The Unvanquished

On a basic level, this quote from the beginning of "Ambuscade" expresses the intimacy between Bayard and Ringo. It proves that the two boys have been raised together and that Ringo has not been treated any differently even though he is a slave. But it also reflects Bayard's childish lack of understanding about the realities of race. Even if he does not literally believe that race can be exchanged by eating and drinking together, he does believe that his family treats Ringo as an equal, failing to understand his power over Ringo as his master and as a white man.

This passage from "Raid" describes the migration of slaves toward the river, on the other side of which is the Union army. The entire black community is on the move, from children to the very elderly. Faulkner's tidal metaphor shows the slaves' incredible yearning. That metaphor suggests that their desire is a natural force that cannot be stopped for any reason. Their hidden power is also apparent: if black people ever chose to rise up and free themselves, whites could not prevent it, any more than a wagon can prevent being swept along on a flood. Twenty years after the novel was published, the civil rights movement would begin in the South in earnest, fulfilling Faulkner's prophecy.

Coming on the last page of "Riposte in Tertio," these are Granny Millard's last words. They reveal that Granny thinks of herself as a warrior just as Colonel Sartoris is—since Bayard does not cry when he endangers himself, he should not cry for her either. Granny has the same chivalrous traits as the colonel, the traits celebrated by the Southern code of honor: protection of the helpless and of family, in this case the Sartoris slaves as well as Bayard and his father. Granny claims she is not risking anything, but the fact that she states her reasons for going forth justify her doing so—a justification that would not be necessary if she truly believed there were no danger of her not coming back. Her acceptance of that risk in turn makes her actions all the more heroic. Unfortunately, her faith in the universality of the honor code is misplaced. Unlike the Sartorises and even Yankees like Colonel Dick, Grumby is not a gentleman or even a brave man. Granny's murder at his hands is the ultimate violation of the old principles of society.

This passage is the last paragraph of "Vendée," after Bayard and Ringo have returned home having killed Grumby. Uncle Buck congratulates Bayard for fulfilling his family obligation and avenging his grandmother. In "Retreat," Buck was the first person outside the family to describe Colonel Sartoris—he confirms Bayard's adoration of his father, and initiates the idea that Bayard has a special social role as the colonel's heir. Avenging Granny's death is Bayard's first act as the head of the family, his temporary role while his father is off at war. By attaching Grumby's hand to her grave, Bayard has done more than ensure she will rest in peace—he has announced to the world that he will fill his father's shoes.

When Granny died, Bayard's most overwhelming sensation was the smell of gunpowder inside the old compress. The smell of powder in Redmond's office in this quotation from "An Odor of Verbena" echoes the earlier sensation and links Bayard's two actions. As George Wyatt surveys the scene, he suddenly understands why Bayard decided to confront Redmond unarmed. His heroic refusal to commit violence has won a convert who opposed the idea fiercely only moments before. Wyatt's remark ends abruptly, with a dash—a grammatical echo, perhaps unintentional, of the cycle of violence that Bayard has just broken.