William Faulkner’s Barn Burning: Abner Snopes Character Analysis Essay

William Faulkners short story Barn burning describes a typical relationship between wealthy people and slimy people during the Civil War. The main character, Abner Snopes, sharecrops to make a living for his family. He despises wealthy people. Out of resentment for wealthy people, he burns their barns to hurt revenge. Abners character over the course of the story is unchanging in that he is cold hearted, lawless, and violent.First, Abners unchanging character shows his cold heartedness. after being sentenced to leave the country for burning a mans barn, he shows no emotions to his family. During the story, there was not a time when he apologized or offered a word of encouragement to them. His tone of voice when talk to them is bitter and bossy, and he never said thank you. Later in the story after they had arrived at their next house, he orders his wife, her sister and his ii daughters to unload the wagon. He walks with his son to DeSpains house where he entered without wedded permission, and proceeded to wipe his feet that was covered with horse manure, thus staining the rug. Abner moves through heart with no regard for his fellow humans and with no respect for their chasten to material possessions (731). After being told to clean the rug, Abner took a rock and merely ruined it. His coldness is shown when he demands his two daughters to clean the rug in pots of lye and then hanging it to dry. Later in the evening Abner calls his son to lead to retur...