Tony Monroy

Dr. Lasseter
American Literature
5/16/08
Vengeance is the Lord’s

“‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’, says the Lord” (Romans 12:16). Revenge is not

something that man should seek against their neighbor instead good deeds should be used against

evil. Faulkner’s The Unvanquished deals with the idea of revenge and the effects that it has upon

the characters. The reader observes those who fall under the weight of revenge and those who

triumph by avoiding it. The Unvanquished treats revenge as an evil action that only leads to

more violence and does little for the one seeking vengeance. The effects of revenge are presented

through Rosa, Drusilla, and Bayard who comes to represent that there are alternatives to revenge.

Rosa’s quest for her lost silver and mules results in the mule scheme that ultimately leads

to her death. Rosa feels obligated to go and retrieve her lost silver and mules which are in the

hands of the Yankees. Rosa has lost everything and desperately desires compensation from the

Yankees. “Ishall inquire until I find Colonel Dick and then we will load the chest in the wagon

and Loosh can lead the mules” (Faulkner 79). Rosa believes that her quest will be easy however

it turns into a type of revenge in that Rosa desires payback for the actions of the Union Army and

when she obtains her lost goods she uses her paperwork from the Yankees to steal their mules for

what she claims is a good cause. Rosa even tells God that her thievery was for a good cause, “I

sinned first for justice […] I sinned for the sake of food and clothes for your own creatures who

could not help themselves” (Faulkner 147). Rosa’s vengeful actions only get her into serious

trouble through the mule scheme, yet she continues her actions in the name of justice against the

Yankees until her death at the hands of Grumby. Nothing good comes from Rosa’s quest for her
goods even though she attributes good causes to her wrong actions. Any form of vengeance or

misdirected justice results in only bad outcomes and for Rosa it is destruction. Ringo alludes to

this destruction, “It was them mules. That first batch of mules we got for nothing. [That killed

her]” (Faulkner 184). Rosa’s actions lead to her death thus initiating the string of violence with

Bayard’s wish to kill Grumby and the fulfillment of his wish.

Drusilla’s lusts for revenge because of the death of her fiancée during the war transform

her into a hysterical, violent and depressed person who cannot find enough violence to make up

for the death of her fiancée. Drusilla seeks to avenge the death of her fiancée by fighting in John

Sartoris’ regiment where she can kill Yankees. This desire for bloodshed consumes her and all

other emotions are completely erased. Drusilla only cares for her death or the death of Yankees

by her hand. Drusilla stops sleeping and finds that life is meaningless with all of one’s concerns

being destroyed or killed off. “In Drusilla’s words thank God for nothing” (Faulkner 100-101)

Drusilla’s desire for revenge causes her to become a violent person full of despair and rage.

Drusilla’s time in John Sartoris’ troop does nothing to satiate her lust for revenge. No matter how

many people die, Drusilla never finds an end to her craving. In addition Drusilla believes that her

idea of justice must apply to Bayard’s situation with Redmond and encourages him to seek

revenge. “Do you feel them? The long true barrels true as justice, the triggers[…] quick as

retribution, the two of them slender and invincible and fatal as the physical shape of love”

(Faulkner 236). As a result of this never ending hunger for revenge Drusilla becomes confused

and even tortured by Bayard’s refusal to kill Redmond, which would continue the circle of

violence. Why he’s not […] I kissed his hand […] beginning to laugh, the laughter rising,

becoming a scream yet still remaining laughter” (Faulkner 239). Drusilla becomes insane and

tortured by the thought that Bayard will resist revenge. All Drusilla really understands is revenge,

naturally she becomes disturbed by Bayard’s actions causing her to have a breakdown. Drusilla
represents revenge with Faulkner even calling her a “priestess” of violence (Faulkner 219). Her

desire for revenge is never filled and nothing comes from her extensive quest for vengeance. The

road of revenge corrupts and disfigures her character.

Bayard Sartoris witnesses several acts of vengeance and their effects. Since Bayard only

knows revenge from Rosa’s mule adventures and Drusilla’s quest to avenge her fiancée, Bayard,

does not question his determination to kill Grumby in order to avenge Rosa (Granny). When

asked by Uncle Buck what Bayard wants to do about Grumby Bayard states, “ I want to borrow a

pistol” (Faulkner 1590 Bayard and Ringo search for months in order to find Grumby and not

once does Bayard question what he is about to do. Bayard avenges Rosa by killing Grumby and

he mutilates the body out of rage resulting in Rosa being successfully avenged, but no

satisfaction comes from this act. The Reader notices in Odor of Verbena that Bayard views this

event as a dark and evil. “If I am going to do what I have taught myself is right or if I am just

going to wish I were” (Faulkner 215). Bayard has not only been learning law, but he has taught

himself that what he did to Grumby was wrong even though it may have seemed just at the time

it was still revenge. Bayard reflects upon the events of his past and sees that vengeance leads to

no good. The actions of Rosa, Drusilla, John Sartoris, and Redmond all lead to bad ends, but

Bayard becomes determined to bring about the end of the violent circle that is revenge. Bayard

presents the reader that there is an alternative to revenge. It can be better to walk away than shoot

the person who harms you or others. Bayard understands and avoids the motto he remembers on

page 214 “Who lives by the sword shall die by it” (Faulkner 214).

Revenge transforms people and it does not lead to any good. Faulkner poured the ideas of

rage and frustration into his novels. Daniel Signal quotes in his book on Faulkner that, “‘We

more than other men’ he noted of his fellow southern writers ‘unconsciously write ourselves into

every line and phrase, postulating our past vain despairs and rages and frustrations’” (Singal
191). Faulkner used anger and the vengeful nature of those who had to bear the harsh life of the

war torn South as a major theme of his works. The Unvanquishedpresents the idea of revenge as

a negative part of human nature that accomplishes nothing and never leads to any good. The

effects of revenge appear through Rosa, Drusilla, Bayard, and others with Bayard being the only

person to break the cycle of vengeance. Rosa’s desire to retrieve her goods results in her

dangerous mule scheme, which places both Bayard and Ringo into danger. It also results in death

for Rosa who dies trying to steal more mules. Another example is Drusilla’s lust for avenging her

fiancée, which transforms her into a violent and vindictive person. Her need for revenge and

violence drives her to the brink of insanity as shown through the pain she receives when Bayard

makes it clear that he is not going to kill Redmond. Bayard influence by vengeful acts such as

these finds no fault in executing Grumby for killing Rosa, but Bayard comes to realize at the end

of the novel that revenge and his actions towards Grumby were wrong. Revenge satisfies nothing

for a person it only brings pain and despair. The reader observes the cycle of violent revenge in

the Unvanquished where everyone ends up killing others out of revenge. There are alternatives to

revenge, which Bayard presents at the end of the novel. Not only does The Unvanquished

condemn the act of revenge, but it also presents the hope of an alternative way of dealing with

pain and suffering through the character of Bayard Sartoris.