Every person reaches a point in their life where they must define themselves in relation to their parents. We all deal with this experience differently, depending on our parents and the situation we find ourselves in. For some people the experience comes very early in their life and can be a significantly life-changing experience. In William Faulkner's “Barn Burning,” Colonel Sartoris Snopes must decide whether to stand by his father and compromise his integrity, or embrace honesty and morality and condemn his family. This is a difficult decision to make, especially for a ten year old who has nothing outside of what his father provides. Sarty's decision to betray his father depends on his observation of Abner's character and the conflict he feels towards him. “Barn Burning” opens with a trial in a small Southern town. We see a small, skinny boy sitting on a barrel. The first thing we know about his thoughts shows the conflict he feels. After initially identifying Mr. Harris as her father's enemy, she fiercely corrects herself; thinking: “our enemy… ours! mine and his! He is my Father!”(84). The dual instincts of loyalty and integrity are what plague Sarty throughout the story. At the beginning we see in Sarty's actions his desire to defend his family, for example; when he is leaving the first court with his family, he fights the first person who calls him a barn burner. The narrator lets us know that Sarty is in a blind rage and unable to see or hear the person he is fighting. The passion he feels is likely fueled by his inability to stand wholeheartedly towards his father. When the family stops at their campsite for the night, Abner beats Sarty and then explains his point: that the people in the towns they left behind only want... half the paper... and justice they can't. justify the complete abandonment of the father. He has to give his father some sort of eulogy and at the end he does it with the words “He was brave! It was! It was at war! He was in Colonel Sartoris's cavalry!» he whispered into the night. What is it that finally drives Sarty to defy his father and his blood? Was it his hope for redemption and a normal life? Was it his discovery that some people live in ease and happiness instead of terror, pain and despair? Was it that last day that showed Sarty the possibility of reform in his father? We cannot know what the final straw was, but we know that Sarty chose to define himself by honor, integrity, and a clear conscience instead of the anger and misplaced punishment that Abner held in such high regard. Works Cited Faulkner, William. “Barn on fire”. Thinking and writing about literature. 2nd ed. 2001