Conformist or Iconoclast?

Southern Literature’s Reaction to “The Unvanquished”

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

For the past month, Maclay’s Honors English IV: Southern Literature, taught by Lee Norment, has been reading William Faulkner’s “The Unvanquished.” The novel tells the story of a boy named Bayard Sartotis who lives his life during the Civil War. The novel begins with Bayard as a 12-year-old boy and finishes with him as a 24-year-old man. As Bayard experiences hardships, he spends the novel trying to decide whether his father, Colonel Sartoris, is the definition of the “Cavalier Legend” or not. He also has to decide whether to follow in his father’s footsteps or become an iconoclast. 

“I really liked the book and the coming of age with Bayard and trying to figure out who he is outside of his father's realm of authority,” senior Madison Walmsley said. 

Students relayed that although they had a little trouble reading this novel, Faulkner portrays valuable themes in his work. Some of the most notable themes include deciding a personal moral code, not conforming to gender stereotypes and maintaining strong family relationships.

“It has some good themes that he [Norment] wants us to discuss that apply to southern literature, southern history and the culture,” senior Mallory Brown said.  “It’s engaging at the same time, and we could definitely be interested in it.”