Editor's Choice
How would "Barn Burning" differ if narrated from the perspectives of Ab, Sarty, Ab's wife, or a community member?
Quick answer:
The story of "Barn Burning" is about a father-son relationship and how it can be destroyed by the actions both parties take. The story is told from the point of view of the son, Sarty Snopes, who admires his father's ability to escape punishment for his crimes. He admires even more his father's ability to remain loyal to his own family in conflicts with other family members. However, Sarty begins to understand that loyalty and respect for the law are not the same thing when he sees how each affects Abner's treatment of one particular person: Flem de Spain. The story shows us how Abner forces Sarty into an impossible situation where he must choose between his family and the law.
Each of these characters from "Barn Burning" has a very different perspective on events, and the story would be radically different if told from a different point of view.
If Abner Snopes told the story, it would be an angry story that would be difficult to get through. Readers usually want to feel sympathy for the main character or protagonist of a story, and Abner is such a self-centered person that he would make himself the main character—but readers would have a hard time liking him or wanting him to succeed. He would describe the initial hearing of the story as if it were a great victory for himself, spoiled only by his addle-brained son Sarty, whom he quickly taught a lesson about blood loyalty.
Likewise, he would praise his own actions in getting the better of the de Spains by smearing excrement on their rug and then...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
setting their barn on fire. We would probably hear how he escaped that event without being apprehended and how glad he was to be rid of his traitorous son once and for all. (Since Abner reappears in other Faulkner stories, we must assume he survives this one, even though the story seems to suggest he dies.)
This story is already told almost completely from Sarty's perspective. It shows us how he wants to be able to take his dad's side, but the more he understands about his dad's actions and values, the more he realizes he can't be a part of his way of life.
The story told from Mrs. Snopes's point of view could be boring or it could be fascinating. Faulkner gave us little insight into what motivates Mrs. Snopes or how she feels about her husband and her lifestyle. Certainly, she was embarrassed and unhappy about her husband's arsonist tendencies, which meant she could never settle down in a community.
Her story might explain that she was trapped in a relationship with an angry and unkind man but felt she had no other options. It would no doubt describe her mixed feelings when Abner requires Sarty to go with him to burn down the de Spain barn. She would relate how she wanted to protect Sarty and how she feared what Abner would do to her if she were to cross him.
To have this story told from the viewpoint of a community member would be interesting. It would resemble another famous story by William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily." In that story, the actions of a mentally unstable woman are related from the perspective of the townspeople who gossiped about her but never truly got to know her. In the same way, this story would reflect the community's confusion about how someone could act in such an antisocial manner and disgust at the effect Abner's actions had on others.
Although Faulkner could have written this story from a variety of perspectives, the story as written is a fascinating look at a father-son relationship when the father is an antisocial arsonist.