Nicholas Hu
Reading Response 3
Barn Burning by William Faulkner: Question 2
I think
the central conflict is Abner's arrogance. He had an attitude where he could do
whatever he wanted, and when someone would try to punish him he would retaliate.
This is shown when he burns down the first barn because his pig was taken. It
was also shown when he stepped on the rug with his dirty boots, and when he
burned the de Spain's barn. I don't know what kind of experiences Abner has
went through to become such a person.
I think
most of the family is already messed up. Sure, Abner went to war, but he only
did it for the money. The older brother seemed to have followed his father's
footsteps as well. We learn of this when he offered to tie up Sarty. The mother
was the only sane person, she seemed to actually care for her children. It's a
shame that she ended up with a terrible person like Abner. The twin sisters
didn't seem like an appreciative bunch, considering how they were acting when
they were getting off the wagon. They also didn't properly wash the rug.
Considering
how the family were tenant farmers, I don't think they were very wealthy. Abner
also didn't want to pay a dollar for the damages his pig had done. He took care
of the problems by burning them, and by leaving a message. It didn't seem that
he was a killer though, because he sent a warning to the owner of the barn.
Sarty's clothes were also ragged and had patches, which showed that they didn't
have too much money. I don't think the family was too popular either, even
though Abner returned from war. Their reputation went downhill when Abner was
accused of burning down the barn. As for family dynamics, I really have no
idea. Maybe Abner suffered some sort of injury in war that made him that way,
and it passed on.
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