The Unvanquished Courage

756 Words2 Pages

In the end of “The Unvanquished,” Bayard and John Sartoris both choose to act with nonviolence; however, they are radically different. The fundamental difference between Bayard and John Sartoris is their definition of courage. Bayard is mostly influenced by Granny’s obedience of the chivalric code, devotion to the family, willingness to help others and her desire for peace. While John Sartoris believes that courage is battling one’s fears by eliminating them, Bayard interprets courage as being able to get over a grudge and do what’s better for the family. Granny’s guidance throughout Bayard’s life influences his interpretation of courage in which he balances the chivalric code of Southern men with compassion and sensitivity as opposed to the self-destructing interpretation of John Sartoris.
The fundamental difference between John and Bayard is their interpretation of courage. While Bayard gradually develops his interpretation of courage as being able to be devoted to the family, follow the chivalric code as well as help others, John defines courage as being able to get rid of hindrances instead of facing them. John kills the carpetbaggers in fear that the “patent from Washington [organizing] the niggers into Republicans” (Faulkner, 199) would succeed, demonstrating his courage of killing hindrances as he could have injured them and had his men kick them out instead since he had “six or eight white men” (206). When being tired of killing men becomes a hindrance, John upholds his interpretation of courage and tells Bayard that “tomorrow, when [he] go to town and meet Ben Redmond, [he] shall be unarmed” (232) knowing he is going to die so that he can rid himself of the hindrance. Even to the end of his life, he still stands with th...

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... Granny would have thought” (214). He is reminded of “Thou shalt not kill” (216) and Granny’s words of “Dies by the sword” (216), which leads him to decide that he will choose peace and does not use the dellinger to shoot Ben Redmond.
Granny influences Bayard’s mentality and allows Bayard to gradually grasp his own definition of courage-- the ability to balance the chivalric code of the South with devotion to the family, willingness to help others as well as to value peace. Though both Bayard and John act upon what they believe to be the righteous acts to perform throughout the novel, their definition of courage is the fundamental difference between them. John believes that getting rid of obstacles by killing them is the best way, while Bayard’s definition of courage allows him to will peace for his family and his surroundings due to Granny’s perpetual influence.

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