Themes In Barn Burning - 1135 Words

Symbols and Themes in â€Å"Barn Burning† and â€Å"To Build a Fire† The short stories â€Å"Barn Burning† by William Faulkner and â€Å"To Build a Fire† by Jack London are, on their surface, two very different tales. While â€Å"Barn Burning† tells the story of a young boy, Sarty, trying to grow and develop his own moral code among his twisted father whom the boy doesn’t agree with, but follows because he is ‘his blood,’ â€Å"To Build a Fire† tells a story of a man trekking alone on Yukon Trail in miserable, dangerous weather that he is ill-prepared for. When presented this way, these stories seem to have nothing significant in common. Regardless of their drastically different plots, characters, and settings, they nevertheless have very similar symbols and themes,†¦show more content†¦It is something that is now vital and is now being used as a tool rather than a weapon. The protagonist, who is unnamed in the final publication, but was referred to as Vincent in earlier drafts, relies on fire h eavily and cannot use it irresponsibly, as any misuse will be detrimental to his life (London, 559). This is interesting, as fire most often represents danger, like in â€Å"Barn Burning,† but in â€Å"To Build a Fire†, demands respect, as it is the only source of hope against the enemy, which is, in this case, nature. Additionally, in both stories, there’s a similar theme of running, but, again, it symbolizes two contrasting ideas. In â€Å"Barn Burning,† the reader can see that the Snopes family is running away from the law, and, later, Sarty is running away from his family, which both have contrasting meanings themselves. When the family runs away, it is to selfishly avoid the negative consequences associated with Snopes’s actions; however, when Sarty runs away, it is to make the right choice for himself rather than â€Å"†¦stick[ing] to his own blood† (Faulkner, 232). Sarty decided the best choice was to abandon his family, and is confident about this decision, never looking back. Conversely, Vincent, the protagonist in â€Å"To Build a Fire† runs away less literally. While the reader is not given any indication to why exactly he is enduring this dangerous trek other than to meet up with friends camping an unspecified distance down the trail. However, one has to wonder whatShow MoreRelatedThemes Of Barn Burning1018 Words   |  5 PagesUnderstanding a Stories Theme. Dusty L. Clevenger Excelsior College Advanced Composition II ENG102A Professor Linda Rozell-Shannon PHD. July 11, 2017 In Williams Faulkner’s short story â€Å"Barn Burning† there are several themes to be evaluated here. To me the main theme here is justice but there are a couple other themes the author uses to clarify this theme. He uses the strong ties of post-civil war families living outside of civilization and their dedication to each other. He embracesRead More Setting and Theme in Barn Burning Essay1144 Words   |  5 Pagesas all individuals, are embedded in a context or setting: a time, a place, and a culture. In fact, characters and their relationship to others are better understood in a specific context of time, place and atmosphere, as they relate to a proposed theme or central point of a story. Abner is revealed as a sadistic character who confronts his son with the choice of keeping his loyal ties to the family or parting for a life on his own with no familial support. Sarty is Abners son, a young boy tornRead MoreThe Theme Of Love In Barn Burning848 Words   |  4 Pagescontrasting ways. Some say love is an action and the others say it is just an emotion or feeling. Then there are the ones that say that love can be shown in order, loyalty, and morality. These three things are shown through the story of Barn Burning. In Barn Burning, In Barn Burning, sarty is torn amongst request and confusion. He is attempting to comply with his dad all around, so he can be at last considered a man to his dad. Moore explained, â€Å"Sarty trades this disorder for order, symbolized most powerfullyRead MoreThe Theme Of Conflict In Barn Burning By John Faulkner760 Words   |  4 PagesFaulkner introduces us a dramatic and complex short story called Barn Burning, where the conflict is presented as a child trying to make a decision between following his father along with a path of criminal activity or weather fortunate a new path for himself. The story is narrated in 3rd person omniscient from the perspective of the protagonist of the story, a boy called Coronel Sartoris Snopes and his father, who can be considered as an antagonist, Abner Snopes, a veteran of the war. The motherRead MoreComparison of â€Å"AP† by John Updike and â€Å"Barn Burning† by William Faulkner1268 Words   |  5 PagesWillia m Faulkner and John Updike short stories share the same theme loyalty. The use of different literary elements to explore this similarity is what differs within the two stories. The authors take different approaches such as characters, settings, and point of views to communicate the theme to the reader. Throughout both short stories, the reader can receive a precise overview of loyalty. Even though the differences of literary elements are announced, one can still analyze the deeper meaning overallRead MoreDeeper Insight by Use of Point of View - Summary1074 Words   |  5 Pagesof View The majority of authors use literary elements to build up their story. However, the author of the short story â€Å"Barn Burning† uses one particular element to build up his own story in a very unique format. William Faulkner uses various literary elements in the story, but the most critical one is point of view. Faulkner uses point of view to develop characters, the theme, and the plot of the story. Faulkner’s use of point of view helps the reader understand who the characters are, how theRead MoreBarn Burning By William Faulkner1357 Words   |  6 PagesHenry Award winning short story, â€Å"Barn Burning† was written in 1938 and published by Harper’s in 1939 (â€Å"William,† par. 12). In many ways the story is a product of â€Å"both a turbulent time in America’s history and Faulkner’s personal history† (Parker 101). America was emerging from the Great Depression just in time to see World War II looming on the horizon while Faulkner was struggling with â€Å"finances, a drinking problem, and a new mistress† (Parker 102). In â€Å"Barn Burning† Faulkner makes extensive useRead MoreEssay on Barn Burning549 Words   |  3 Pages Use of Blood in â€Å"Barn Burning† nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"Barn Burning† is about the struggle of a boy to do what is right during the Post Civil War era. The main character, Sartoris Snopes, is a poor son of a migrant tenant farmer. In the opening scene he is being asked by a circuit judge about the burning of a farmer’s barn by his father. The boy does not tell on his father and is not forced to do so, but he thinks that he would have done so had he been asked. The father, Abner Snopes, servedRead MoreThe Yellow Wall Paper And Barn Burning Essay1509 Words   |  7 Pagesnot necessarily seen in today’s society, it is not rare to find this theme present in a large number of works studied in American Literature. Two authors that illustrate this pervasive theme in their short stories are Charlotte Perkins Gilman and William Faulkner. Despite the fact that these short stories were written almost fifty years apart, the protagonists in both Gilman’s â€Å" The Yellow Wall-paper† a nd Faulkner’s â€Å"Barn Burning† live in a society where they are severely conflicted because of theirRead MoreShort Story Essay1038 Words   |  5 PagesRose For Emily and Barn Burning Human behavior is one of the most studied and talked about traits of human beings, for it makes us who we are after all. It is prevalent in books, movies, stories, and most importantly life, everything we do involves it. In all of the short stories we read, aspects of human behavior where the basis of the writings. The short stories A Rose For Emily and Barn Burning show excellent human reactions to lifes challenges through the themes of social status and