Barn Burning and other stories

by William Faulkner

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Literature, Classic Literature, Literary Fiction

160 pages

First published March 4, 1939

About the author

William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer. He is best known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in for Lafayette County where he spent most of his life. A Nobel laureate, Faulkner is one of the most celebrated writers of American literature and often is considered the greatest writer of Southern literature.
Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, and raised in Oxford, Mississippi. During World War I, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, but did not serve in combat. Returning to Oxford, he attended the University of Mississippi for three semesters before dropping out. He moved to New Orleans, where he wrote his first novel Soldiers' Pay (1925). He went back to Oxford and wrote Sartoris (1927), his first work set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. In 1929, he published The Sound and the Fury. The following year, he wrote As I Lay Dying. Later that decade, he wrote Light in August, Absalom, Absalom! and The Wild Palms. He also worked as a screenwriter, contributing to Howard Hawks's To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep, adapted from Raymond Chandler's novel. The former film, adapted from Ernest Hemingway's novel, is the only film with contributions by two Nobel laureates.
Faulkner's reputation grew following publication of Malcolm Cowley's The Portable Faulkner, and he was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his powerful and unique contribution to the modern American novel." He is the only Mississippi-born Nobel laureate. Two of his works, A Fable (1954) and The Reivers (1962), won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Faulkner died from a heart attack on July 6, 1962, following a fall from his horse the month before. Ralph Ellison called him "the greatest artist the South has produced".

Reviews

[Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing about reading William Faulkner is that often you'd get the impression that he is really serious in telling you a story but even as you'd be able to comprehend what is happening, only he knows why the story is worth telling.

So ok. The father here is probably insane, a compulsive barn-burning small-time arsonist and he has this son who has an ambivalent feeling about him. There's a hint of a gruesome fate, the son under a dark sky, alone. But what of it? I closed the book perplexed. Not happy, sad, horrified, inspired or moved. Just perplexed.

[Victoria Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barn Burning by William Faulkner is a really interesting outlook on the social stigma in america during the reconstruction period in the south. It's definitely a different perspective being told by a young boy, and forces you to really open your mind to the way that he is thinking. At times it can be confusing to understand the point of view or the dialect in the story but it's well worth the read

