Analysis Of Barn Burning By William Faulkner

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In the short story Barn burning by William Faulkner, it is about a family where Abner Snopes the father of Sartoris appears to be an arrogant and destructive person. Due to his jealousy he burns Mr. Harris’s barn where he doesn’t have any proof to put forth against Snopes. The judge warns Snopes to leave the county for his good where he agrees to do so. The family moves to a new home where Snopes along with Sartoris meets Major De Spain, the owner on whose land the family will work. Snopes dirties the rug of Spain’s house with manure. The next weekend Snope heads towards the court along with his two sons once again where, he was asked to pay ten extra bushels of corn for burning the barn and the rug. As Snope gets angry and violent, he reaches …show more content…
He has a harsh, emotionless voice towards Sartoris the youngest son of the family. He smacks Sartoris informing him to always be loyal towards his family. He is also found to be rude while presenting himself in the court for burning the barns of people. He is cold with his daughters when he demands them to clean the rug and hang it later for drying. He has slaggery gray eyebrows and pebble colored eyes, his body remains stiff as he walks with a limp he acquired from being shot by a confederates provost thirty years ago while stealing a horse during the civil war. As he is known for his anger and independence, he is convinced the right to release his destructive revenge on anyone whom he thinks have wronged …show more content…
In Major De Spain’s home, Snope intentionally steps in a horse’s manure and spreads it throughout the expensive rug of the house making it dirty. When he was asked to clean the rug he takes a piece of rock and further ruins it. This kind of behavior shows how he represents himself due to jealousy. Faulkner compares him to a stinging wasp and Snope lifts his hand, “like a curled claw”. Due to jealousy, his need for revenge is borne from his senses of inferiority and lack of power. He repays these shortcomings by being silent, ruling his family with threats and violence as well as destroying the livelihood of individual he believes have insulted him. His behavior has made the family to fear him due to his cold and violent

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