During his career as a writer, William Faulkner created a series of interesting fictional characters, including Abner Snopes. Barn Burning is his short story about the Snopes family, followed by three larger novels. In it, the author covers Abner’s life in the post-war period and controversial methods of coping with unfavorable economic circumstances.
Abner’s personality traits support him in pushing his agenda, which could promote his family’s well-being if used appropriately. He is a violent and aggressive man of impulse that requires ultimate loyalty from those related to him in any way (Faulkner 2). Also, he is a materialistic person and can turn to crime for his profit (Faulkner 3). Abner Snopes addresses the challenging economic situation with mixed success. Despite being a poor white farmer, Abner still has some livestock and a contract with a landowner, which helps his family to survive. However, constant conflicts with Mr. Harris, the landowner, undermine this fragile balance. After the landowner complains about Abner’s hog and attempts to impose fines, Abner asks a black servant to tell Mr. Harris that “wood and hay kin burn” and sets his barn on fire (Faulkner 1). Due to the lack of direct evidence against him, Abner does not get punished, and the family finds another landowner, Mr. De Spain, but Abner’s aggressiveness causes further obstacles to his family’s well-being.
The narrator discusses Abner’s self-identity and the desire to be independent to create a well-developed antagonist that does not fit in society and whose bull-headedness puts his loved ones in danger. The events of his past, including being shot in a heel for theft, making him “walk a little stiffly,” imply that he has always been malevolent and prone to crime (Faulkner 3). In the present, if he does not have an opportunity to hurt someone through illegal methods, Abner never misses a chance to demonstrate his contempt and unwillingness to follow the rules. When his children finally hope that they have found a good landowner, Abner steps in horse droppings intentionally, makes the landowner’s rug dirty, and concludes that the house is “pretty and white” (Faulkner 8). These descriptions support the creation of an antagonist that harms others deliberately and with delight.
Work cited
Faulkner, William. Barn Burning. 1938.