Sarty's Reliability as Narrator in "Barn Burning" The question of whether or not Sarty Snopes is a reliable narrator is sure to raise debate among various literary critics. Although the story is told from Sarty's perspective twenty years later, Faulkner also leads the reader to believe the events taking place are happening in real time. The essence of the story is actually more about how Abner's obsession with fire and disregard for authority and conformity …
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showed last 75 words of 956 total
…tainted by the memories of the emotional power held over him by Abner, it is his emotional attachment to these events that allows him to develop his character over the twenty years since his escape from his father. Works Cited Faulkner, William. "Barn Burning." Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 7th ed. Ed. Leah Jewell. Upper Ridge River: Pearson, 2004. 177-188. Ford, Marilyn Claire "Narrative Legerdemain: Evoking Sarty's Future in Barn Burning." Mississippi Quarterly 51.3 (1998): pg..