The short story "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner is about a ten year old boy, Sarty Snopes, who has grown to realize that

Abner is an unpleasant and somewhat sadistic character in that he has a habit of hitting his mules and yet holds back on their reins, convinced that he is correct all the time, and seeks revenge to get even by burning barns, yet he is conservative with fire. Abner is further described throughout the story as having a "cold and harsh" voice, a "stiff back" and a "stiff and ruthless limp". He is a man of few words and usually does not speak or answer when spoken to. This is shown by the way he communicates with his family and the other characters he comes in contact with throughout the story, and his actions to show that no one will own or control him. He has no regard for others or their property as he demonstrated by burning barns and ruining ones rug. Abner is pretty much an antisocial dominating man living in his own narrow-minded world.

The story is told through the eyes of Abner's innocent son, Sarty. The story begins with Sartys respect for his father wherein he sees his father before the Court for an accusation of burning Mr. Harris' barn, and Sarty refers to the people as "our enemy...ourn! Mine and hisn both! He's my father!" Then the court looked for Sarty for the truth, but he stayed silent as he would have to lie to defend his father. Deep down Sarty wanted to do the right thing, but only being ten years old he thought it best to feel and do what his father wanted.

As a result of his fathers wrongdoings, the family was again forced to move within the poor farm country for the twelfth time. However, this time the landlords home was "big as a courthouse". This was a sign of "peace and joy" for Sarty as it was different from what he had seen before. This "for the and at that instant he forgot his father and the terror and despair both. And even when he remembered his father again, the terror and despair did not return". He hoped that his father would feel the same way and "maybe it will help change him now from what he couldn't help but be". This is the turning point in the story where Sarty realizes and accepts the fact that his father has to change his ways. Sarty was tired of living a nomadic life and wanted to settle down to a home where he and his family could live a stable life.

As Sarty and his father approached the landlord's home, Abner stepped in horse manure on purpose and tracked it onto the carpet, because Abner wanted to make a statement that he was not about to be controlled by anyone. When the rug was delivered to Abner to be cleaned, he spitefully let his two daughters slave over cleaning it to eventually ruin it with a rock. Nonetheless, Abner returned the ruined rug to the landlord and was required to pay the landlord twenty bushels of corn. Abner bought this matter before the justice of the peace and was ordered to pay ten bushels of corn as the twenty bushels was "a little high for a man in your circumstances to have to pay". Nevertheless, Abner was not about to let his landlord "git no ten bushels neither. He won't get one." The "old habit, the old blood" of barn burning was what Abner was set out to do. When Sarty was sent out to get the oil, Sarty wanted to "run on and on and never look back", but instead he tried to stop his father by sidetracking him to "send a n****r". This caused his father to demand the mother to hold Sarty so that he could not get away, but he did. All Sarty wanted to do was warn the landlord, De Spain of the barn burning. Consequently two shots were fired.

Sarty will never know if his father and brother were shot, but he does try to keep running as the "grief and despair now no longer terror and fear but just grief and despair", and breaks the blood tie from his family as he no longer wishes to suffer from his fathers actions.

Regardless of Sartys decision to run away, he still cares for his family, including his father, but he realizes what his father does is wrong and he wants no part of it, even if its his own blood.