Beginning of Essay
Though Faulkner's The Unvanquished is set during the Civil War, another war is being fought simultaneously. This second war is not one of guns and thievery, but one of beliefs. It is a conflict between two philosophies: idealism and pragmatism. This war rages on t ....

Middle of Essay
.... is to be sought in their practical bearings, that the function of thought is to guide action, and that truth is preminently to be tested by the practical consequences 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 ....