[Trey Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever known someone who just wanted to start trouble, for no real reason at all? This person in literature is Abner Snopes, who is the antagonist in William Faulkner’s short story “Barn Burning”. He causes trouble just because he is angry, and for no other real purpose.
Abner Snopes is in a very difficult time during America. The poor southern farm worker had a hard time finding work, and in Abner’s case, keeping a job. This book made me understand Abner’s emotions, which somewhat justifies his feelings in the book, but not his actions. Whenever Abner Snopes becomes frustrated, his quick solution is to burn down their barn and take his family and move on to the next job. This disturbing behavior becomes a pattern for him, which he repeats over and over again. He cannot escape his own anger, and in a way, he is a prisoner. Abner is of the opinion that everyone in the world is out to get him and that everyone is his enemy. As a result, he is close to no one, he is even distant from his own family, who are very scared of him and don’t know what he is going to do next.
Sarty Snopes, short for Colonel Sartoris Snopes, is especially afraid of his father. Yet he loves his father unconditionally and is a good son. He is very confused by his father. Abner often hits and yells at him when he is angry. Sarty tries to shake it off and go on with his day. Yet the abuse of his father has robbed him of his childhood innocence and has forced him to grow up too quickly. He is forced to work much more than a boy of his age should. His only Christmas present was a short axe that he would be able to use to chop wood for his family. In the story he often had to chop and fetch wood for his family. Sarty loves his father and tries to fulfill his role as a son, yet he sees injustice and wrongdoing, and being a moral person, he wants to stop it, even to the detriment of his father. In one of the most tense scenes in the story, Abner is on trial at the justice of the peace’s office, and Sarty is asked to testify. He has a decision to make; Does he tell a lie for his father or does he tell the truth, that Abner has burned down Mr. Harris’ barn. Guess What? No, Seriously. Guess What? YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO READ IT TO FIND OUT! This short story is one of my all time favorites due to the tension that is in the book. You never know what is going to happen next. The tension of the book is so strong, that I guarantee you that you will not want to put the book down once you start reading it. I put my stamp of approval on the book, and that is better than a book recommendation from Oprah herself!
But above all else, this book is directly related to Coach Barwick’s American Rebel Course. Abner Snopes exemplifies the American Rebel due to his actions. He does what he feels like, when he feels like it, both to the detriment of others, and of course, himself. He is disliked, yet envied in a way, because of his free spirit. It is that free spirit that all Americans admire, even though some will not admit it. And that is the value of this book, it shows the actions of a true rebel. When Abner Snopes had his back up against the wall, he rebels, the only thing that he knows how to do. Which eventually leads to his destruction….Oops! I was supposed to tell.
This book is a must read for anyone who feels rebellious or has that rebel written into their persona. This short story analyzes the rebellious actions of a man and how it affects not only society, but all others around him, mainly his family. This book will allow you to identify with that anger that Abner Snopes feels, an anger which has the power to destroy us all if we let it get that far.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never known a family who lives and works on a farm. I also have no way to experience what life was like in 1938. William Faulkner’s Barn Burning made me feel as I was part of the Snopes’ family back in 1938. The rebellious Abner Snopes makes it hard for his poor, large family to stay put in one area. The story is a great showing of how hard it was for a poor family to survive especially with a destructive force such as Abner as the head of the family.
The character Satoris, Abner’s son, is the reason this story has meaning to me. He is the protagonist and as the reader experience things from his point of view they get a clear and highly descriptive look on what is happening. Satoris is a spirited kid who fights for what he believes in. He has also been taught the saying that blood is thicker than water and that all he has is his family. Learning these Satoris will defend his family even when they are wrong. The other members of the family are also colorful characters themselves. Satoris describes his sisters as cow-like and lazy. His older brother is following in Abner’s footsteps and is about the only one that completely agrees with what he is doing. Satoris always disagrees with Abner’s decisions and towards the end of the book is forced to make a decision between family and what is right.
Abner has a long history of “leaving his mark” by destroying his employer’s property before he leaves to find another job. As a matter of fact the story starts out in a courthouse where Abner is being accused of burning down a barn. Abner is a destructive, rebellious, and bigoted man. He likes no one and seems to have the attitude of the world is out to get him. Abner never can keep a job and blames everyone else for his problems. When the family finds a nice place to settle down Abner starts defacing property before he even meets his “boss” de Spain. The way he does it is just so cold and heartless. He steps in horse crap and then proceeds to enter de Spain’s mansion and ruin his very expensive and rare rug from France. Abner is not even fazed by what he has done and acts as though nothing has happened.
When de Spain finds out what Abner does he takes him to court and Abner is forced to pay for the damages. When he is forced to clean the rug he destroys it beyond repair. When he gets fired he gets ready for his old ways of burning down the barn. This is when Satoris is forced to decide to try and stop him or to continue going along with what Abner is doing. He escapes and runs off in the middle of the night to tell de Spain what is about to happen. This is a good example of the edge of your seat, heart pounding action that happens in this story. To find out what happens to Abner and the family goo find a copy of “Barn Burning” im sure you will enjoy it.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a chance to buy this book free for my Nook and wanted the experience of reading something by Faulkner. I just read the first one, The Barn Burning. I plan on reading more later. I had forgotten how enjoyable a short story can be.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very vivid descriptions in Faulkner's writing. He has several books containing some of these characters. It is considered "Southern Gothic" and has some dialect, which I enjoy.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

When children are treated poorly it always bothers me. This story has an interesting perspective of a young boy, who's father is always violently right

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

i only read the Barn Burning part.

[Rosalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barn burning gelezen voor Verhaalanalyse.

[Kayla Herring-alvidrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lovea Faulkner...always have. I appreciate his long winded circling descriptions. That is his standing outside of the inner circle characteristic as a writer.

[Shirley Wiygul]

One of his best collections. Two of the selections were repeaters.