Many of Faulkner's works focus on the conflict of self identity and whether or not one should conform to society. In an acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize, Faulkner said, "Problems in the human heart in conflict with itself... alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat". This theme of the conflict of inner rebellion versus outward conformity (which we previously discussed in Their Eyes Were Watching God) is shown throughout both of Faulkner's short stories that we have read.
Please select a character from one of the short stories and show the "personal conflict rooted in Southern identity". In addition, please elaborate on why and how this theme of self conflict relates to Faulkner's own life.
In Faulkner's 'Barn Burning', the struggle between Abner and society represents self conflict. Abner fights with the typical Southern identity because he does not want to conform to the normal expectations or be limited by society. Like Faulkner, Abner did not want to be restrained by the people who offered him a home while he worked for them in return for things such as corn. Faulkner was not tall enough to join the United States Army due to his 5 foot 5 1/2 inch stature so he went to Canada and joined the British Royal Flying Corps. Abner broke free of the families that controlled him by doing things such as not cleaning a rug which lead to the ultimate moment of burning barns and running fast out of town after his trial. Abner struggled with his relationship with his family because of his actions but he would do anything to defy the boundaries of Southern society.
ReplyDeleteFaulkner's " Barn Burning" depicts the struggle between man and conformity. Colonel Satoris' plight of not agreeing with his father's decision to burn the barn and fleeing from his family mirrors the freedom that everyone desires. Although many people feel ties to their family not everyone wants to be contained by the mandates of the family or society. Southern society often stated that one must rely heavily on their family for support. Faulkner also wanted this freedom in the fact that he defied United States military and their hight requirements and went into the Canadian military instead. Faulkner wanted the freedom to fight for what he believed in as did the character of Colonel Satoris.
ReplyDelete"Inner Rebellion versus outward conformity," is an important theme in Faulkner's southern short story, "Barn Burning." Throughout the story Sarty, the youngest son moves from home to home as a result of his Father's insistence of burning the barns belonging to the owners of the property they stay on because he is displeased by the owners. In the South, family and tradition remain as huge parts of society, and until the end of the story Sarty went along with the whims of his family. He saw his father burn his last barn on the property of Major de Spain. His first impulse was to his family, conformity, to warn his father, and to stop him from the crime. However once he started running, "he did not look back,(510)" he began to have his personal rebellion and ran from his family into the woods were he was finally free. William Faulkner added some changes from his family into his life as well which could be viewed as his own personal rebellion. When he started to write and publish his works, he added a "u" to Falkner to be different from his father, as Sarty does from Abner when he leaves. Both Faulkner and Sarty break the familial tradition and begin on their own path of choosing.
ReplyDeletebiographical information on Faulkner found at:
http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/William-Faulkner-Life-and-Achievement
Southern culture many times forces people to choose to form their own lifestyles or sucummb to that of society's standards. Miss Emily Grierson, from William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily", is an example of how a person struggles with their wants versus society's demands. After the death of her father and the mysterious disapperance of her boyfriend, Emily desires to isolate herself from society and remain dormant inside her decaying house with one servant. She tries very hard to keep the community out of her buisness, however between the ladies's omnipresent gossip, the sneaky investigators searching her yard, and later the group of men who attempt to discuss her taxes with her, society does invade her want of isolationism. So while she wants distance and privacy society awaits information and overdue taxes. The theme of self-reclusivness from society reltates directly to Faulkner's life because just like Emily, at a certain age Faulkner secluded himself to Rowanoak, his Southern mansion, in Oxford Mississippi where he continued his life in solitary writing.
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In Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” we can clearly see Faulkner’s preference for writing stories that contain self-conflict. In the story, Colonel Sartoris, or Sarty, experiences a self-conflict throughout. He is constantly faced with whether to conform to everything his father says and does or to follow what he knows is right. Over the course of the story, we begin to see a shift from him obeying his father to Sarty becoming much more confident in himself until he eventually runs away, all along struggling with the idea of conformity vs. self. After running from his family, Sarty feels, “cold, and walking would cure that,” and he, “…was a little stiff, but walking would cure that too” (510). We see here that the only solution to his problems figuratively and literally is to walk away from them. This is comparable in Faulkner’s life to him not completing high school. He simply did not believe in a formal education, despite his love for reading. So, he, like Sarty, simply walked away.
ReplyDeleteBiographical info from:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.notablebiographies.com/Du-Fi/Faulkner-William.html
In "Barn Burning," Faulkner depicts a child, on the verge of moral awareness, who finds himself cut off from the larger social world of which he is growing conscious; this sense of alienation takes root, moreover, in Sarty's relation with his father, who should be the moral model and means of entry of the child into the larger world. Because of his father's criminal recklessness, Sarty finds himself, in the first part of the story, the object of an insult, and he attacks a boy who, in more ordinary circumstances, might be a school-companion or a friend. His father has taught him to regard others as the "enemy." The story concludes with Sarty alone on a hilltop at night, watching the stars. This, too, reflects the boy's loneliness, and lack of social ties, but it also suggests his liberation from his family on the basis of a moral insight which just possibly signifies a bridge to link him with the greater social world. "Barn Burning" traces Sarty's passage from immersion in the egocentric Hell of his father's life to his espousal of morality and law. This is also a passage from the natural state of solidarity to the cultural state of concession to institutions.
