Introduction
Indeed, the final confrontation between Abner Snopes and his son, Sarty, is one of the most important results to be yielded in “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner. In this critical moment, Sarty’s inner conflict is represented by his struggle with family loyalty versus his sense of morals. Finally, this is a moment of choice and transformation, with personal and ultimate identity affecting the young protagonist. It raises themes of justice, loyalty, and struggle with repressive norms of society. All this makes it an inexhaustible subject for further analysis within and outside the story’s context.
Identify Causes
The final confrontation between Abner Snopes and his son Sarty after “Barn Burning” arises from several closely related factors. First, a good portion of the internal conflict that Sarty experiences originates with the two social mores to which he must adhere: loyalty to kinfolk and the innate compulsion to separate right from wrong. In addition, Abner’s roughness with the family, full of force and devastation, generates an atmosphere that is wound up and explosive, thereby adding to Sarty’s inner torment. Thirdly, there is Sarty’s ingrained loyalty to his family, though it is not perfect and is not on the right side of justice; he initially starts by sticking by his father. However, this loyalty is tested repeatedly with the progressing realization of the number of moral filth that his father seems to function within as the story advances.
Infer about Society
In the climax of “Barn Burning,” between the result of the final confrontation with Abner and Sarty, William Faulkner implicitly comments on how power and authority are deeply entrenched in a society to justice. He dredges a dimension of cyclical violence and entrenchment down generations that remarkably reflects the larger patterns of conflict and oppression. This is apparent not only in the destructive pattern of his actions but also in Sarty’s internal struggle to get away from such a pattern. As Faulkner puts it, “He could not see the table where the Justice sat and before which his father and his father’s enemy.stood”. This quote underlies the theme of justice as something always out of reach, even unseen by those on the margins of power within society. Faulkner may, however, be seeking to show that there are moral complications while navigating through social norms and expectations, particularly for people like Sarty, who have been caught between loyalty to family and an intense desire for personal integrity. As put by Faulkner, “He aims for me to lie.and I will have to do hit”. This quote shows the type of pressure put on people to fit into unfair systems since it is made at the expense of their moral principles.
Outside Sources
Real-life counterparts of the outcomes depicted in “Barn Burning,” examined by research, help better understand the worldly problems in the story. Diana Baumrind’s groundbreaking research on authoritative parenting is a seminal source for learning the outcomes of diverse parenting styles on child behaviour. In her 1966 article in Child Development, Baumrind discussed the impact of authoritative parental control on children’s behaviour(Baumrind). By contrasting authoritative parenting with other styles, Baumrind demonstrates that nurturant, supportive parenting is related to adaptive developmental outcomes in children. These are themes of dysfunctional families pursued in Faulkner’s story.
On the other hand, supplementing Emily Talen’s findings on how urban design shapes parenting behaviours, one may add the societal reasons that influence change in the family. Her article “Bad Parenting” from the “Urban Design” book highlights the effect of an urban environment on parenting practices and children’s behaviour. Talen zeroes on the safety of the neighborhood and the availability of recreational facilities within the neighborhood, influencing parents’ stress levels and time available for supportive parent-child activities (Talen). Drawing from both Baumrind’s work and Talen’s analysis, it gives a complete way of understanding societal forces that play a part in determining the dynamics of the family and child development to help further one’s interpretation of the story of Faulkner.
Connection to Author’s Inference to Reality
Society’s reaction to what happens in “Barn Burning” would be typical today of traditional methods of domestic violence, parenting, and poverty. For example, domestic violence was less of a concern at the time since family matters were considered private; at the same time, most individuals may hardly identify the negatives of a firm parenting style on child development. In addition, poverty and its suffering have always been looked down upon, and people were forced to fend for themselves, as there was little help at a systemic level for people experiencing poverty.
Through the story of Faulkner, this book urges the readers to turn toward such bitter facts and rebukes society’s indifference to such pressing issues. Showing the deadly effects of negligence and complicity, he pressed the society to recognize their role in the overall perpetuation of the cycles of violence and poverty. Faulkner asks for systemic reforms stemming from empathy, accountability, and justice. Connecting Faulkner’s thoughts on social issues to the past and recent realities, readers are urged to reconsider social norms and call for changes toward a better society.
Works Cited
Baumrind, Diana. “Effects of Authoritative Parental Control on Child Behavior.” Child Development, vol. 37, no. 4, Dec. 1966, pp. 887–907. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1126611, https://doi.org/10.2307/1126611.
Talen, Emily. “Bad Parenting.” Urban Design, edited by Alex Krieger and William S. Saunders,
NED-New edition, University of Minnesota Press, 2009, pp. 183–85. JSTOR,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.ctttspsh.14. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024.
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