vivid picture of life in the mythical county of Yoknapataupha, Mississippi. This story is recounted from

The memories of a man named Colonel Sartoris Snopes (named after Colonel Sartoris whom his father

His father was obviously a man of little or no education who had developed an attitude in life of serving

himself and no one else. He, at any perceived or real injustice always took matters into his own hands. The

story begins with him on trial for burning a neighbors barn after sending a black man over for his hog and

actually warning the man that hay and wood burn. Shortly thereafter the neighbors barn burned and the

story opens in a court of the Justice of the Peace. The then young boy is remembering all this and the

details of the court room which was actually a storeroom in a grocery apparently based on the tin goods

stored in the room. The man whose barn was burned asks that the boy testify and the judge is incredulous

as this was not proper decorum in that time. Finally, the man relents and says the boy does not have to

While the story never gives his age other than the fact that he is reminiscing about all this twenty years after it took place it would appear that he was around seven or eight years old when all this transpired based on the chores he had to do at the time.

barn burners. The reason being that the father knows the boy would have testified and he tells him that they

This is a sad story of a young mans life that is redeemed by the fact that deep inside, this young man knew what was right and wrong and does what has to be done in the end as his conscious would not allow him to continue with his fathers ways. Had it turned out differently I would have fond it to be sadder than it already was.

The father is not happy with this and decides once again to burn the majors barn as he orders his son to get the kerosene against his wife’s wishes who says at least send a black man again like you did before. The young boy who by now has decided in his heart that this cannot go on (a fact that has not passed the fathers attention either) is restrained by his mother even though the father wants to physically tie him to his bed so he can’t warn the major. The father by now has headed towards the majors house.

have to stand together against the world. This is obviously a common occurrence in the young mans life and always ends up the same, they are told to move on and never come back. They all gather in their wagon and leave, by all, this means the wife, her

Some topics in this essay:
De Spain, Justice Peace, Civil War, William Faulkner, Yoknapataupha Mississippi, Colonel Sartoris, Barn Burning, majors house, Sartoris Snopes, boy testify, barn burned, mans life, neighbors barn, named colonel sartoris, named colonel, colonel sartoris,