
close relationship. A reason for this dynamic is the dominance of Abner in the

Cunningham 3
family. He is the one who makes all decisions and therefore is the only one with
whom Sarty interacts. The lack of connection with the rest of the family stems from
this fact. When it comes time for Sarty to choose between being just and following
Abner, the choice is easy to make because he is not fully connected with the rest of
his family. There is only a singular bond to break, and it is one that has been
waning for some time. Bonds like this happen in life and it is something that
Faulkner wanted to represent in his story .
Justice in the face of adversity is another theme that is introduced in Barn
Burning. Although Sarty would like to tell the truth at the beginning of the story, he
is faced with an extreme challenge. His family is full of people who go along with
Abner and his habitual arson without trying to stop it . Whether they do not have
the courage or they do not believe it to be an issue, no one is willing to step up and
try to stop him. Sarty is the lone figure who shows a true sense of justice in this
story and that is why he is a foil to Abner. As Abner is going to set fire to de Spains
barn, Sarty breaks free from the confines of his mother and tells de Spain what is
happening. This shows the justice and convictions of a child and proves that
sometimes one must give up family to do what is right . Although he is left alone at
the end of the story, he does not feel that he has made a poor choice . Justice is a
major theme in many works and central to great works such as Platos Republic. In
the Republic it is argued by Thrasymachus that it is easier and more lucrative to be
unjust and amoral. I think that Abner would agree with a statement such as this,
but not Sarty. His actions at the end of the story show that he is just even when it

Cunningham 4
is not in his best interests and thus making justice a theme for this work . Abners
sense of justice seems to be in line with Thrasymachuss in the Republic.
Thrasymachus says at one point that justice is nothing more than doing good for
your friends and harming your enemies. The only friends that Abner has are his
family and anyone who slights him the story is met with harm . These two points
reflect the ideas of familial bonds, as well as different views of justicetwo themes
that Faulkner has incorporated in Barn Burning.
A final theme for the story is the symbolic nature of fire . Fire is seen as a
destructive force for most of this story with the two barns being set aflame by
Abner. However, Faulkner uses it as a means to test Sarty and he must overcome
it. This is similar to The Crucible by Arthur Miller so far as the main characters of
both works must go through a trial by fire . John Proctor loses his the physical
struggle, but wins the spiritual battle . This case is similar to Sarty because he is
free from the constraints of his criminal father and family, but is left alone and must
go on. The fire is used to cleanse Sarty of his past and allows him to continue his
future in a just way without the interference of Abner or his family . The fire purges
the familial bond that Sarty feels towards his father and the entirety of his family . It
also burns away the heaviness on Sartys soul caused by his involvement with
Abner and his misdoings.