Faulkner's "The Unvanquished"

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of belief. Bayard Sartoris was a pragmatist. He 'let his
conscience be his guide'. Telling his father about Drusilla's attempt to
seduce him and refusing to avenge his father's death are two good examples
of this. In the beginning of the novel, Bayard is shown to be simple minded,
but as time passes on and Bayard grows into a young man, his mind develops
and he ultimately ends the battle between idealism and pragmatism in one
carefully thought out decision.
The battle between the two philosophies is very subtle in the
beginning. But it grows and strengthens, and since there can only be one
winner, the pragmatist is victorious. When Bayard's father is killed, and
Bayard denies Drusilla the satisfaction of vengeance, Drusilla's idealistic
beliefs are shattered, and she is forced to leave, thus ending the war. The
Southern Code becomes nothing, because one person refuses to obey it.
When Faulkner wrote The Unvanquished, the Civil War appeared to be
the main event, but hidden ...

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