Abner Snopes In Barn Burning

Abner Snopes is a guy that always causes trouble for his employers. In William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”, Abner Scopes, after being exiled by the Justice of Peace, goes to his new employer, de Spain, only then to dirty up his rug on the first day. After de Spain gives him the rug to clean, Abner damages it with lye and then sues de Spain when he tells Abner that he has to pay in twenty bushels of corn. The Justice of Peace rules that Abner should instead pay for ten bushel of corn in light of the evidence and his circumstances. The Justice’s ruling is fair due to Abner intentionally damaging the rug because of his disdain for the de Spains and their riches. Before Abner leaves for the de Spain’s mansion, he has already grown a distasteful view of the de
Abner was filled with emotions of “envy”, “sorrow”, and “jealous rage” and had every intention of smearing the droppings in the house( ). As he is entering the house, which he does forcefully, he ignores “the Negro” command to wipe his feet and instead with his “stiff foot” puts “twice the weight” of his body into his step to make sure he leaves prints and does it again while leaving, making sure to “drag” his “stiff foot” while turning as a final act of defiance (). After leaving the house, he says to Satoris, "That's sweat. Nigger sweat. Maybe it ain't white enough yet to suit him. Maybe he wants to mix some white sweat with it," which references the fact that he believes the de Spains wealth is only there because of the black people working under them and of him eventually having to work under them (). The statement shows that he feels that people like them do not respect people like him due to status. Then he turns that resentment towards the rug when de Spain has it brought to Abner to clean. Even with his