Essay Database

The Unvanquished by William Faulkner deals with events that took place during the 1890s in Mississippi. However, many of the issues he deals with transcend the confines of his novel. Faulkner writes on many universal matters, but the major universal matter of the novel was Bayard’s change from an innocent child into a mature adult. In “Ambuscade” twelve-year-old Bayard still plays childish games of war with no consequences. Later, Bayard shoots at a Yankee …

…earned the name Sartoris. Bayard changed from a young child playing war games into a brave teenager tracking down his granny’s murderer and finally at the end he becomes a gentleman who rejects violence and follows the code of honor and the law. This change from innocence to maturity occurs universally in all societies, and is fundamental to the story of The Unvanquished. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography** Faulkner, William. The Unvanquished. New York: Vintage Press, October 1991.