Read another Faulkner story, "Turnabout," where an American aviator during World War I encounters a British torpedo-boat pilot and experiences the war from the sailor's viewpoint. Compare the aviator's "conversion experience" at the story's conclusion, when he wishes the German target he is bombing were actually the Allied Headquarters, with Sarty Snopes's "conversion experience" in "Barn Burning."

"Barn Burning" primarily relies on Sarty's perspective, and to a lesser degree on Abner's and the narrator's, to depict its events. However, Sarty's older brother, his mother, an aunt, and two sisters are also present. Read the story attentively and attempt to reconstruct the events as one of these other characters might perceive them.

Examine the symbolic representations of fire in "Barn Burning." What are the general characteristics of fire that make it a fitting symbol for certain human attributes? What specific instances of fire does Faulkner use in his story to provide readers with insight into Ab Snopes's character?