Summary and Analysis: "Barn Burning"
Glossary
a dollar pound fee A "pound" is an enclosure in which stray animals are kept. Mr. Harris charges Abner Snopes a dollar for keeping Abner's hog penned up and out of the corn.
provost The head of a military police unit; Abner Snopes was shot in the heel by a member of a Confederate provost's unit, emphasizing his despicable character; he also stole horses from fellow Southerners during the Civil War.
portico A porch with a roof supported by columns.
sorrel Mare a mare that is yellowish to reddish brown.
a fat bay A reddish brown horse.
scoriations Derived from the word "score,' which means to make grooves on a surface; Faulkner often made up words when he wrote.
lilliputian Meaning very small, the word comes from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, in which the Lilliputians, a race of small people, capture Gulliver.
hame One of the two curved pieces that fit around a horse's neck; straps or chains are attached from the hame to the wagon to pull the vehicle.
logger-head A blockhead or a dolt; Faulkner calls Snopes' mule a logger-head to emphasize the animal's stupidity.
a middle buster A type of plow used to bust up the ground before planting crops; typically, a middle buster prepares a ridge for cotton, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or other crops that are planted in ridges, not furrows.
cravat A scarf, or band of fabric loosely knotted around the neck like a tie.
tulle A finely meshed net used for veils or gowns.
Malbrouck Faulkner invented many fictitious names to add flavor to his writing-as he does with "Malbrouck."
booty Stolen goods.
quiring: An archaic version of choir; a reference to the earlier mention of the "liquid silver voices of the birds."