Jordan L. Bush
Professor Lamon
English 102
24 February 2016
Marxism in “Barn Burning”
In June 1939, William Faulkner wrote the short story, “Barn Burning,” about a young boy dealing with classism in the South. He was exposed to economic discrimination, which brought family division. The Snopes family lived in poverty, had no permanent home, and was not educated in their speech. They have had no real prospects for economic improvements, and they moved around a great deal. In order to fully understand this story we must examine the deep meaning within it, and thoughts of the author when writing it. The great America novelist William Faulkner often wrote about the struggles of the South that he was familiar with. He wrote of the same characters …show more content…
At the beginning of the story, we see the shame of the young boy Satoris in patched, faded, and too small jeans. He is made to accompany his father, who is on trial for burning a man’s barn. Satoris took on the same “us vs. them” mentality as his father, viewing the accuser as his enemy as well. Abner Snopes is an intimidating figure to his family, which are the only ones he has power over. He is an angry, vengeful man who is an arsonist and has been a thief as well. He thinks the world is wronging him. Satoris surely felt humiliation as a boy heckled them on the way out, and he was knocked down and hurt his …show more content…
H. ""Marxist Criticism"" A Glossary of Literary Terms. 7th ed. Fort Worth:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College, 1999. 147-53. Print. Faulkner, William. "Barn Burning." The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking,
Writing. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2011. 499-515. Print.
Kurz, Heinz D. "Transatlantic Conversations: Observations On Marx And Engels '
Journalism And Beyond." Social Research 81.3 (2014): 637-655. Business Source
Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2011. Print.
Van Devender, George Q. “William Faulkner.” Magill’s Survey of American Literature,
Revised Edition (2006): 1-10. Literary Reference Center. Web 19 Feb.
Professor Lamon
English 102
24 February 2016
Marxism in “Barn Burning”
In June 1939, William Faulkner wrote the short story, “Barn Burning,” about a young boy dealing with classism in the South. He was exposed to economic discrimination, which brought family division. The Snopes family lived in poverty, had no permanent home, and was not educated in their speech. They have had no real prospects for economic improvements, and they moved around a great deal. In order to fully understand this story we must examine the deep meaning within it, and thoughts of the author when writing it. The great America novelist William Faulkner often wrote about the struggles of the South that he was familiar with. He wrote of the same characters …show more content…
At the beginning of the story, we see the shame of the young boy Satoris in patched, faded, and too small jeans. He is made to accompany his father, who is on trial for burning a man’s barn. Satoris took on the same “us vs. them” mentality as his father, viewing the accuser as his enemy as well. Abner Snopes is an intimidating figure to his family, which are the only ones he has power over. He is an angry, vengeful man who is an arsonist and has been a thief as well. He thinks the world is wronging him. Satoris surely felt humiliation as a boy heckled them on the way out, and he was knocked down and hurt his …show more content…
H. ""Marxist Criticism"" A Glossary of Literary Terms. 7th ed. Fort Worth:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College, 1999. 147-53. Print. Faulkner, William. "Barn Burning." The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking,
Writing. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2011. 499-515. Print.
Kurz, Heinz D. "Transatlantic Conversations: Observations On Marx And Engels '
Journalism And Beyond." Social Research 81.3 (2014): 637-655. Business Source
Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2011. Print.
Van Devender, George Q. “William Faulkner.” Magill’s Survey of American Literature,
Revised Edition (2006): 1-10. Literary Reference Center. Web 19 Feb.