Barn Burning And Minnie Wright example essay topic

William Faulkner and Susan Glaspell both used different techniques in disclosing round characters in their stories "Barn Burning", written by Faulkner, and in "A Jury of Her Peers", written by Glaspell. Sarty, in "Barn Burning", and Minnie Wright, in "A Jury of Her Peers" were both expressed as round characters by the authors. In "Barn Burning", Faulkner portrayed Sarty, a main character, as young and loyal son, which gave the reader a good impression of him. In "A Jury of Her Peers", Glaspell represents Minnie Wright as a main character by creating the setting for the whole story by the horrible deed she has done.

This gives the reader a bad feeling about her, seeming to be the opposite kind of protagonist of Sarty in "The Barn Burning. Faulkner shows Sarty as a loyal son right from the beginning of the story. Sarty's father, being charged with barn burning, is standing in front of a judge being questioned. When the judge is not satisfied with the father's statement, he calls Sarty, the younger of the father's two sons, to the stand for questioning. "His father, stiff in his black Sunday coat donned not for the trial but for the moving, did not even look at him.

He aims for me to lie, he thought, again with that frantic grief and despair. And I will have to do it " (191). Faulkner shows that the boy will do anything for his father, even though he knows his father has done the crime he is being accused of. Sarty will not remain so loyal throughout the story.

Glaspell shows Minnie Wright as a loyal wife to her husband, John Wright. "She has been deprived and blighted by her twenty-year marriage" (174). The Wright's are described as "not having the homemaking instinct". Their house, described by Martha Hale, said "It never seemed a very cheerful place, and I don't think a place would be any the cheerfuller for John Wright's bein' in it" (207). ). The story gives the reader the idea that nothing good has come for Minnie Wright since her marriage.

Her loyalty kept the twenty year relationship alive, but her loyalty also takes a turn in the story. Faulkner shows Sarty's loyalty through the character's own thoughts. Glaspell takes a different approach. She informs the reader about Minnie Wright's loyalty with statements made by other characters in the story. Faulkner shows Sarty's dynamic characteristics towards the end of the story. Sarty's disloyalty begins when his father orders him to go fetch the can of oil from the barn.

"What... What are you... ". said Sarty (199). He realizes what his father aims to do, and doesn't want any part of it. Sarty starts moving toward the barn as his father ordered, and started thinking to himself.

"I could run on and on and never look back, never need to see his face again (199)". Here, Sarty's loyalty has faded, and a feeling of hatred towards his father is expressed by the author. Sarty sees his father leaving with the intention of burning down Mr. De Spain's barn. Sarty takes off running for the front door of Mr. De Spain's house. "He did not knock, he burst in. De Spain!

Where's... Barn! Barn!" he cried trying to warn of the burning barn (200). By doing this, Sarty has now turned on his father. He is dynamic because he was unconditionally loyal to his father in the beginning, but now he does not care to help his father get away with any more acts of rage and violence.

Sarty's words, thoughts, and actions all reveal his change in character. Glaspell reveals Minnie Wright's dynamic characteristics all throughout the story. "It came into Mrs. Hale's mind that that rocker didn't look in the least like Minnie Foster-the Minnie Foster of twenty years before (205)."She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively-when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls, singing in the choir (209)". Glaspell uses the statements of Mrs. Hale to compare images of the past Minnie Foster, and the present day Minnie Foster-Wright to the reader. Mrs. Hale refers to the oven in the Wright's house and talks about how she can't believe how Minnie could bake in an oven like that. Another character, Mrs. Peters said, "A person gets discouraged-and loses heart (210)".

Mrs. Peters never knew Minnie Wright at all, yet she is able to make a statement about the change in Minnie. The author uses this statement by a complete stranger to give readers a clear view of Minnie Wright's dynamic characteristics. Although both characters played very important roles, each one seemed to serve different purposes. In the "Barn Burning", Faulkner shows Sarty's dynamic characteristics by his own words and actions.

In "A Jury of Her Peers", Glaspell shows Minnie Wright's dynamic characteristics through the words and thought of others. Glaspell and Faulkner clearly revealed the dynamic characters of each story. The authors included multiple points to do so, yet used very different techniques.