The Girl with the Blackened Eye/Barn Burning Essay Example

what she endured. Sarty on the other hand was courageous in his decision to disengage himself from his father choices.

Aside from that in contrary, the narrator in “The Girl with the Blackened eye” did not want to betray her abductor because she had grown to trust him. As for Sarty, he did do such, when decided to part from his clan. One major difference is the time of the short stories is the time difference. The Girl with the Blackened Eye, the character lived during the 1970’s. Barn Burning was written along the timeline of the author 1897-1962. Both periods were during challenging yet ground breaking points in America. Joyce Carol Oates tale described a youth who lived during America’s free living phase.

Throughout this decade the peace movement and rock n’ roll played a big factor. Though they had been previously stretched “the seventies” were the golden age, bright colors, world peace, and the unification era that was much needed. Barn Burning, Sarty experienced more hardship and a difficult time, one of the worst. This took place during the civil rights movement, after the civil war. Racism was the way of life and justice was not heard of. As a child growing up in confusion and separation surrounded by hatred towards the darker flesh, it surprised me to find how self motivated he was at that age.

Sarty much like the “girl” in the compared text was exposed to a tragedy. The young teen and Sarty was taken away from their adolescence to being put in adult like situations that requires a lot of their energy, bravery and mental thought,

awareness. Both short stories shared similarities and differences the theme I originated between the two was morality and youthfulness. I believe the time periods play a significant role within both characters.

"You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain't going to have any blood to stick to you. I believe that this line, implying loyalty to family and the fact that Sarty grew up facing these awful conditions makes it all the harder to stand up for what he knows to be right. Sarty knows that what his father is doing is wrong, but it is hard for the young boy to go against his father and feels like he will betray him. Stepping away towards the right, no matter how deep and long he's had to face it, makes it ever so rewarding. Maybe if the time she had been abducted was along the time Sarty felt for independence the victim wouldn’t have been as loyal.

In other words, if you are not utterly loyal to your own family, no matter if the family is right or wrong, then you will have no place to turn when you need help. For example Sarty himself was put in what can be considered a controlling situation but he was opinionated and rebellious. If the authors could rewrite the narrative switching time periods but situations would have been handled differently. Sarty might not have considered it to be an issue with his father unlawful activity and acknowledge it not rebelling against him but the law, after all he would probably have the seventies attitude, free spirit.

Overall the point

in time that both developed were complete opposites, in one occasion the personality faced a tragedy when harmony, love and life was being expressed and the other found courage and his pride after slavery and the civil rights movement. Another point I found to be a difference was the narration. In Oates story the narrator was first person as suppose to Faulkner’s tell, which third person omniscient was. In The Girl with the Blackened eye” we saw everything from her eyes. The story is based on her and what she sees.

It is almost like her diary, what the reader is reading and we are invading her privacy. It is executed to the point where it seems almost real, like you are there. “Barn Burning” has many telling from various characters, we often hear from Sarty’s father, Abner Snopes. Although many characters are featured, Sarty is one of the main characters. It is first realized in “The Girl with the Blackened Eye” the story is first person within the introduction of the story. “This black eye I had, once! ” (p. 1, line 1) Let the reader know what direction the story was being taken in.

Barn Burning introduced the character Sarty indirectly, and then he became present. For example in the beginning while at his father’s hearing, he was described “the boy, crouched on his nail keg at the back of the crowded room. Automatically the one of the most important persons in the story was about to be initiated. After a while it’s stated why he is in that crowded room and his purpose of being there. When he is asked

his name, it seems as though he is shy and soft spoken, he whispered to the justice “Colonel Sartoris Snopes,” which is when the mystery boy is revealed to the audience.

As you notice a minor difference is one character is not named while the other is. In “The Girl with the Blackened Eye,” her identity as far as appearance and name is left out. Her age, social status however is mentioned, “…fifteen years old and a sophomore at Menlo Park High, living with my family in Menlo Park, California. ” (p. 1 line 14-15). Location is another difference along with social class. The girl was the daughter of a dental surgeon who lived on the west coast, California and Sarty the son of a share cropper who resided in the south.

It is clear that the social class of the two were completely different. Oates character came from what was more than likely a middle class family if not first. Sarty was poor and struggling. Another similarity that relates the two is that both Joyce Carol Oates and William Faulkner depicted dramatic narratives. A slight dissimilarity is Faulkner story was a little difficult to grasp when compared to Joyce Carol Oates. Taken as a whole, together the stories are an epic and I honestly can speak about to.

I myself have been in situations where loyalty is a factor; deciding between family, friends and wrong and right. The experience comparing the two was a bit challenging but attention-grabbing. They both represented teens and at probably what were and became the toughest time of their life. At the end they both came

out strong losing their morals unwillingly at the beginning but returning as survivors, regaining their pride and enhancing their ability. The experience of reading “The Girl with the Blackened Eye” and “Barn Burning” was a work indeed.