Barn Burning And Red Leaves Comparison Essay

Diversities and Similarities
Carissa Comsa
William Faulkner
September 11

William Cuhbert Faulkner is an American writer and Nobel prize winner from
Oxford Mississippi. He wrote novels, short stories, poetry, essays, and a play. He is best known for his short stories, two of which are named Barn Burning and Red Leaves. There are many diveresities between these stories such as Barn Buring's themes of authority and justice versus Red leaves's themes of corruption and mortality but there are also similarities that include Power, Slavery, and Loyalty. Overall Faulkner uses similar techniques and themes but has diversity in each story. A major difference between the stories is the sense of authority. In barn burner
Abner (the father) always has
to be in control and feared. Abner knows-and acts on-what is needed to make others do as he want. On the other hand Red Leaves's only fear instilled is the fear of being caught. The slave has freedom to run while the family did not.
Another difference is justice there's an actual court where they defend themseleves, the slave didn't have a court and couldn't defend himself or even say how he felt. Mortality is another theme depicted very different in both stories. Issetibbeha’sslave presents a sense of how strong a person’s desire to live actually is. disregarding the burial rituals of the
Chickasaws, he doesn't wish to die and be buried with Issetibbeha. His desire to live is so strong that he runs away, rather than face a certain death. On the other hand Abner is reckless doing what he wants because of his anger, and he ultimatelymakes a life costing mistake. Corruption is shown throughout both stories but is presented in different ways.
Abner is a corrupted in the way that he acts and his actions( him burning down barns and lying about it).
Faulkner through involvement with white people shows the corruption when Issetibbeha travels to Europe and returns with a gilt bed, a pair of girandoles and a pair of slippers with red heels. These items are significant because in reality Issetibbeha has no real use for any of thesethings, Falukners suggests that the white materialistic items are corrupting the indians. Overall Faulkner conveys differences in both these stories. Faulkner also shows similar ideas. Power is a big shared theme. In Barn Burning Abner burning down Harris’ and Spain’s barn makes him feel that in some way he is who is in control or that he has taken power. In that there is a sense that Abner is reliant on fire to maintain power. Similarly in Red Leaves Moketubbe also yearns for power.
Moketubbe stole shoes from Issetibbeha (his father) infering that he lusts to steal power.
They both uses physical things to show or assert their power. Slavery is also another theme shown through both stories. In Barn Burning it doesn't delve to deep only asserting that slavery exists. In Red leaves though it demonstatres that through Doom’s
(Issetibbeha’s father) involvement with white people that the Chickasaws
were introduced to slavery and their participationin in it is linked to Doom’s involvement with white people. They both show slavery is happening during that time. The last obvious and connectable similar theme is loyalty. In Barn Burning sarty and his father leave the store and sarty ends up getting into a fight with some kids, being clear to the reader that he's acting so to defend his father. In Red leaves the indians loyalty is to the Chief they follow his orders and wishes obeying him even after his passing.