While the backgrounds are different, there are a number of
thematic elements that, though different, have similar meaning because they overlap or
relate to each other. In Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, war is a
dominant theme. In Faulkner's "Barn Burning" anger and hatred are dominant themes. While
war is on a large scale that involves governments and universal questions of moral right
and wrong, it is undeniably true that the individuals in the war face anger and hatred
and individualistic questions of moral right and wrong. Therefore, this is an instance
in which, though the themes are different, they overlap with similar thematic
elements.
Another different yet similar set of themes is patriotism
from Hemingway's story and loyalty and betrayal from Faulkner's story. Patriotism
involves loyalty and devotion to one's country; one is a traitor if one betrays one's
country. In Heminway's story, the blind loyalty of patriotism to a country's wars is
questioned by Frederick on moral grounds. In Faulkner's, Sarty renounces blind loyalty
to family on grounds that crime and violence are immoral, regardless of his father's
principle of for "mine and hisn both."
He did not knock, he burst in, sobbing for
breath, incapable for the moment of speech; he saw the astonished face of the Negro in
the linen jacket without knowing when the Negro had appeared.
"De
Spain!" he cried, panted. "Where's…" then he saw the white man too emerging from a white
door down the hall. "Barn!" he cried.
"Barn!"
In Hemingway's story,
identity and individualism are explored. In Faulkner's, Sarty's alienation and
loneliness are explored. Sarty is liberated from the loneliness and alienation that his
family impose upon him when he begins to find his own identity. Conversely, in
Hemingway's, Frederick loses his individualism when his identity becomes entangled with
Catherine's: "I want you so much I want to be you too."
No comments:
Post a Comment