8/10/2019 Barn Burning - A Psychological Reading

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BARN BURNING – A PSYCHOLOGICAL READING

William Faulkner's story „Barn burning“ explores, among other things, the coming

of age of Sartoris Snopes, as he is forced to deal with issues of righ and wrong

that reuire a maturity and insight beyond his age! "e must choose between

loyalty to his father, #bner Snopes, and his family and loyalty to society andhumanity! $he story recounts Starty's slow, reluctant emergence into rebellion

against his father!

 $hroughout the story Sarty himself wrestles with his father's idea about class

con%ict and &iolence! early on, we see him making mental e(orts to make „his

father's enemy“ into his enemy as well! "e has been brainwashed to idoli)e his

father despite all his %aws, which keeps him from ha&ing his attitudes of a healty

person!"e faces huge pressure from his father to lie in court so that his father will

not be con&icted of barn burning! *n Sarty's world, &iolence is a fundamental

element of manhood, something he knows all too well from li&ing with his father!

"is father is not only at odds with other people, but he is also at odds with the

&ery notion of social order! "e remains trapped in a cycle of ri&alry of which his

barn burning is the perfect symbol! Sarty e&entually sees through his father's

attempts to manipulate him by harping on the importance of family loyalty + of 

blood ties! Blood loyalty means total indentication with his father!

"is father paints himself the &ictim against de Spain, a wealthy landowner who

forces him to pay for the damaged rug! #s the strugle between #bner and de

Spain accelerates, Sarty nds himself torn between the demands of family and

loyalty and his emerging sense od ethical rightness! "e can either choose to side

with his father pledging his allegiance to blood ties, or choose to be -ust andre-ect his father's e&il deeds! "e nally breaks into open rebellion, opposing his

father's intention to burn de Spain's barn and rushing o( to warn de Spain!

#t the end of the story, the young boy walks towards the dark woods! $he space

is the dark terrain of the self through which Sarty must -ourney if he is to become

a mature adult! "e e&entually understands that he could %ee from the system of 

con%ict and po&erty in which his family is trapped! .ltimately he does break with

his father! $he story ends with the sun about to rise, symbolically letting Sarty

begin a new life!

 $his is a „coming of age“ story! #t the beginning of the narrati&e, Sarty fully

associates himself with the ideas and ideals of his father but comes to reali)e

that his personal sense of -ustice is &iolated by his father more than the

community at large! $he only way for him to become a healthy adult is to break

away from his father and e&erything he represents no matter what it costs!