Violence again surfaces as main issue in Barn Burning, where it takes the form as a common moral problem. Much like in odor of Verbena the boy is faced with a moral dilemma, which he comes to solve at the end. He realizes that what his father is doing is wrong, but is afraid to say anything to him. As he matures, he realizes that he can do something to stop him, something that does not involve violence.
I thought it was interesting that violence plays such a big role in this story. His father used violence to enforce his dictatorship ways, enforce that his actions will not be questioned. He uses the violence as a tool to raise him up, in attempt to make him impervious to questioning. The violence is a tool to Abner, one in which he can manipulate others, the rules and what is right. He looses himself in it and did not seem to have any self-control, or self-perception. Abner used it on whoever crossed him, or questioned him; this involved his wife, son and other farmers who Abner decided did him wrong. I feel like he was the one who needed to grow up, rather than his son. He acted abruptly and without thinking first, while his son knew it was wrong and stood up to him in the end.
I think that they tried to compare the son to Abner in the story many times. I think that this was interesting and that the son realized this as well. He did not want to be compared to his father, and he had said how the only thing holding him down is his age. “it was if the blow and the following calm, outrageous voice still rang, repercussed , divulging nothing to him save the terrible handicap of being young, the light weight of his few years, just heavy enough to prevent his soaring free of the world as it seem to be ordered but not heavy enough to keep him footed solid in it, to resist it and try to change the course of events.(pg 165)” His age was the only thing keeping him from standing up to his father and from facing this moral dilemma. This dilemma was building inside of him with each erroneous action that his father took.
I also thought it was interesting that this story also focused on one of the themes of the south, the family. The father stresses how important it is for him to stick by his family no matter what because he will not have anyone else if he abandons his family. He uses this idea of family to further manipulate his son, to try to convince him that he is right and just. “You’re getting to be a man. You got to learn. You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you. Do you think either of them, any man there this morning would? Don’t you know all they wanted was a chance to get at me because they knew I had them beat?” It is almost like, if he achieves at convincing his son he is right, than he knows he is too and so will the rest of the world.
3 comments:
I agree with your feelings that Abner seems more like the child than Sarty. I dont think that going around burning down barns because you are mad at somebody is a very mature act. Abner really does use his violence to contorl people like his wife and Sarty.
It is really too bad that Sarty had to be given such a conflict to deal with. To have to choose between family and justice is something that I personally hope I never have to deal with. I think that Sarty uses a really mature and clever approach to solving his problem when he goes and tells the owner of the barn and lets him seperate the differences between family and justice for Sarty. However when Sarty hears the gun shots I think he is really upset, and that has to be really hard on him as well.
He must feel responsible for the death of his father. This is kind of ironic because how important the family blood was made to him by his father who he later had killed, reguardless of who killed him.
Family seems to be a recurring theme, showing that it is one of the most important factors in southern society. I thought it was disturbing that the father tried to manipulate his son into believing to “stick to your own blood” seemingly no matter what was happening. He tried to make his son believe that he should be on his father’s side even if he is consistently burning property and not showing any respect for others. The father was a horrible person with a short fused temper whom didn’t think about his actions or the reaction that would occur after he caused issues. Eventually because of the sons actions the crimes caught up to his father. The son was then left to feel guilty about the death of his father, even though he did the right thing.
It is interesting to me that at a young age Sarty knew what was morally right and wrong, even though he witnessed his father doing wrong many times. Kids are very impressionable and usually want to be like their parents.
Like you mentioned, Abner put a lot of pressure on his son. It's surprising that Sarty didn't cave under the pressure and go along with his father's actions.
Sarty and Abner are both very different, but they do have similar qualities. Both are strong-minded: Abner insists on burning barns of those who go against him, and Sarty insists that his father is wrong. But it takes a lot more courage for Sarty to stand up to his father than it takes for Abner to burn barns.
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