Sartys Conflict in William Faulkners quot;Barn...

Sartys Conflict William Faulkners Barn Burning provides an excellent example of how conflicting loyalties can affect decisions. In Faulkners story, the main character, Sarty, faces such a dilemma. On one hand, Sarty has the morals that society has instilled in him in spite of his father. One the other hand, Sarty has the loyalty to his father because of the blood ties shared between them and the fact that his father raised and provided for him. Ultimately, it is these conflicting ideas that will lead to Sartys final decision. Sarty definitely feels a large obligation to be loyal to his father because of blood ties. Faulkner makes this quite clear in the text several times. Even in the first paragraph Sarty looks at the†¦show more content†¦He was in Colonel Sartoris cavry (Faulkner 87). In spite of his being raised by his father, Sarty still feels loyalty to the morals instilled in him by society. Faulkner first demonstrates this to us when Sarty is called to the stand. Faulkner writes He aims for me to lie, he (Sarty) thought, again with that frantic grief and despair (Faulkner 75). The fact that Sarty felt grief and despair at the idea of lying for his father demonstrates that Sarty knows that it is morally wrong and does have some loyalty to morals. Sarty feels joy at the sight of how big Major de Spains house is because They are safe from him. People whose lives are a part of this peace and dignity are beyond his touch... (Faulkner 78). This proves that Sarty knows and feels that what his father did is morally wrong. He even goes as far as to hope that his father will change and adhere to societys values, as is shown when Faulkner writes Maybe he will feel it too. Maybe it will even change him now from what maybe he couldnt help but be. (Faulkner 79) an d also Maybe this is the end of it (Faulkner 82) Sartys adherence to societys morals make him consider betraying his father, shown in the lines I could keep on, he thought, I could run on and on and never look back, never need to see his face again (Faulkner 85). Sartys devotion to the morals instilled in him by society is ultimately shown when he betrays his father and warns Major deShow MoreRelated Barn Burning Essay1110 Words   |  5 Pages Barn Burning amp;quot;You’re getting to be a man. You got to learn. You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you.amp;quot; This quote from William Faulkner’s amp;quot;Barn Burningamp;quot; does reveal a central issue in the story, as Jane Hiles suggests in her interpretation. The story is about blood ties, but more specifically, how these ties affect Sarty (the central character of the story). The story examines the internal conflict and dilemma