William Faulkners Barn Burning grimly tells the tale of Sarty, his selfish siblings and their pyromaniac father

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Hidden Messages within Titles

        It has often been said to never judge a book by its title, since this provides the reader with an initial introduction to the story. To Kill a Mockingbird, Bleak House and The Grapes of Wrath are classic examples of this testament. The title can either be straightforward and catchy, revealing all its contents to the reader, or filled with hidden layers and meaning that only become gradually apparent.  William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” grimly tells the tale of Sarty, his selfish siblings and their pyromaniac father. Conflicts arise for the itinerant farmhands when Sarty is called to testify against his father for an alleged arson. The ten year old boy is then faced with a crippling dilemma of telling the truth or protecting his father. Throughout the story, Faulkner uses symbolism, imagery, and repetition to allude to the underlying theme of destruction. While the title “Barn Burning” is deceiving to its audience, the destruction of family, crumbling relationship with son and reclaiming power is continually represented by the destruction of the burning barns.

        Being in a nomadic family can have serious repercussion for its member. They are often alienated from peers and treated as an outcast. Constantly moving, they have no roots or place to claim as their own. The members either become close, looking out for each other; or selfish concerning only about themselves. For the Snope family, “Barn Burning” represents the destruction of their family. Because of their father’s antics of destroying property, the family is

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always moving. “The wagon went on. He did not know where they were going. None of them ever did or ever asked, because it was always somewhere, always a house of sorts waiting on them a day or two days or even three days away” (Faulkner 209). The family is broken like all their possession and Faulkner uses imagery and repetition to evoke this to the audience. He uses images such as the “battered stove”, “broken chairs” and “ripped old clothes” (Faulkner 209) to compare to the family who are illiterate, lack nutrition and on the verge of destruction. His ...

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