BArn Burning Essay
Johnathan Hill
Dr. Patsy Daniels
ENG 111-41
23 September 2014
The Eye of the Flame
In William Faulkner’s Barn Burning, Sarty Snopes's dad, Abner, has a thing for burning down his landlords' barn, and he wants Sarty join him, or at least cover for him. Sarty knows barn burning is wrong, but doesn't want to betray his dad. Throughout the story, Faulkner allows the readers witness how in 1890 Mississippi the indictment of social classes started uproar in a character such as the narrator’s father, Abner; the narrator’s story is also symbolic (throughout) of what was to come in their family’s next move. Throughout the story, Faulkner uses symbolism, setting, and his tone and style to reveal to the reader what the Snopeses life was to become — a flame of burning hope.
First, Faulkner uses symbolism throughout the story to portray the family’s brokenness and hold on their future. One of the symbols used in the story is the clock from the family’s move in the beginning of the story. Faulkner states, “His two hulking… the clock inlaid with mother-of-pearl, which would not run, stopped at some fourteen minutes past two o’clock of a dead and forgotten day and time …” (172); this quote gives a good description of the clock. The clock is symbolic because it shows that at one time somebody cared enough for Lennie to buy her something of beauty, that at one time, her marriage to Abner might have been considered a cause for celebration. It also shows how time seems to have stopped for the family. They are trapped in a cycle that never lets them move forward. Another symbol from the story is the fire. Fire represents the hold control of the family. The first representation of control is when Abner builds the fire at the beginning of the story, “The nights… lengths— a small fire, neat, niggard almost, a shrewd fire; such fires were his father’s habit and custom always, even in freezing weather (173).” This fire symbolizes how the father has control over every aspect of the
Dr. Patsy Daniels
ENG 111-41
23 September 2014
The Eye of the Flame
In William Faulkner’s Barn Burning, Sarty Snopes's dad, Abner, has a thing for burning down his landlords' barn, and he wants Sarty join him, or at least cover for him. Sarty knows barn burning is wrong, but doesn't want to betray his dad. Throughout the story, Faulkner allows the readers witness how in 1890 Mississippi the indictment of social classes started uproar in a character such as the narrator’s father, Abner; the narrator’s story is also symbolic (throughout) of what was to come in their family’s next move. Throughout the story, Faulkner uses symbolism, setting, and his tone and style to reveal to the reader what the Snopeses life was to become — a flame of burning hope.
First, Faulkner uses symbolism throughout the story to portray the family’s brokenness and hold on their future. One of the symbols used in the story is the clock from the family’s move in the beginning of the story. Faulkner states, “His two hulking… the clock inlaid with mother-of-pearl, which would not run, stopped at some fourteen minutes past two o’clock of a dead and forgotten day and time …” (172); this quote gives a good description of the clock. The clock is symbolic because it shows that at one time somebody cared enough for Lennie to buy her something of beauty, that at one time, her marriage to Abner might have been considered a cause for celebration. It also shows how time seems to have stopped for the family. They are trapped in a cycle that never lets them move forward. Another symbol from the story is the fire. Fire represents the hold control of the family. The first representation of control is when Abner builds the fire at the beginning of the story, “The nights… lengths— a small fire, neat, niggard almost, a shrewd fire; such fires were his father’s habit and custom always, even in freezing weather (173).” This fire symbolizes how the father has control over every aspect of the