ReplyDeleteEmily Grierson struggles with her personal identity in Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily. Emily came from an aristocratic family and because the family "held themselves a little too high for what they really were, (97)" Emily was not allowed to form a relationship with any of the town’s men because "none of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily (97)." Emily is so desperate for companionship and love that she will do anything to hold onto it if “her chances…materialized (97).” Upon discovering Homer’s plans to leave her, she murders him and sleeps next to the corpse knowing that now he will never leave her. Emily is very stubborn and demanding, feeling that she is entitled to live by her own rules. She refuses to pay her taxes and will not allow numbers to be put up on the house for the postal service. After her father, who controlled Emily her entire life, dies Emily refused to give up the body at first because she finally had control over him. The same goes for Homer when he tried to leave Emily; she took his life so she could have complete control over him. Emily is a prime example of the effect a repressive society can have on a person. Being isolated and not allowed interaction with others was the soil in which the seed of her necrophilia was planted.
ReplyDeleteAs a writer, Faulkner, like Zora Neal Hurston in Their Eyes Were Watching God, is well known for focusing on an inner conflict and an outward conformity in his main characters. A great example of this is his character Sarty Barn Burning. As the son of a man who burns barns when he becomes upset with the owners, Sarty is already susceptible to inner conflict. While he knows that his father's actions are wrong, he is conflicted because he knows that he should be protecting his father and keeping him out of trouble. When his father goes to burn colonel Sartoris' barn, Sarty initially tries to stop him because he wants to protect his father and keep him from doing this wrong. However, instead of stopping his father, he continues to run and escapes from his family. This is when he is able to escape from the conformity that is expected of him, and he no longer has to struggle with his father's decisions.
ReplyDeleteIn William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning," the father Abner is in a constant struggle with society. His actions frustrate not only his victims, but also his family, as they have to move around with Abner whenever he is kicked out for his unruly behavior. While the actions make little sense to his victims and his family, Abner only seems to "strike" when he is upset or angered by a decision he does not agree with, like the order to clean the rug, which he delegates to his daughters, who actually clean the rug. Abner's form of standing up to Major de Spain by destroying the rug, leading to a fine imposed on a discontent Abner and eventually plans to revolt with the burning of the barn. This impulse to burn the barn stems from Abner's anger over the fine, as he finds it completely unfair. In Faulker's early years, he had relations with a young girl named Estelle Oldham. Oldham dated other boys at the same time and she eventually accepted a marriage proposal from one of them, Cornell Franklin. Shortly after this, Faulkner moved up North and eventually joined the Royal Air Force in Canada. This decision to suddenly move north could be viewed as an impulse decision, one that could have been a result of a disgruntled Faulkner who became unhappy with his predicament. Both Abner and Faulkner went endured personal conflict, as Abner's impulsive decisions resulted from standing up for what he believed in, and Faulkner's decision to go north could have been a way to search for his identity after the loss, in a sense, of his romantic lover.
ReplyDeleteBiography:
http://www.olemiss.edu/mwp/dir/faulkner_william/
In our study of literature, “inward rebellion and outward conformity” has been a prevalent theme. In Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” this theme is shown in many characters. Colonel Sartoris briefly shows this. The Colonel inwardly rebels by illegally helping a white woman get by economically. However, publically he is very sneaky. He deceives the townspeople by conjuring a lie to protect the woman. The Colonel “invented an involved tale” in which her “father had loaned money to the town, which the town, as a matter of business, preferred this way of paying”. This lie in fact secured the woman’s survival. Faulkner can relate because in his life he deceived many people as well. He participated in many extra-marital affairs with many different women. Faulkner like the Colonel deceived many people, however the Colonel’s deception was beneficial to someone else, while Faulkner’s was for his own pure pleasure.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner
In Faulkner's story,"A Rose for Emily, he clearly demonstrates the theme of "inward rebellion and outward conformity". It is especially shown in Emily, whose emotions and secrets are what the whole story is evolved around. The death of her father leaves Emily tarnished in sorrow, and her mind is also corrupted because society does not help her make an adjustment. Ms. Emily presents herself to the townspeople as a normal southern lady, except for when she is convinced that she does not need to pay her taxes. Once Emily steps into her house, nothing within escapes through her molded door, especially when she poisons her boyfriend and locks him upstairs. Though the townspeople know something is up, they really have no idea how mentally ill Ms. Emily really is. Faulkner lived a very two-faced life, and he hid much of it from even the closest people. Emily's life was sheltered and hidden in order to protect herself and her sanity. In contrast, Faulkner selfishly lived in deception, allowing Southern society to think he was someone different.
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http://en.wikipedia.or/wiki/William_Faulkner#Life
Haley - I totally agreed with your comment. If anything, I thought that Abner was almost an autobiographical sketch of Faulkner.
ReplyDeleteJessica - I didn't know that Faulkner's surname was originally spelled differently. That's fascinating!
Lindsay - Very good points about "A Rose for Emily". I also thought that Emily was an anomaly. Community is everything in the south, and in the midst of all that, Emily just wanted to be by herself.
Brooks - I thought that Sarty's emotional growth throughout "Barn Burning" was very interesting as well.
Emily - Very good points. I thought that Barn Burning was sad because, as you put it, Sarty was trapped in his father's egocentrism with no escape. It was unfortunate that he was raised in such a cold and uncaring environment, because that wasn't his personality.
Virginia - I agree with you and would even go so far as to say that Emily is a feminist character. She is denied everything she wants, but she manages to get it, even if her methods are incredibly disturbing.
Dan - Very good characterization of Abner!
Ray - Interesting comparison...I like how instead of saying how Faulkner and one of his characters were similar, you talked about how they were different.
Christiana - It is interesting to me how you compare Faulkner to Emily. The way you worded it, I would have to say that Emily is slightly autobiographical of Faulkner, and I think it's interesting that he would choose to "portray" himself as a woman.
Fabulous job, everyone!