The Relationship Between Father And Son in William...

Normally in life, you look up to your father to be the care taker and to encourage you to make your own decisions on what is right and what is wrong. You figure your father should have your best interest at heart and to show compassion for you. In William Faulkners short story Barn Burning, Abner is the opposite of the normal father figure you would see. Rather than encouraging his son, Sarty, to make his own decisions on what is right and what is wrong, Abner wants Sarty to lie for him to protect his freedom, so Abner won’t get caught for burning barns. Abner forces fear into Sarty to make sure he will lie for him†¦show more content†¦To make sure that when a judge or anyone asks about his father burning the barns, Sarty will not tell if Abner actually burned down the barns. Also, it shows how Abner would stoop so low to hit his own son for his own needs and how badly he didn’t want to get caught. Abner doesn’t want to get caught so he forces Sarty to lie for him and to make sure he won’t go against the family. â€Å"You’re getting to be a man. You got to learn. You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you. Do you think either of them, any man there this morning, would? Don’t you know all they wanted was a chance to get at me because they knew I had them beat? Eh?† (p420) Abner wants Sarty to stay with the family and to not go against his family because he knows that if Sarty decides to tell the truth of what he did about burning the barns, Abner would go to jail or something worse. Abner takes pride in himself and is very satisfied with the fact that he hasnt gotten caughtShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of William Faulkner s Barn Burning 14 06 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Faulkner’s ‘Barn Burning’, is the tale of a young man by the name of Colonel â€Å"Sarty† Sartoris Snopes, his father, Abner â€Å"Ab† Snopes, and the difference between right and wrong. The story commences in a courtroom, where Ab is on trial for burning a barn. Young Sarty is called to the stand to testify as to what took place, until the plaintiff told the judge he did not want him to question the young child. However, Sarty was unsure of the decision he would make if he was questioned. Sarty wasRead More Setting in William Faulkners Barn Burning Essay1584 Words   |  7 PagesViewing on Barn Burning William Faulkner’s use of a setting in a short story, such as â€Å"Barn Burning†, effected the entire outcome of the story from start to finish. 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