The Theme Of Justice In William Faulkner's Barn Burning

The Theme of Justice in “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner

William Faulkner’s short story Barn Burning focuses on Snopes’s famly, which is forced to have a roving life because of father’s behavior. The man shows clear signs of sociopathy and pyromania. At the end of the story the author mentioned that the man went to the war only “for booty - it meant nothing and less than nothing to him if it were enemy booty or his own” (Faulkner, n. d., p. 11). But this lawless position transformed into a burning sense of justice after the man turned to the civil life. The justice looks like the major issue of the plot, as Abner’s actions are explained by himself and his family as a response to an insult. But it is clear the man’s logic is twisted; Abner Snopes provoked all incidents by himself to create a reason to excuse his desire for fires. The final scenes of the story suggest the justice was served, as the man was caught during his final crime. But this is also a complex situation, as other family members, who did not support Abner’s position directly, did not experience the improvement in their living conditions and even could be hurt or killed.

The story starts with the description of a trial, where Abner Snopes was accused in burning of his neighbor’s barn. He was not charged because of the presence of only indirect evidences. But it was clear the man was guilty and burned neighbor’s property as an act of punishment – the victim criticized Snopes because of his pig and claimed