Barn Burning Response

In the short story “Barn Burning,” Faulkner uses a plethora of images and symbols such as fire, tine, poverty, and a soiled rug to characterize Abner.
Throught the story Faulkner describes Abner as methodical. He is never hurried, even when setting expensive barns on fire. This unhurried approach coupled with the fact that Sarty uses the word tin to describe Abner’s smile several times gives the reader the comparison between Abner and a tin machine. This methodical characterization of Abner contrasts sharply with the danger and unpredictability of the fire he employs.
Fire symbolizes Abner’s innate desire to control the lives of his superiors. The use of fire shows how destructive and malevolent Abner can be. This contrasts sharply with his seemingly relaxed and controllable manner at most other times when he is described as calculating and methodical. Such contrasting images serve to highlight the fact that it is only when Abner is burning barns that he feels completely free. Therefore sire also symbolizes liberation- the only way Abner is capable of symbolically freeing himself from the chains of poverty.
In “Barn Burning,” poverty symbolizes ignorance. Abner is ignorant to the needs and wants of his family as well as the means and desire to improve his lot in life. Instead of actively attempting to escape poverty through honest and decent hard work, he seeks his adrenaline rush through burning his boss’s barn. Besides the fact that Abner is a bitter, horrible old man who seeks to harm others just because they are better off than he is, he also does it because he feels it defines him.
The use of such images and symbols serve to highlight Abner as a heartless, unpredictable old man who seeks yo escape poverty through the use of fire.