In William Faulkner's "Barn Burning", a 10-year old boy named Colonel Sartoris is forced to make moral decisions with possible consequences. He wants to be supportive of his arsonist father, Abner, because of his obligation to defend his "blood." He weighs out the consequences in different situations to try and make the right decisions. Sarty is faced with the internal conflict of being loyal to his family vs. doing what he knows is morally right; in the end, he rejects his father's value system.
Sarty wants to remain loyal to his father. When the story begins, Sarty is at a trial where his being accused of barn burning. Sarty can hear his father's enemy talking to the justice, and feels like the person talking is his enemy too. He thinks to himself, "ourn! Mine and hisn both! He's my father!", and he feels obligated to fully support him (159). At Abner's first trial, Sarty is called to the witness stand, and is ready to defend him: "He aims for me to lie, he thought, and......
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Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |