At the beginning of the story Faulkner introduced the readers to Sarty who is the main character of "Barn Burning".
Saty is faced with the decision of either going along with his father or family beliefs and his own values? "I could keep on, he thought. I could run on and on and never look back, never need to see his face again" (199). Sarty wanted to run away and leave his family and his pain behind. Faulkner uses detail and inciting force to show a moral dilemma.
The other main character in this story is Sarty's father, Abner Snopes. Abner is an angry man and inconsiderate man who had hate and detestation for almost anybody who is not "blood kin", and is a tyrannical father who controlled everyone in his family. His wife and children are in the grips of that tyranny.
Faulkner uses detail to draw the readers into the story. In the first paragraph Faulkner introduced the readers to Sarty, and the setting in which Sarty's conflict is established in a trial. Next, the readers are introduced to Abner Snopes when he talks for the first time since the trial begins. He also established the fact that he plans to move himself and his family out of town.
The inciting force takes place after Sarty and his family move to a house owned by a man named De Spain, under the assumption that they will cultivate De Spain's farm and give him a portion of the crop. After the family moves into the house, Abner want to talk to De Spain so he and Sarty make the way to De Spain's house. Abner walk right through a pile of horse manure and Abner go into De Spain's house and wipes his soiled feet all over De Spain's expensive rug. The action starts after the inciting force. Abner has so much hatred inside him that he becomes angry when De Spain demands he clean his rug and return to him. Abner ruins the rug by rubbing a hole through it with a rock. The result of Abners actions is a trial in which Abner is ordered to pay De Spain twenty bushels for the cost of the ruined rug.
