Examples Of Modernism In Barn Burning By William Faulkner

Modernism is a time that is marked by a strong and intentional break with tradition. During this break it includes a strong reaction against established religious, political and social views. Modernist were more concerned about themselves with the subconscious and believed the world was created in the act of perceiving. Also meaning the world is what we say it is (Modernism PPT). The story I will be using is Barn Burning by William Faulkner. In this story I found two examples of modernism one was the experimentation with consciousness and the experimentation with time.

William Faulkner experimented with the consciousness because he use the consciousness of a young boy that was torn between his father and abstract justice. So Sarty represents the rebellion
During the story he occasionally goes forward then backwards when providing information for the readers. Some of these examples include him talking about the activities his father participated in during the war, the family clock becoming frozen at 2:14 of some "dead and forgotten day and time". Also, him speaking of his descendants who would abuse automobiles. Which was similar to the way his father would abuse his horses. Lastly, the way he said he would view his father if he was older (English.fju.edu).

Modernism is a type of literature that focuses on the break from tradition through rebellion. It also tends to focus on the consciousness of the person and what they believe to be true. Barn burning was a prime examples of this. A son and father were going against it because on one hand the father felt like he should be defended regardless of his actions. While on the other hand the son felt like he knew his father was in the wrong and was not sure if he should defend him because of his conscious. The rebellion in him caused him to go against his father and allow him to get shot because he believed in what was