Narrative Techniques in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished and...

Narrative Techniques in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished and Barn Burning The Unvanquished is composed of a series of stories during which Bayard Sartoris, the narrator, grows up from a twelve-year-old boy to a young man of twenty-four years. The narrative style makes it obvious that events are being related by an adult who is looking back at his past. There are several indications of this: in the very first story â€Å"Ambuscade†, the narrator, while describing his war games with his coloured friend, Ringo, states: â€Å"We were just twelve then†. (5) He tells the readers how they fantasized about the military exploits of John Sartoris, Bayard’s father, seeing them as heroic and exciting adventures. The narrator describes himself and Ringo at this†¦show more content†¦Another indication of the fact that the narrator is actually an intelligent older man who understands the nature of things rather than a young boy who simply records his impression of events as they impinge on his consciousness, is the ironic tone that often cre eps into his narration. For instance, he depicts how his kind and determined grandmother could sympathize with the plight of the Black slaves but could not see them as human beings with a claim to the same freedom and personhood that a white person enjoys. Also, in the same breath as he says that he and Ringo had grown up together and were very close, the narrator reflects an adult racial awareness based on a familiarity with the dynamics of the prevailing social order. â€Å"Barn Burning† like The Unvanquished depicts the coming of age of a young boy but the techniques employed in the two stories are different. Barn Burning is narrated by a third person omniscient narrator who at times reflects Sartoris Snopes’ thoughts directly in italics and at times distances himself from the principal character and reports the action from a distance. Thus, in this story the action does not have the immediacy that it has in The Unvanquished where in particular scenes (like Bayard’s scuffle with the notorious outlaw, Grumby), the experience is presented raw and viscerally as accessed directly through Bayard’s memory. These different narrativeShow MoreRelated Southern Masculinities in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished and Barn Burning1486 Words   |  6 PagesSouthern Masculinities in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished and Barn Burning The youthful protagonists of The Unvanquished and Barn Burning, Bayard Sartoris and Sarty Snopes respectively, offer through their experiences and, most importantly, the way their stories are told, telling insights about the constructions of southern masculinities with respect to class. The relative innocence that each of the boys has in common, though ultimately loses, provides a record of sorts to the formation of the