Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” Questions
Engl 1010
Hasting
1. Describe the buildings in the story, their presentation and importance.
2. What are the possessions of the Snopes family? How are they described and what significance do they have?
3. Locate and analyze passages in the story that emphasize the characters’ differences in wealth.
4. What crimes against property is Abner Snopes guilty of before the events of the story? During the time interval of the story? What punishments result?
5. Locate an explicit reference to the idea of “owning people.” Is the idea implied in other passages?
6. What are the story’s implications regarding the “American Dream” and ideal of the United States as the land of opportunity and justice?
