Negotiating Power: Speech Acts Shaping Power Dynamics in William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25130/Lang.10.2.P1.14Keywords:
Speech Act Theory, Power dynamics, Authority and resistance, Discourse analysis, Barn BurningAbstract
The present study examines the linguistic representation of struggle in William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” through the application of speech act theory. It aims to complement and support the findings of previous studies that have explored the theme of power dynamics and struggle between characters in this work of fiction from psychological, historical, and socio-economic perspectives, but not from a linguistic one. The results reveal that directive and assertive speech acts are predominately used by Abner Snopes, the father, reflecting his authoritarian and coercive character. In contrast, Sarty Snopes, the younger son, employs various types of speech acts, revealing his character transformation throughout the story. The study also investigates silence as a form of speech acts, demonstrating that characters have used it to achieve the same communicative purposes as spoken language. The study concludes that power dynamics in literary discourse, as represented in Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”, can be reflected linguistically in the same way they are portrayed thematically.
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