"Mountain Victory" is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by American author

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...

first published in the December 3, 1932 issue of ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

''. The story is unusual among Faulkner's works in that it takes place outside of his fictional

Yoknapatawpha County Yoknapatawpha County () is a fictional Mississippi county created by the American author William Faulkner, largely based upon and inspired by Lafayette County, Mississippi, and its county seat of Oxford (which Faulkner renamed "Jefferson"). Faulk ...

. It deals with historical themes common to much of Faulkner's later work, including social and racial divisions in the South following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Plot summary

The story opens with Major Saucier Weddel, a wounded officer in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, and his black servant, Jubal, seeking shelter at a small cabin high in the mountains of

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, formerly a Confederate state. With the Civil War at an end, Weddel believes that the time for killing is over, and wishes to return to his mansion in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. However, his occupation becomes a source of tension with the owners of the cabin, who are sympathetic toward the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

. Their oldest son, Vatch, who served in the

Union army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

, makes no secret of his hatred for rebels like Saucier Weddel, or for black people like Jubal. When Jubal drinks too much corn liquor and passes out, Major Weddel finds himself alone, surrounded by his enemies, in a land that is part of the South and yet seems to him to be far removed from the grace and gentility of the great plantations. The story concludes in a tragic finale that underscores both the futility of war and the difficulty of social change.

Themes

;Resistance to change Despite the South's defeat in the war and his family's fallen fortunes, Major Weddel insists on carrying on the old traditions of gentility and honor. When his slave endangers his life, he has the opportunity to flee; instead, he stays to protect his property. On the other hand, the mountain family stubbornly clings to its racism, backwardness, and, paradoxically, its form of honor as well. The father insists on protecting the guests from his son's wrath and tries several times to warn the Confederate officer to leave before it is too late. By contrast, the daughter and the younger boy Hule are both enchanted by the idea of following Weddel back to Mississippi and sharing in his lavish lifestyle. Yet they too have a sense of honor. They insist that they will work hard and be loyal if he will only take them along. Even the least sympathetic character in the story, Vatch, displays some sense of honor at the end of the story, by pacing off a hundred yards before firing his long rifle at the Major and his slave. 1932 short stories Short stories by William Faulkner Southern Gothic novels American Civil War books {{1930s-story-stub