The Importance Of Poverty In Barn Burning

Poverty is an epidemic that is hard to cure. Very rarely will someone in poverty be able to break the cycle and escape. Accomplishing this task requires determination and courage. In Barn Burning by William Faulkner, Sartoris, the protagonist, is a rare one that breaks the cycle and is able to free himself. The passage is about a little boy who is stuck in the lower class. His abusive father is known as “white trash,” and burns the barns of upper-class citizens because he is jealous of them. Towards the end of the story, Sartoris realizes that he wants to be better than his father and decides to run away. In the last two paragraphs, Faulkner uses a vivid description of the setting, a shift in tone, and the protagonist’s actions to express the

When Sartoris is first running away, the author says, “his heart and lungs were drumming” (168). Later on, he says, “his breathing is easier now” (169). Sartoris’s breathing being very difficult at first shows the physical effort he was exerting, but it also has a higher meaning. When it is hard to breathe, there is a lot of pressure on your lungs and heart; the “pressure” is also symbolic for all the pressure Sartoris has in deciding whether it was the right decision to run away. After running away and taking a break, his breathing calmed. While this is physically true, it can also be interpreted that the pressure of deciding to run away or stay is over and that he feels better with the decision he made. Sartoris’s breathing is one way Faulkner describes how the protagonist feels about earning his freedom; the decision was difficult at first, but he is relieved now. The last line states, “he did not look back” (169). Faulkner using this quote as the last sentence shows Sartoris’s determination to progress without reverting back to his past. Faulkner’s writing is very symbolic. Sartoris’s physical feelings also describe his mental and emotional