William Faulkners Burned Barn paper. Relationship between father and son - Essay Example

Your full February 27, ‘Barn Burning’ by William Faulkner William Faulkner, in ‘Barn Burning’, has told the story of a father, Abner, and his ten year old son, Sarty, and the relationship between the two. Sarty initially wants to protect Abner from the law. It was not out of respect and love for his father, but out of fear of consequences that might arise if he did not obey his father. He is loyal to his father not because he admires him, but because his father warns him that he will lose the family ties if he does not stand by him.

He does not like the fact that his father is not the type of role model every young boy wishes to have and follow. He no longer can bear the social humiliation he goes through because of his father. Yet, he finds reasons and convinces himself regarding why his father behaves this way. He feels at a later stage, when Abner does not stop from arson and breaks the code of conduct of warning the victim beforehand that he should separate himself from his family. He feels that the “pull of blood” his father talks about is not strong enough to keep him supporting his father’s criminal deeds.

He breaks himself from the family ties because he chooses morality and not family. We see a sense of morality and ethical standard in Sarty’s character. He wants to make his father happy but goes against him when it comes to morality. In short, we see that Sarty’s relationship with his father is based on fear and fatherly pressure instead of love and admiration. Works CitedFaulkner, William. Barn Burning. USA: Perfection Learning, 2007.