Read our detailed study guide on the short story Barn Burning by William Faulkner. Our study guide covers Barn Burning summary, themes, characters, and literary analysis.
Barn Burning Summary
The protagonist of the story Colonel Sartoris Snopes is sitting in a store where a case is being listened to. The charge is against his father, Mr. Snopes, and is put by their landlord Mr. Harris. The charge is that of burning Mr. Harris’s barn. Colonel Sartoris Snopes is sitting in a lower place and cannot see the people speaking.
Mr. Harris asserts that his barn was burnt by Mr. Snopes, and when the judge asks him for proof, he narrates a story. He says that Mr. Snopes’s hog used to break into his cornfield. He asked him many times to keep his hog in control and even provided him with wire to mend his pen. Mr. Snopes did nothing, and Mr. Harris was forced to ask for fine before returning the hog. To pay the fine and retrieve the animal, Mr. Snopes sent a stranger. This guy left a clear warning that the hay in his barn can easily catch fire. That night, the incident happened.
The judge listens to the whole story but does not consider it solid proof. He calls Sartoris for cross-questioning on Mr. Harris’s request. However, it does not happen.
The judge dismisses the charges but tells Mr. Snopes to leave the county before nightfall. He seems ready for this as his family and belongings are already waiting for them in a wagon. Outside, a boy jeers at them and hits Colonel Sartoris Snopes on the head. The hit results in a wound, but Sartoris is not allowed to react and is forced to the wagon.
The family, including Sartoris’s father, his elder brother, his two sisters, his mother, and an aunt, starts their journey towards an unknown destination in the wagon. Upon the road, night falls, and they camp. When Sartoris is half asleep, his father wakes him up and walks him to a nearby road. There, his father questions his loyalty to the family. He says that Sartoris would have told the judge about his involvement in the barn fire. Moreover, he hits him and warns him to remain careful in the future.
In the morning, the unknown destination comes out to be known to Mr. Snopes. It is the house of his new landlord named Major de Spain. They are allotted a small quarter to live in. Sartoris’s sisters complain about the condition and size of the quarter, but Mr. Snopes scolds them and tells them to help their mother in arranging their furniture.
Then, Mr. Snopes takes Sartoris towards the landlord’s residence. On the way, he steps in horse manure on purpose. Once there, the owner’s servant tells them that they should wipe their shoes before going in. Mr. Snopes ignores his words and goes inside with his dirty shoes. Consequently, a pale rag inside the house gets dirty, and they are told to go out as the owner is not home.
After a few hours, the rug is sent to Mr. Snopes for cleaning. He makes his daughters clean the rag and takes it back to Major’s residence. There, he behaves rudely and kicks the door before throwing the rag on the floor.
The following morning, more bad news arrives at Mr. Snopes’s residence. Major de Spain comes to tell them that they had ruined the rag while cleaning it. Therefore, he says, Mr. Snopes will have to pay twenty bushels of corn. At this point, Sartoris comes to Snopes’s defense and tells Major de Spain that his father tried his best to clean the carpet. He is once again silenced by his father and is told to focus on his work.
After a few days, the Snopes family find themselves at another court hearing. Major de Spain pleads that Mr. Snopes has ruined his rag and should, therefore, pay the price through the corn. The judge gives the verdict that Mr. Snopes should pay ten bushels corns instead of twenty. Moreover, the payment will be made when the crop is harvested. They come back at sunset.
In the night, Snopes prepares for another barn fire and collects oil in a container. His wife asks him not to do so, but he does not listen. Similarly, Sartoris tries to stop him, but Mr. Snopes tells his wife to keep him inside the house. However, his mother is not able to restrain him, and he flees the house. He runs to Major de Spain’s residence and is only able to say the word “barn.”
After informing the servants, Sartoris runs down the road. There, he comes across Major de Spain on his horse. After a while, he hears three shots and conceives that Mr. Snopes is dead. That night, he has a good sleep and starts a new journey in the morning without looking back.
Background of the Story
The story “Barn Burning” is written by an American writer William Faulkner. It was published in June 1939.
Faulkner holds a distinct position among the American writers of the twentieth century. He is well known for his short stories and novels. The short story “Barn Burning” proved to be a vital point in his career as he wrote three novels revolving around the character of Mr. Snopes. These three novels are collectively referred to as Snopes Trilogy.
