William Faulkner is a renowned novelist and writer who was not only concerned with building his writing career but also supporting new writers. He was brought up in a humble upbringing in the season of civil wars. Apart from the wars, there was wide spread racial discrimination and a wide gap between the poor and the rich. His literature centred on society issues and the need for people to change their thinking and attitude to enhance growth. Through his factious writing, he observed that an economy could only grow if everyone is given a chance to grow. The aspect of some people having too much and others have nothing will only cause hatred among the groups. The wide gap between the poor and the need for a few individuals to gain recognition led to civil wars among communities. This widened social segregation, which in turn hindered the growth of the economy (Faulkner & Blotner, 1977).
William Faulkner was born in 1987 in the state of Mississippi, New Albany. Having spent most of his life in Mississippi, he observed the ways of the people and what caused division. He attempted to create a solution to the people through his various writings by highlighting the main issues that affected the south. Some of his other renowned fictional novels include The Sound and the Fury published in1929, As I Lay Dying published in1930, Light in August published in1931 and Absalom, Absalom! This was published in1936. Faulkner saw in his community a people of potential and ability yet held back issues such as war, discrimination and struggle (SparkNotes Editors, 2007). The youth were not given a chance to explore their potentials and instead resorted to a lower life.
‘barn burning’ is a book that focuses on a young boy’s life as he struggles between being loyal to his family and fulfilling his inner urge for justice. This is just one of the stories of many more young people that struggled with their environment and their inner urge. He was brought up in a family that was poverty stricken as well as coupled with criminal behaviour. The main economic activity of the people was agriculture but lack of technology and invention made the poor peasants not get much out of their yields. However, amidst the struggles and the desires to grow, the period of industrial revolution emerged which made people more occupied. This was a society that was engrossed in poverty that they that it was part and parcel of them. Poverty in itself was a bondage that the society needed to be freed from.
As Faulkner mentions in his literature, it was not easy to break free from the bondage of poverty leave alone leading people through freedom. In the efforts of Snopes boy to deliver his family from such poverty mentality, he is left all alone. The lack of faith that the family had and the familiar poverty situation that they lived in made it hard for a revolution to take place. Freedom comes with a price, a price that requires one to leave their comfort zone and attempt the non-imaginary. This requires risk and at times walking alone just because nobody wants to walk in where there is no path (SparkNotes Editors, 2007). However, what gives one the courage to walk the path irrespective of the uncertainty is the fact that nobody knows the future. Faulkner’s literature work worn him a Nobel Prize for literature in 1949, which he donated half of the price to support new writers.
Reference list
Faulkner, W. (1979). Barn burning. P. Nicolaisen (Ed.). Learning in Focus.
SparkNotes Editors. (2007). SparkNote on Barn Burning. Retrieved October 1, 2013, from http://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/barn-burning/
Faulkner, W., & Blotner, J. L. (1977). Selected Letters of William Faulkner. Random House (NY).
