Story comparison

While "Barn Burning", "Everyday Use" and "I Stand Here Alone" all deal with the general idea of family, each story shows different ways in which families interact and different family structures. "Barn Burning" shows the dominance of the father over the family. "Everyday Use" shows how a tight family can grow apart when one member leaves, and then the oddness when that person comes back. "I Stand Here Ironing" shows the way a child can become dawn away from the parent and show almost no love.
"Barn Burning" shows how the father imposes his will not only on his children but also on his wife and sister-in-law. In "Barn Burning" it is obvious there is a fear of the father, which forces his youngest son to run away at the end of the story. During the part when the son is sent to get the oil from the he wanted to run away to be free of his father's reign only he couldn't bring himself to do it. As much as he wanted no part of what was about to happen he couldn't bring himself to do s...