"His father struck the gaunt mules two savage blows with the peeled willow, but without heat. It was not even sadistic- (Faulkner 5). None of the family members seem to agree with Abner's behavior, but no one will dare cross him. His wife fears him and accepts his actions, frightened to cross him. When Abner reveals that he will burn his new master's barn without warning, she pleads with him and is ignored. Abner is indifferent to the cares and concerns of others, even his wife and children. His two daughters are described as "bovine- and do not appear to really be concerned with anything. His sister-in-law is opposed to his behavior, but not enough so to report him or leave the household. Sarty alone seems to find Abner's behavior completely unbearable. .
As the story approaches its end, Sarty can no longer stand by his father. He runs to the master's home, warns him of the danger, and keeps running never to return home. He hears two gunshots and feels a pang of guilt, but in the end, he makes peace with his decision. Years later when retelling the story, Sarty is so distanced from his tragic past, he refers to himself in the third person. His father's actions did not corrupt him, but he was left without a family and without fond childhood memories.
"A Rose for Emily- is the tale of a mysterious, hermit-like woman, her troubled past, and her shocking secrets. Emily Grierson is looked on by the members of the community as a "tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town- (Faulkner 47). The principal reason Emily does not become a contributing member of society is her father. While he was alive, her father did not treat her like a person, but rather like a possession. No man was allowed to court her, and he was seen on a number of occasions as "a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip.framed by the back-flung front door- (Faulkner 51).
