Essay Example on The short story Barn Burning by William Faulkner

Growing up the most taught valuable lesson from right and wrong is through what we go through William Faulkner author of the short story Barn Burning shows through the story a young boy learning what right and what's wrong As the main character in this short story Colonel Sartoris Snopes also known as Sarty learns that his dad actions aren't right Sarty's father Abner moves their family around constantly and is a very destructive man Smarty had a rough childhood and throughout the story he grows to be a round character whereas in the beginning he was flat Sarty is a young boy 10 years old of age who is stuck between doing the right thing or sticking by his family However through its evident throughout the story Sarty s portrays little book knowledge He actually does have the knowledge of right and wrong This young boy has a distinct sense of justice in which he might have developed through spending so much time in courtrooms and listening to proceedings 

At the start of this short story Sarty becomes the main focus as he is the first witness to testify against his father on charges of burning a barn Sarty struggles with the relationship he has with his father and throughout the story it shows Sarty as a young boy who develops into an adult while dealing with the crude actions of his father As a youth Sarty questions faithfulness not only towards his father but himself and the society he lives in Throughout the story Faulkner displays three instances of a conscience spirit from the ways Sarty compliments and admires his father his language while describing his father and the way he obeys him as the story goes along The first instance is when we can see a transition from childhood to adulthood in Sarty s life by his compliments towards his father This is shown when he speaks of his father s wolflike independence 145 which causes his family to depend on almost no one Sarty admires his father tremendously and truly wishes that things could change for the better throughout the story He believes that they live on their own strictly because of his father s drive to survive