Historical Context
1939—the year in which the story was published—was the year in which the Second World War started. At that time, the free market and capitalism were in full swing in America and the difference between the higher class and lower class was becoming more and more evident. At the same time, Europe was also going through a bad phase for humanity. The shadows of the holocaust were frightening every human being in the world, and many people were tortured and killed in death camps.
These reasons led to a feeling of restlessness in many people of the lower classes. Therefore, they resorted to violent struggles to regain their rightful place in society. In this story, the same phenomenon is depicted. However, the perspective is entirely novel as it neither takes the side of the higher class nor the lower class.
The narrator stays outside the story and lets the readers choose the right and wrong. Moreover, the setting is moved back about a century back. In this manner, the writer indirectly criticizes the ills of capitalism by narrating the events of the remote past.
Literary Background
The short story “Barn Burning” is categorized under the genre of historical fiction. In this genre, the authors use the setting and characters of the past in their works of fiction. The place and the time in which the work is set are far removed from the time in which the work is written. In this story, we can see that the author has used the setting of past times.
The way the characters of the story interact with each other does not belong to the year of the publication of the story. Their dressing is also suggestive of the past times.
Moreover, the way different institutions work in this story belongs to a time way before 1939. For instance, the justice system depicted in the story is very different from the modern one. A single judge listens to the arguments of both the sides and gives the verdict without involving any lawyers or jury.
Characters Analysis
Colonel Sartoris Snopes
Colonel Sartoris Snopes is a young guy and the protagonist of the story. He is small in stature and has gray eyes and brown hair. He is split between loyalty to his family and morality. He is not allowed to have a say in any matter. Rather, he is judged and beaten for things he might have done.
Regardless of the oppression his father exercises in his family, he can see the right side and choose it against his family’s interest. He informs de Spain’s servant about his father’s intention and runs away from the shackles of his family to find his own independent path.
Abner Snopes
He is the patriarch of the Snopes family. Most of the action of the story is driven by this character. He is a habitual criminal who burns the barns of his landlords. He is described to have a limp in his walk due to the shot he received when he was stealing a horse.
He is a mysterious character who behaves badly with anyone he meets. He does not care whether the person in his front is his employer or family member. His behavior with his family members is very oppressive as he scolds and beats them over petty issues.
Lennie Snopes
Lennie Snopes—the wife of Sartoris—is the exact opposite of Mr. Snopes. She is a caring and emotional lady who is fed up with her husband’s deeds. She tries to provide care and comfort to Sartoris when he is injured but is not allowed to do so. She also tries to make her husband leave his vile course of action.
Throughout the story, she appears as the constant object of suppression. Her husband does not let her live her life without his interference. It seems that he exercises his wishes of superiority on her.
Major De Spain
He is the second landlord in the story on whose farm Mr. Snopes and his work. He is quite well off and has a good looking house. At the same time, he is very strict in his affairs and turns no stone unturned before getting what he thinks is rightfully his. He asks Mr. Snopes for twenty bushels of corn in lieu of the rag, which he says has been spoiled. He even pursues the case in court and gets half of what he demanded.
Towards the end of the story, he proves out to be a man of action as he wastes no time in killing the man who was trying to burn his barn.
Mr. Harris
He appears in the opening scene of the story when a case of barn burning is being discussed in a court. He is the victim of Mr. Snopes’s actions, who has burnt his barn. However, the court dismisses his case, and he leaves empty-handed.
Through the brief involvement in the story on his part, he appears to be a reasonable man. He says that he returned Mr. Snopes a few times and even provided him with wire to keep his hog in check. Moreover, he shows no resentment when the court dismisses his case.
Sartoris’s Elder Brother
The name of this character is not given in the story. He does not participate in the action of the story and never catches the attention of the narrator. However, he passively submits to the orders of his father. He aids his father in whatever task his father undertakes.
In this manner, he plays the foil to the character of Sartoris. He fully complies with whatever his father has to say. On the other hand, Sartoris has doubts in his mind when he is forced to do something wrong for the sake of his family. He also ruins his father’s plan of burning Major de Spain’s barn.
Sartoris’s Sisters
Sartoris’s two sisters appear a few times in the story but remain silent. Their attire is described as cheap and their looks are not so attractive. When they complain about their new lodging at the Major de Spain’s farm, Mr. Snopes chides them and tells them to get to work.
