Barn Burning Character Analysis

“Barn Burning” by William Faulkner follows the life of Colonel Sartosis Snopes, Sarty, and his family. Sarty is a ten year boy who moves around a lot due to his dad’s violent habits. Sarty has to decide what his morals are and if his loyalty to his father is worth putting in front of those morals. Sarty’s father, Abner, burns down people’s barns if he has a conflict with them. The members of the Snopes Family all live in fear of Abner because of his rage and violence. Sarty goes through the internal battle of fear and justice. He wants his father to be caught for his actions but he also is afraid to not be loyal to his father. Sarty started out as scared. He was scared of what would happen to his father is he did not lie about the barn burnings to others and also of what his father would to him if he did not lie. Sarty was afraid of his father’s anger and rage. Although he strongly believed
He had an internal battle of not getting the oil and just running away and never looking back but he got the oil and took it to his father. His father must sense something has changed with Sarty because he wants to tie him to a chair so he cannot warn de Spain. Sarty’s family did not try hard to keep him held back from telling de Spain. On some level the whole family wants the violence and moving around to stop so that they can settle in and have a normal life. By warning de Spain, Sarty finally sided with justice and overcame the fear that his father had planted in him. Sarty’s decision took courage and strength because even though his decision was the morally just one it got his father and brother killed. He does not go back to his family because his new found strength and courage keeps him from turning back to who he was before. Instead he keeps moving forward into the unknown as the person he wants to