Abner Snopes

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ABDUL WAHAB SALEEM L1S09BBAM2015 ENGLISH LITERATURE

ESSAY # 02

ABNER SNOPES CHARACTER IN

BARN BURNING

(Final Draft)In Barn Burning, William Falkner explores the lives of

characters that live in the closed society . He explores what

happens when individuals lose their connection to society

and values.

Abner Snopes is a disloyal sharecropper who has a

barn burning past. His appearance, his habits are more like

culprits. He feels free to completely blame the world for his

actions and violates moral values without regret in the

society.

Abner voluntarily rejects his societys values from the

beginning of the setting of the story. Abner is basically a

coward man who does not face his mistakes and takes

revenge from society scarcely. He makes victim the person,

who says him some harsh word by burning his barn.

As the story starts, Abner is in a local court

which is held in a store. A person Mr. Harris, a landowner,

finds that Abners hog ate a section of his corn crop. When


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ESSAY # 02

Harris demands, Abner sends him a threatening message:

Wood and hay kin burn. (Para 02 page 01) Despite Harris

efforts to resolve the dispute, Snopes is determined to carry

out his threat because Snopes justifies all his acts as justice or

actions forced upon him, while the barn burning is actually

his lashing out at the world for his many problems

something that feels good for Snopes.

In the same incident, Sarty Snopes who is Abner s ten

years old son, when witnesses his father is innocent: He

aims for me to lie, he thought, again with that frantic grief

and despair. And I will have to do hit .(Para 01 page 02)

This shows father behavior that he wants his son tells a lie

for him.

Again in same paragraph, Faulkner describes

appearance of Sorty. He says crouching, small for his age,

small and wiry like his father, in patched and faded jeans

even too small for him, with straight, uncombed, brown hair

and e yes gray and wild as storm scud .(Para 03 page 02)

This shows Abner look is more like criminals.

Abner character is not only suspicious in this case but

his reputation is bad before this case, because the judge says:

"This case is closed. I can't find against you, Snopes, but I can


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ESSAY # 02

give you advice. Leave this country and don't come back to

it."(Para 03, page 02). The language of judge shows they

want to that Abner would leave their community.

The language which is used by Abner is vulgar and

abusive. He has no shame on his bad language; as judge tells

his decision he in reply says: his voice cold and harsh, level,

without emphasis: "I aim to. I don't figure to stay in a

country among peo ple who" he said something

unprintable and vile, addressed to no one . (Para 04, page

02)

This Para also shows the style and rhythm in his

speaking style and his nature that his voice is cold and harsh

without emphasis. The criminals have this quality cold and

harsh voice without emphasis; because they have no proof

and truth in their talk.

Abner also uses language which Falkner says

unprintable and vile, addressed to no one. Most of

criminals show this behavior that they abuse use vile

language but t hey dont use these words for a special person

but for all because they have no courage to face a person.


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ESSAY # 02

Abner voluntarily rejects the society moral values and

ethics and feels that society is responsible of all his mistakes

and sins. His walking style i s wiry as the wiry figure

walking a little stiffly from where a Confederate provost's

man's musket ball had taken him in the heel on a stolen

horse thirty years ago . His past is also full of sins and he

have no ashamed of it, because he says his family to go to

wagon as it is their usual.

The behavior of Abner towards his family is also

harsh and cold always full of anger and fierce. Many points

in story indicate this for example when Abner says to his son

Sorty by jerking hand back in harsh, cool voice go get to

wagon.

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Abner Snopes