Cultural Modernism and the Snopes Term Paper

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This feeling of anger and resentment is effectively illustrated through the conflict between Abner and the Negro, De Spain's helper.

In this conflict, Abner is seen resisting the Negro's attempt to stop him from trespassing De Spain's home. Evidently, the Negro's status in life is much better than Abner, who has to toil very hard in order for him and his family to survive everyday. This fact infuriates Abner, and his resentment against the Negro's condition in life is reflected in his hateful statement about his poverty and De Spain's seemingly unfair status as a wealthy man: "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 in it" (175). This statement is Abner's own way of protesting against his condition in life, a bitterness that reflects not only class conflict between the wealthy and poor classes, but between white and black Americans as well (Singal, 1997:247). His eventual burning of the De Spain shows this social conflict, a consequence that happens when the privileged white American race is put in the lower rung of the socio-economic ladder.

Social mobility is a product of cultural modernism; hence, once again, the Snopes family illustrates itself as incapable of accepting that the path towards establishing an egalitarian society does not seem to affect and influence their lives, for they remain poor and helpless. Faulkner's depiction of this condition of a poor white American family serves as an eye-opener to his readers that there are other unfortunate realities that still exists as American society moves towards modernization.

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Social mobility in the context of cultural modernism is interpreted as an illustration of "...the rapidity of social change that flies so far from the codes of honor and respectability of the well-placed white upper-class scions...How does man acknowledge the flaws of the system he has fought to uphold?" (Wagner et. al., 2002). Wagner et. al.'s analysis is an example of how Faulkner's writing and contemplation of social issues is reflected through his characters and scenarios and situations they find themselves in the story. In "Barn Burning," Abner cannot accept the fact that he is white American and poor, while the Negro enjoys considerable comfort in life and De Spain, as the wealthy barn owner. This assertion is resounded by the claim that barn burning is actually a form of "individual retribution," a "desire for revenge" against the privileged class (that is, the wealthy class) (Kartiganer, 1997:29).

In sum, the dominant themes discussed and analyzed in this paper reflects how cultural modernism that is gradually making its way in American society during the early 20th century had resulted to adverse effects, especially for the poor white American family. Through the character of the Snopes family, readers witness their inability to cope with the fact that they are poor despite being a member of the privileged white American class. Faulkner offers another facet of American life, a life wherein the privileged class is marginalized, prompting the characters of Abner to resort to barn burning and Sartoris, to betray his abusive father and run away from his family......

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