Digging Deeper: Flowering Judas and Barn Burning Proposal

In the stories "Flowering Judas" by Katherine Anne Porter and "Barn Burning" by William Faulkner, the characters are portrayed with a distinctive negative style that strongly influences the narratives and themes. These negative traits can be seen as personal flaws but they are also important in understanding the characters lives, natures, identities, and decision-making, along with the conflicts within each story. In a sense, their negative styles define them and also define the world around them. Digging deeper into them can explain much about them and their conflict.

"Flowering Judas" - Laura and Braggioni

In "Flowering Judas," Laura is portrayed with an intriguing blend of commitment and profound detachment. While she is involved in the revolutionary activities in Mexico, her interaction with others is characterized by a lack of genuine emotional engagement. An example of this is her interaction with the young revolutionary, Eugenio. Even though she brings him flowers, there is a symbolic coldness in her actions, as she dreams of betraying him by giving him a flower that would hasten his death. This dream reflects her subconscious awareness of her own disconnection and possible betrayal of her revolutionary ideals.

Braggioni, the leader of the revolution in the story, embodies hypocrisy and corruption. Despite his revolutionary rhetoric, he is fundamentally self-serving and manipulative. He uses his power to dominate others, including Laura, whom he tries to seduce to show a display of power and control. His love for singing serenades, which should symbolize passion and rebellion, instead comes off as another tool for manipulation, revealing only his deep-seated vanity and moral corruption.

"Barn Burning" - Abner Snopes

In "Barn Burning," Abner Snopes is depicted with a negative style characterized by defiance and resentment towards his society, which he perceives as cruel and oppressive and the real reason for his failure. His method of dealing with grievances is through arson, specifically burning barns belonging to his landlords. This destructive action is a literal expression of his anger; however, it also symbolizes his refusal to place responsibility for his own actions on himself. He refuses to conform to social norms and laws. He is hostile and emotional, and after a conflict with his landlord, Mr. Harris, Abner deliberately soils a rug and then worsens the situation by using a harsh cleaning method that ruins it. Ultimately, all of his poor decisions lead to worse ones, culminating in another act of burning Mr. Harriss barn in revenge.

Abner's interactions with his family also illustrate his negative style. He rules his family with an iron fist, demanding absolute loyalty and using violence and intimidation to get compliance. His son, Sarty, is caught in a moral dilemma, because he has personal integrity. He is torn between his loyalty to his family and his growing sense of justice. Thus, he contrasts sharply with his father. Sartys struggle culminates in his decision to break away from his fathers destructive path.

These examples from both stories show how the negative styles of the characters are integral to understanding their personal conflicts, the stories...

…broader social, psychological, or moral questions posed by the text. Through examining these traits, one can better understand how themes are developed through character actions and decisions. Negative traits are also important factors in driving the conflicts that propel narrative plots. Conflicts stemming from such traits create tension and drama, essential elements that keep readers engaged. Understanding these traits allows one to see how conflicts are plot devices that grow from seeds within characters psychologies and life circumstances. This analysis would show how internal character conflicts translate into external actions that move the story forward.

Characters negative traits often reflect the social and historical contexts of the literary works. Authors use these traits to comment on the society and times they are writing about. Abner's actions in "Barn Burning," set in the post-Civil War South, reflect the desperation and defiance of the economically oppressed sharecropper class. Analyzing his negative traits can reveal the historical forces shaping his life and the lives of those around him, and thus give a commentary on social injustice and class struggle.

Finally, examining the negative style of characters challenges readers to engage with moral and ethical questions, and to reflect on right and wrong, guilt and innocence, justice and injustice. It is a way of getting one to consider the circumstances that might justify or explain negative behaviors and also to question ones own values, perspectives, and beliefs. This engagement is an important aspect of the literary experience, as it helps to deepen readers' understanding of themselves and the world and…