Introduction
The story “Barn Burning” presents one of the most significant dilemmas: loyalty to family versus the pursuit of justice. The writing highlights the tension between the family’s misguided actions and their strong moral convictions. The main character, a ten-year-old boy named Sarty, illustrates the interpersonal conflict between being loyal to his father, Abner, and questioning the rightness of his father’s actions. Sarty is caught between feelings of loyalty and morality, which are particularly controversial in his case. In contrast, his father wishes to exact revenge on the social system, which he considers unjust.
Sarty’s Moral Dilemma and the Justification of His Decision
Sarty’s understanding of the wrongness of his father’s actions increases throughout the story, and his mother’s support is the crucial factor in Sarty’s betrayal of Abner. From the beginning of the story, Sarty understood that his father’s actions were amoral and devastating. However, he was taught that blood and family are the most important things, so the boy was expected to be loyal to the family rather than to justice. For instance, this phrase reveals that Sarty is experiencing an interpersonal conflict: “He aims for me to lie […] and I will have to do it” (Mays, 218). Even when his father revealed his attempt to sell him, Abner convinced Sarty that the family should take precedence.
However, the father’s decision to take revenge on Major de Spain without warning, as he had done with other people, changed Sarty’s mind. In addition, his mother also considered Abner’s actions to be amoral and wrong, which convinced Sarty that justice should be chosen over loyalty to his family. Hence, Sarty has chosen justice and morality, attempting to warn Major de Spain about his barn burning.
Abner’s Character and the Motivations Behind His Actions
Abner is motivated to burn the barns of others because of his desire to get revenge, as he feels oppressed by the social system. He thought that the wealthy landowners were more critical than he was and that these people exploited him. Sarty’s father believed that the only possible way to show that wealthy landowners were wrong was to burn their property, especially barns. For Abner, it was a kind of strike to show his dissatisfaction with the wealth of these people.
The man has a strong understanding of and value for family and blood, which enables him to convince his son that family is above all. This misinterpretation of justice and family connections led Abner to believe that harming others to protect his family’s values was an acceptable course of action. This destructive cycle of violence was caused by social inequality and poverty, according to which Sarty’s father considered his harmful and illegal actions to be correct and most suitable. This interpretation of his role in society was also a crucial factor in his decision to use arson as a form of revenge against wealthy landowners, such as Major de Spain.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the story highlights the complexities of loyalty, justice, and morality. The author teaches that it is not allowed to hide injustice, even for the family. Sarty struggled to grasp the importance of loyalty to his family and upholding morality and justice, which ultimately led to his father’s betrayal for committing harmful acts. Abner, Sarty’s father, was motivated by revenge, which brought only harm to society and his son and wife and led to Abner’s death.
Work Cited
Mays, K. J. (Ed.). (2018). The Norton Introduction to Literature (Shorter Thirteenth Edition). W. W. Norton & Company. Web.