Hunter Taylor
Dr. William Bedford
English 1102-011
10 September 2013
Comparing and Contrasting “A Rose for Emily” and “Barn Burning” In William Faulkner’s short stories “A Rose for Emily” and “Barn Burning” the characters are both guilty of committing terrible crimes. However, Miss Emily in “A Rose for Emily” and Abner Snopes in “Barn Burning” are both portrayed very differently from each other. A few things to consider while reading these short stories is how each of these characters is characterized, how the author generates sympathy for these characters, and the order in which the events in these stories occur. The way Faulkner characterizes Miss Emily and Abner Snopes throughout these stories is very different. In “A Rose for…show more content… These kind of statements guide us to also feel sympathetic towards Miss Emily. In “Barn Burning”, there is no sympathy generated towards Abner Snopes. Instead, we feel sympathy for Abner’s family members. We see how Abner’s actions have affected them. His family has been forced to move twelve times (Burning 356) because of the decisions Abner has made. We feel anger towards Abner. He intentionally makes decisions that he knows will most likely be detrimental to his family. An example of this is when he visits Major de Spain’s house for the first time. When the servant asks Abner to wipe the manure off his feet (which we could argue he stepped in on purpose), Abner says, ““Get out of my way nigger.”. . . without heat too, flinging the door back and the Negro also and entering, his hat still on his head” (Burning 356). He proceeds to track manure all over the fur rug, and when asked to leave Faulkner states, “with the same deliberation he turned; the boy watched him pivot on the good leg and saw the stiff foot drag around the arc of the turning, leaving a final long and fading smear” (Burning 357). By this example it is clear that Abner is trying to instigate a problem with his new landlord. He knows that nothing good can come from doing this, and that this action will most likely