Lizzie
Lizzie is the aunt of Sartoris and has a minimal role to play in the story. She remains silent for the most part of the story. Towards the end, she puts forward her stance. She comes out to be the only female in the story who shows the spine to stand against the patriarch of the family. She takes Sartoris’s side in informing de Spain about his father’s plans. She even says that if Sartoris does not do so, she will.
Lula de Spain
She is the wife of Major de Spain. She appears once in the story when Mr. Snopes soils the rag inside de Spain’s residence, and the servant calls her to come outside. She appears with her hands covered with dough and shows her resentment over the matter. She also tells Mr. Snopes that Major de Spain is not home.
The character of Lula de Spain parallels the characters of most of the female characters in the story. Most of the female characters in the story are dominated by the patriarchs of the family and embodies the archetypal features of housewives like empathy and submissiveness. She seems to be a subservient lady as she appears with dough on her hands from her work. She also reacts very mildly to the soiling of the rag as compared to her husband.
Major de Spain’s Servant
This character appears when Mr. Snopes is about to enter Major de Spain’s residence along with Sartoris. He appears at the door and informs them that de Spain is not at home. He also instructs them not to enter the house with their dirty shoes. His character shows the slavish type of attitude many servants have. He does not seem to have any interest in his own but cares for the interests of his master.
In this way, he seems to play the role of a foil for Mr. Snopes, who manifests a rebellious attitude towards the people he works for.
Themes in Barn Burning
Class Difference
The difference between the economically stable class and the unstable class appears as one of the most dominant themes of the story. The Snopes family lacks the resources which the landlords like Mr. Harris and Major de Spain have in abundance. This difference proves to be the major factor behind the vengeful actions of Mr. Snopes.
At Mr. Harris’s farm, Mr. Snopes is unable to digest the authority of his landlord. He lets his animal do what he wants to do—transgress into the property of Mr. Harris. When Mr. Harris asks him to pay fine, he takes matters in his hand and fires his barn.
Similarly, at Major de Spain’s farm, Mr. Snopes transgresses into his residence and soils a precious rag there. When the owner of the rag asks him to clean it, he ruins it further. The matters take the same twist, and the landlord asks him to pay a fine. This time, he tries to repeat the same cycle i.e., burn de Spain’s barn but is not able to do so.
So, it is the unjust division of resources that makes Mr. Snopes do such evil things. The reason behind his crimes lies in the difference of classes. He thinks that he is just snatching luxuries from the people of the higher class.
Patriarchal Influence on Family
The story discusses the influence a patriarch has on his family. The way the family life of the characters in this story is depicted shows that the patriarch of a family has a huge effect on almost every sphere of the members’ lives. The two families portrayed in this story are the Snopes family and the de Spain family.
In the Snopes family, we see that the patriarch is Mr. Snopes. He does not let any member of the family do anything against his will. He is involved in criminal activities, but the family members are not allowed to say anything. He forces all of them to remain silent and help him in his deeds. In this manner, they are involved in criminal activities even when they do not want to. When Sartoris is summoned for cross-questioning before the judge, he is afraid to say anything. Luckily, he is not questioned. Later that night, his father beats him for just thinking about telling the judge the truth. He is told to remain loyal to his family at any cost. Similarly, when Sartoris’s sisters complain about the condition of the quarter, Mr. Snopes tells them to shut up and get to work.
In the de Spain family, things are no different. Although the story shows very little about this family, the dynamics of the family are still evident. When Mr. Snopes and Sartoris visit their residence, they are told that Major de Spain is outside, and they should visit him some other time. This shows that everything is controlled by him, and no one else can dare to do something independently. Similarly, his wife is shown to be working in the kitchen and is not allowed to involve in other affairs.
In this way, it is clear that the patriarch of a family controls everything in a family. Even the standards of morality and ethics are also drawn by the patriarchs. Consequently, the individuality of the members is lost, and everyone becomes a puppet.
Humanity versus Family
In the story, the major dilemma faced by the protagonist is that of selection between humanity and family. Sartoris’s family asks him to support them in doing what they do regardless of any moral considerations. He has problems in doing so. At first, this situation of choosing between family and humanity arises in the first court hearing. However, he luckily evades it.
At de Spain’s farm, he again faces such a situation. He has the choice of remaining silent and helping his father in burning the barn like his elder brother or stopping his father by telling Major de Spain. He chooses the second option and informs the servants about his father’s intentions. In this manner, he gets his freedom.
