"An Odor of Verbena" masterfully weaves together themes from preceding tales, subtly reshaping the valor of the Sartoris family through the deeds of John and especially through the resolve of Bayard. John Sartoris, who has long held sway over and reprimanded his business associate Ben Redmond, had also triumphed over him in a race for a legislative seat. Pushed to the edge by John’s imposing nature, Redmond ultimately takes John’s life. In his final moments, John, speaking to his son Bayard, feels compelled to engage in some "moral housecleaning" and makes a solemn promise to confront Redmond without the protection of arms.

Bayard finds himself urged to seek vengeance by nearly everyone around him—his law school mentor, his father’s companions who appear as vultures in his mind’s eye, and most fervently by Drusilla, who insists that "one human life or two dozen" pales in comparison to the grand vision of social reform. As Bayard, now a young man of 24, is offered pistols and steeds to expedite his return home from school, he steadfastly refuses, unwilling to hunt Redmond as he once pursued Grumby. With unshakable resolve, Bayard steps into Redmond’s lair unarmed, allowing two bullets to be fired, both intentionally missing their mark, before Redmond slips away and vanishes from town.

In a profound act of renunciation, Bayard forsakes the path of bloodshed, shattering the relentless cycle of retaliatory justice. His triumph is deeply personal, resonant with a Christ-like transcendence, yet it remains an intimate victory, not a societal one.