A Fathers Legacy in William Faulkners Barn Burning Essay -- William

A Fathers Legacy in William Faulkners Short baloney Barn Burning The cruel dominance of a father, can supplant any flame of hope that builds in the people around him. In William Faulkners short story Barn Burning, Abner is that father. The story portrays a nomadic animateness of a family driven from one root word to another. Abner had a craving aridity to belittle those around him that thought they were better than him. Although the family accepts the nomadic life, Sarty (the son) dreams of having peace and stability. To run through this peace, it only requires a lack of conflict. The Snope family was doomed to struggle due to Abners unending instigation of conflict, the ongoing domination of his family and his complete lack of respect for the law. Abners instigation of conflict, gives him justification to destroy the center of livlihood (the barn) of those he envies. The ravening and jealous act he feels when seeing DeSpains home for the first time, leads to his des ire to destroy it in some way. After deliberateley stepping in horse droppings, he forces himself in the home past the Negro. The boy saw the prints of the stiff foot on the doorpost and saw them appear on the pale rug behind the automatonlike deliberation of the foot. Upon being asked to leave, the boy watched him pivot on the good arm and saw the stiff foot drag round the arc ... loss a final long and fading smear. Although Abner had not appeared to be assured of the destruction he was doing...