Barn Burning by William Faulkner
In Barn Burning by William Faulkner we have the theme of loyalty, conflict, power, control, authority, justice and renewal. Taken from his Selected Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story it becomes clear to the reader that Faulkner is exploring the theme of loyalty and conflict. The narrator tells the reader that Sarty, as he is sitting in the store, thinks of Harris as ‘our enemy…ourn! mine and hisn both.’ This statement is significant as even though Sarty knows that his father is guilty of burning Harris’ barn he still views Harris as the enemy. However it is also interesting that Sarty’s loyalty to his father does cause a conflict within Sarty. This internal conflict within Sarty is important as it suggests that Sarty is torn between loyalty to his father and doing the right thing (telling the Justice of the Peace that his father is guilty). Harris himself, though only mentioned at the beginning of the story is also an important character as he symbolises the southern land owner, an individual in authority (just like de Spain) who Sarty’s father, Abner, is answerable to. It is this sense of social order which causes conflict for Sarty and his family, due to this father’s continued fight against what he perceives to be social and economic inequality.
Faulkner continues to explore the theme of loyalty after Sarty and his father leave the store. Sarty ends up getting into a fight with some other children, again it being clear to the reader that he is doing so to defend his father. Sarty fighting the other children is also important for another reason as it highlights further the conflict (external) that Sarty encounters due to his father’s actions. It is also interesting that Faulkner, as Sarty is getting into the wagon, mentions the mother’s clock, which is stuck at fourteen minutes past two. This may be significant as it symbolically suggests that despite their constant moving from town to town neither Sarty nor his family are moving forward. If anything they are stuck or trapped in the same cycle.
There is other symbolism in the story which is also worth noting. Cheese appears to be used in the story to suggest family unity against the judicial system. At the beginning of the story Sarty thinks he can smell cheese which causes him to feel fear, despair and grief. Sarty is aware that his father is expecting him to lie about what happened Harris’ barn, which in turn causes a conflict within Sarty, as he wants to do the right thing (family unity versus justice). Also later in the story, Abner, Sarty and his brother share some cheese outside another store (which also acted as a courtroom). This may suggest again that Abner wants his family to show some unity against the judicial system.
Fire also acts as symbolism in the story and appears to represent power. By burning down Harris’ and de Spain’s barn Abner feels that in some way it is him who is in control or who has taken power. There is a sense that Abner is reliant on fire to achieve power, without it his life is a continuous struggle. It may also be significant that Abner is able to control fire. This is noticeable from the small fire that he lights for his family after they have left town. The narrator describing it as ‘a small fire, neat, niggard almost, a shrewd fire.’ By describing the fire as ‘shrewd’ it is possible that Faulkner is suggesting that when it comes to fire, Abner knows what is needed which again may suggest that he is in control. It is also interesting that the narrator tells the reader that Abner, when he hits Sarty, he does so ‘without heat.’ This may be significant as it again suggests the idea of control, Abner knows what is needed to make others (particularly his family) do as he wants. His actions, just like his barn burning, are calculated.
The rug which Abner soils is also significant as it symbolises prosperity, other peoples (de Spain’s). The reader learns that it cost $100, a sum of money that Abner has no hope of ever earning and by soiling it Abner is in some ways attacking the financial security of Major de Spain. It is also possible that the rug symbolises de Spain’s authority over Abner and that Abner is subservient to de Spain. By soiling the rug Abner may be attacking what he believes to be unjust (other people’s authority).
There is also a shift in Sarty’s loyalty to his father near the end of the story. When Sarty discovers that his father plans on burning de Spain’s barn he wants to warn de Spain. This is significant as it suggests that Sarty wants to do the right thing (morally and legally), rather than show a continued, if not blind loyalty to his father. It may also be significant that Faulkner describes Sarty as seeing ‘the lighted house’ and ‘the lighted door,’ as he is running to warn de Spain This may suggest that no longer is Sarty living his life in darkness, by being blindly loyal to his father. If anything there would appear to be a renewal within Sarty.
This idea or theme of renewal is explored at the end of the story. Though the reader doesn’t know if Sarty’s father has been killed by de Spain (it is assumed he has), what is certain is that by running away Sarty is no longer under the control of his father. As he walks along the road he can hear the ‘liquid silver voices of the birds’ singing. This sound which Faulkner describes as ‘unceasing’ in many ways mirrors the renewed spirit of Sarty. It may also be significant that Faulkner mentions that it is spring, as symbolically spring would be associated with a time of renewal. By doing the right thing, and telling de Spain that Abner was planning on burning down the barn, Sarty has started the journey from boyhood to manhood and the reader is left aware that Sarty will make the journey alone, without his father’s influence.