8/10/2019 Barn Burning - Marxist Reading

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BARN BURNING MARXIST READING

In his short story Barn Burning William aul!n"r

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William aul!n"r$s short story Barn Burning %"monstrat"s th" &oliti'al an%"'onomi' &o("r %i)"r"n'" *"t(""n th" ri'h an% &oor +(or!ing 'lass,-

r"&r"s"nt"% *y th" Sno&"s .amily# It story ta!"s &la'" (ithin li/ing m"mory o. th"

0i/il War# A*n"r Sno&"s is a &oor shar"'ro&&"r an% on"tim" thi". (ho ta!"s out

his .rustration *y *urning *arns o. his "m&loy"rs# Th" story %"&i'ts th" 'lash

*"t(""n t(o "'onomi' 'lass"s- th" ("althy agrarian so'i"ty an% th" &oor

migrant (or!"rs +shar" 'ro&&"rs,- an% &r"s"nts a 'riti1u" o. th" south"rn

shar"'ro&&ing syst"m

or A*n"r Sno&"s th" only &rin'i&l" in his struggl" against %" S&ains o. this (orl%

is that o. *loo% loyalty %"t"rmination to *"at your &"rsonal "n"my i. you 'anan% !""& .aith- at all 'osts- (ith your 'lan# A*n"r Sno&"s ti&i2"s th"

&o("rl"ssn"ss o. th" (or!ing 'lass# In th" o&"ning trial s'"n"- h" %o"s not s&"a!

until /"r%i't is r"a%- sho(ing his la'! o. /oi'" in th" &oliti'al syst"m as a (hol"#

3" %o"s not *"li"/" that h" 'an gain &o("r through (or% 4ust *y %"stroying#

A.t"r l"a/ing Ma4or %" S&ain$s hous"- h" r"mar!s that it (as *uilt (ith nigg"r

s("at an% that %" S&ain int"n%s to a%% som" (hit" s("at as ("ll# This

'omm"nt %"monstrat"s that ra'" %o"s not matt"r in Mar5ist 'lass %i/ision# Thos"

(ho o(n lan% an% 'ontrol th" m"ans o. &ro%u'tion hir" (or!"rs to (or! .or small

(ag"s or li."$s n"'"ssiti"s# Although A*n"r r"'ogni6"s th" in4usti'" o.

shar"'ro&&ing syst"m- h" 'annot imagin" an alt"rnati/" syst"m# 3" 'an imagin"only /iol"n'" as a solution to 'lass son7i't#

Throughout th" story Sarty- A*n"r$s son- hims"l. (r"stl"s (ith his .ath"r$s i%"a

a*out 'lass 'on7i't an% /iol"n'"# E"arly on- (" s"" him ma!ing m"ntal ")orts to

ma!" his .ath"r$s "n"my into his "n"my as ("ll# 3" .a'"s hug" &r"ssur" .rom

his .ath"r to li" in 'ourt so that his .ath"r (ill not *" 'on/i't"% o. *arn *urning#

3" "/"ntually un%"rstan%s that h" 'oul% 7"" .rom th" syst"m o. 'on7i't an%

&o/"rty in (hi'h his .amily is tra&&"%# Ultimat"ly h" %o"s *r"a! (ith his .ath"r#

3" (arns %" S&ain hous"hol% o. his .ath"r$s a'tion- an% h" runs .rom his .amily-

s&"n%ing th" night in th" (oo%s# 3" un%"rstan%s that his .ath"r$s nihilisti' (ays

!"&t th" .amily .rom r"ali6ing a *att"r li." o. "'onomi' o&&ortunity# Th" story

"n%s (ith th" sun a*out to ris"- sym*oli'ally l"tting Sarty *"gin a n"( li."#

Th" story sugg"sts that A*n"r Sno&"s$ *arn8*urning m"tho% is not th" ans("r

to 'lass 'on7i't# By *urning *arns o. his "m&loy"rs- Sno&"s ma!"s mor" %amag"

to hims"l. an% his .amily than thos" h" r"ally (ants to &unish# 3" r"&r"s"nts th"

&o("rl"ssn"ss o. (or!"rs in 'hoosing (rong m"tho%s o. struggl" against

'a&italists# 3is son- Sarty- r"&r"s"nts th" tru" Mar5ist min% that r"ali6"s that an

alt"rnati/" syst"m is n""%"%- on" (hi'h (ill allo( so'i"ty to r"'ogni6" th"

"1uality an% humanity o. all &"o&l"#