1. From the first to the final story, trace Bayard’s development from a young child, playing war games, to a fully mature man of courage. 2. Discuss Ringo’s change in character as a result of the color of his skin; in the early stories, he assumes a role equal to […]
Read more Study Help Essay QuestionsWilliam Faulkner Biography
The Unvanquished is the novel that is most often recommended as an introduction to Faulkner’s fiction. It is, in one sense, his easiest novel to read, and it presents many of the characters and ideas that are found in his other greater novels. Furthermore, the novel is based in large […]
Read more William Faulkner BiographyCharacter Analysis Ringo
In the first story, “Ambuscade,” Ringo is the black playmate and the constant companion of Bayard Sartoris, a young white adolescent; both are twelve years old. The South has been at war for two years, and Ringo belongs to the race of people about whom the war is being fought. […]
Read more Character Analysis RingoCharacter Analysis Drusilla Hawk Sartoris
In some ways, Drusilla Hawk is one of Faulkner’s strongest and most determined defenders of “the old order” of the South. In other ways, she is the greatest violator of “the old order.” We first hear of Drusilla when her brother tells Bayard and Ringo how she defied the Yankees […]
Read more Character Analysis Drusilla Hawk SartorisCharacter Analysis Granny (Miss Rosa Millard)
Because we first see Granny through the eyes of her twelve-year-old grandson, it is easy to be misled in our opinion of her. Too many critics have simply dismissed her as a romanticized, stereotyped, indomitable southern matriarch who accomplishes feats far beyond the capacity of a woman of her age […]
Read more Character Analysis Granny (Miss Rosa Millard)Character Analysis Colonel John Sartoris
Colonel Sartoris is Faulkner’s most enigmatic character. He is the most admired man in Yoknapatawpha County and, at the same time, he is probably one of the most difficult people to get along with in the entire county. Bayard makes a telling statement about his father in “Ambuscade.” “He was […]
Read more Character Analysis Colonel John SartorisCharacter Analysis Bayard Sartoris
In many ways, The Unvanquished can be seen as a Bildungsroman — that is, as a novel tracing the growth of a character from youth to manhood. The seven stories in this volume cover Bayard’s growing up — from the time he is twelve years old in “Ambuscade” until he […]
Read more Character Analysis Bayard SartorisSummary and Analysis “An Odor of Verbena”
This is the only story to appear for the first time in the printed novel; that is, the first six stories originally appeared in magazines. Yet in general, critical terms, this is often considered to be the finest story in the novel. The story involves a test. One of the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis “An Odor of Verbena”Summary and Analysis “Skirmish at Sartoris”
In terms of the entire novel, this story concerns itself with the rapid social changes that took place in the South immediately following the American Civil War. Bayard is still the narrator of the story, but here he is not the focus of the story’s actions; he is more of […]
Read more Summary and Analysis “Skirmish at Sartoris”Summary and Analysis “Riposte in Tertio”
The title of this short story refers to two fencing terms: a “riposte” is a quick thrust after a short parry, and “tertio” means to hold back in the third position. In this story, Bayard does not want Granny to parry with Grumby, and he even considers the possibility of […]
Read more Summary and Analysis “Riposte in Tertio”