Literary Analysis
The story seems to narrate the events of a crime and revenge on the surface. However, a deeper insight into the story reveals that it discusses issues of wider significance. Mr. Snopes appears as a negative character in the story but the narrator presents his reasons as well.
He describes how the psyche of criminals works and they are not wrong in their own domains. They have their own justifications for whatever they do. Moreover, the story symbolizes the struggle of the lower class to keep up with the higher class or dethrone the higher class. Mr. Snopes sacrifices everything he has in his fight against his masters.
The tussle depicted in the story also relates to Marx’s idea of dialectical materialism which claims that the working of the world is propagated through class struggle. In this story, it is obvious that all the action is propagated because of class struggle.
Symbolism
Fire
The symbol of fire plays a significant role in the story. The very title of the story refers to fire as it has the word “burning.” When the story opens, the case of a barn burning is being heard. The barn has been put on fire by someone. When the story closes, Mr. Snopes is again trying to put fire to a barn.
The antagonist of the play keeps a close connection with the fire. He uses it as his weapon against the cruelty of society. The fire represents his inner resentment over the unjust distribution of resources in the world. When the family camps at night during their journey, he lights a tiny fire, which shows that he does not want to waste it on trivial occasions. Fire is his companion in his fight against the oppressors, and he respects it.
Court Hearing
There are two court hearings in the story, and both of them symbolize a dramatic change in the life of the protagonist. After the first court hearing, the Snopes family is expelled from the county and is forced to look for a new residence. They even spend a night in the open. The second court hearing brings a bigger change in their lives. The judge fines Mr. Snopes, and he tries to burn de Spain’s Barn in response. Sartoris intervenes and tells the servants. Resultantly, de Spain kills Mr. Snopes, and Sartoris starts a new life.
Narrator
The story is narrated by a third-person narrator. However, the narration is quite novel and does not resemble the common third-person narrations. It is narrated in a fashion that the speaker describes the views of a single character i.e., the protagonist. The narrator describes the way he perceives the world and also narrates the thoughts that cross his mind. Moreover, the narrator also describes the things he wants to say but is not able to say.
In this way, the narration provides a novel experience to the reader. The reader comes to know the feelings and thoughts of the protagonist and can sympathize with him more closely. At the same time, this type of narration brings the feeling of personal participation for the readers.
Genre
The short story “Barn Burning” is categorized under the genre of historical fiction. In this genre, the authors use the setting and characters of the past in their works of fiction. The place and the time in which the work is set are far removed from the time in which the work is written. In this story, we can see that the author has used the setting of past times.
Significance of Title
The title of the story suggests the major force that moves the story i.e. burning of a barn. The story starts with an event of burning a barn and ends with an unsuccessful attempt of burning another barn. In this way, the title serves the function of foreshadowing.
Tone
The tone of the story is gloomy and pessimistic. The narrator focuses a lot on the impoverished conditions of the Snopes family and contrasts it with the abundance of resources in the hands of the other people. The story ends in the same tone as one of the major characters in the story ends up dying at the hands of a landlord.
Setting
The atmosphere of the story is set by the very first sentence of the story. The narrator starts by telling the smell and the tension which is there in the environment. Moreover, he describes the hunger experienced by the protagonist and the abundance of food stored. This shows the huge difference between the higher and lower classes at that time.
The story is set in two places. The first part of the story is set in an unnamed county where Mr. Snopes works on the farm of Mr. Harris. The judge tells Mr. Snopes to leave the county and the setting changes to the farm of Major de Spain. There, the Snopes is allotted a small quarter, and the de Spain family lives in a grand house.
The time in which the story is set is not mentioned. However, the environment of the story resembles eighteenth-century England.
Point of View
The narrator employs a third person limited point of view. The narrator is only aware of the impressions and feelings of Sartoris Snopes.
Feminism in Barn Burning
In this story, the female characters have very minimal representation. The action in the story is driven by male characters who dominate the scene every time. The female characters are shown as intimidated by the males. In this way, the females are ill-represented in this story.
Furthermore, the character traits of the female characters in the story are also in line with the traditional patriarchal setup of society. They are shown to be gentle, docile, and limited to their families only. They are also depicted as cowards and not being able to face the difficulties of the external world.
