Sartoris Snopes In Faulkner's Barn Burning

The story “Barn Burning,” by William Faulkner is one that demonstrates a strong role of a young protagonist who is put in the situation of choosing between his morality or his loyalty to his father. Colonel Sartoris Snopes (Sarty), a ten-year old boy and son of Abner Snopes, a man who commits arson, goes through several scenes that show his internal conflict. I will be analyzing as to why Sarty behaves the way he does, how Sarty would react in today’s world, if I were to personally make the same decisions as him, and if I know of an individual that is similar to him. Both parents influence Sarty heavily. His mother is a respectable woman with ethics who taught Sarty the idea of morality while, his father, Abner, is a criminal that makes Sarty question his judgment from time to time. Sarty is a genuinely good person who tends to take more after his mother, but he is often put in the situation of defending his morality or his father. Thus, Sarty is often influenced by the

Just the possibility that victims could have been killed in the various fires Abner set, make it enough reason for him to be a public menace. Although I believe my father would never put me in a position like Sarty’s, our morality is something that once it’s taken can never be returned. After someone commits the crime of falsely testifying or lying under oath, their morality becomes diminishes until they have none left. After the first instance, an individual who would falsely testify might feel bad over contributing to the needless suffering of individuals, but they tell their selves that nothing is wrong and that they are only protecting someone else at the price of others. It is this vicious cycle that strips a person of their morality, so if I were ever in a situation where my morality or protecting someone else were the question; my morality would come