“Barn Burning” Lecture Notes OVERVIEW “Barn Burning” is a powerful short story by William Faulkner, first published in Harper’s Magazine in 1939. It explores themes of loyalty, justice, class struggle, and the moral awakening of a young boy in the post-Civil War American South. The story is part of Faulkner’s larger fictional universe, Yoknapatawpha County, and reflects his signature style of complex sentence structures and stream-of-consciousness narration.
PLOT SUMMARY The story centers around ten-year-old Colonel Sartoris “Sarty” Snopes, who faces a moral dilemma between loyalty to his family and his growing sense of right and wrong. His father, Abner Snopes, is a bitter and vengeful man who burns barns as a form of retaliation against perceived slights from wealthier landowners. After being forced to move from farm to farm due to his father’s destructive behavior, Sarty must ultimately decide whether to protect his father or to stand up for justice.
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KEY CHARACTERS Sarty Snopes: The protagonist; a young boy caught between familial loyalty and his emerging moral compass. Abner Snopes: Sarty’s father; a sharecropper with a violent streak and a deep resentment for the upper class. Lennie Snopes: Sarty’s mother, who tries to maintain peace in the family. Major de Spain: A wealthy landowner and Abner’s final target.
MAJOR THEMES • • • •
Loyalty vs. Morality: Sarty’s internal conflict highlights the tension between familial duty and ethical integrity. Class and Social Inequality: The Snopes family’s poverty and Abner’s resentment underscore the rigid class divisions of the South. Justice and Authority: The story questions who holds power and how justice is administered within social and legal systems. Violence and Rebellion: Abner’s barn burnings are symbolic acts of resistance against the landowning elite.
STYLE AND STRUCTURE Faulkner uses: • Stream-of-consciousness narration to reveal Sarty’s inner thoughts and emotions. • Southern Gothic elements to create a bleak and morally complex atmosphere. • Symbolism, such as fire representing both destruction and defiance.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER • • • • •
How does Faulkner portray Sarty’s growth and moral development? What motivates Abner Snopes’ acts of arson? Are they justified in any way? How does class resentment shape the characters’ actions? What role does the setting play in shaping the narrative? In what ways is “Barn Burning” a coming-of-age story?
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