A Study of Marxism in Faulkner's Barn Burning

Some of things that people think are built on a righteous foundation are often the result of actions or events that are completely dishonorable. Aspects like wealth and influence can be gained by means that are immoral and inhumane. This is the case with Sarty Snopes' fascination with the wealth of Major deSpain. He cannot see through the huge house and vast estate to the barbarity by which it was gained. "Hit's as big as a courthouse he thought quietly" (377). Because of the deSpains barbaric nature, Sarty Snopes' feelings towards the deSpains are misplaced.

William Faulkner's "Barn Burning" takes place in the south during the post-Civil War era. During this time many people were adjusting to a life without slaves. Before the war, people gained wealth at the expense of cheap labor from slaves. Slavery was one of the few ways that people could manage a huge estate like the deSpain's and still be able to turn a profit. It is evident in the story that the deSpain's were possible slave owners given the fact they still have Black help now. The deSpains probably owned many more slaves before the end of the war when the institution was outlawed. Based on these facts the barbarity of the deSpains is clear. The deSpains can also be considered barbaric in the way they maintain their wealth during the time Sarty and his family move onto the deSpain's property.

Because of the absence of slavery, the deSpains now maintain their land by means of sharecropping. Sarty's father indicates how he feels about the mansion, and his new boss, "Pretty and white ain't it? That's sweat. Nigger sweat. Maybe it ain't white enough yet to suit him. Maybe he wants to mix some white sweat with it" (378). Sarty and his family are now some of deSpain's modified slaves. The fact that Major deSpain can force any race into cheap labor shows his complete lack of concern for human welfare. This lack of concern is evident when Sarty's father damages the deSpain's rug. "It cost a hundred dollars. But you never had a hundred dollars. You never will." (380). Major deSpain orders Mr. Snopes to pay twenty bushels of corn on top of what he already owes for the land. Such a punishment is unjust for a rug and it will keep Sarty's family working on the land longer. The Justice states, "Twenty bushels of corn seems a little high for a man in your circumstances to have to pay" (381). This shows how clear it is to everyone except Sarty how unjust Major deSpain is. Major deSpain is willing to keep Sarty's family inhumanely on his land merely because of his wife's attraction to a rug. Sarty's attraction to the deSpains is based on the grandeur of all he sees.

Major deSpain's inhumanity comes to its peak when Sarty chooses to betray his family loyalty, and warn deSpain that his father was about to burn the barn. "…knowing it was too late yet still running even after he heard the shot and, an instant later, two shots…" (384). However, what makes the de Spains truly barbaric is what Sarty doesn't see. Sarty describes the deSpains as having "peace and dignity" (377). However, this peace and dignity was gained through the violent and dehumanizing institution of slavery. The deSpain's peace and dignity is now maintained now by a new form of slavery that Sarty and his family will now take part in. Given Sarty's character, but probably not his upbringing, one can believe that if Sarty knew the barbarity through which the deSpains gained their peace and dignity the deSpains lifestyle would not have such an appeal to him.