How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
...and Father damp too from the ford, his boots dark and dustcaked too, the skirts of his weathered gray coat shades darker than the breast and back and sleeves where the tarnished buttons and the grayed braid of his field officer's rank glinted dully, the sabre hanging loose yet rigid at his side as if it were too heavy to jounce or perhaps were attached to the living thigh itself and took no more motion from the horse than he did. (1.1.23)
A lot of Bayard's admiration for his father isn't for the man, but for what he's wearing. We always heard that clothes make the man, but this is going overboard. The signs of wear and tear on the uniform point to what makes John so impressive: his military might and general manly toughness.
Quote #2
He was not big; it was just the things he did, that we knew he was doing, had been doing in Virginia and Tennessee, that made him seem big to us. (1.1.26)
Ever see one of those tricks of perspective that makes it look like a person is holding the Eiffel Tower in his or her fingers? In a way, admiration is like a cheap camera trick; it makes you imagine that someone is much bigger than they really are.
Quote #3
That was it: not that Father worked faster and harder than anyone else, even though you do look bigger (to twelve, at least, to me and Ringo at twelve, at least) standing still and saying, "Do this or that" to the ones who are doing; it was the way he did it. (1.2.1)
Just acting like a boss goes a long way toward making people think you are one. John doesn't work harder than his kids or the slaves, but his general attitude inspires awe, admiration, and maybe a little fear in those around him.
Quote #4
"Who aint heard about him in this country? Get the Yankees to tell you about him sometime. By Godfrey, he raised the first damn regiment in Mississippi out of his own pocket, and took em to Ferginny and whipped Yankees right and left with em before he found out that what he had bought and paid for wasn't a regiment of soldiers but a congress of politicians and fools!" (2.2.19)
Wanna know how cool someone is? You don't need to ask their friends; ask their enemies. Then you'll get the real dirt. It's one thing for everyone in Mississippi to brag on John Sartoris, but Uncle Buck is saying that the real story is with his enemies, the Yankees. If they don't admire him after being beat by him, we don't know who would.
Quote #5
"I wont say God take care of you and your grandma on the road, boy, because by Godfrey you don't need God's nor nobody else's help; all you got to say is 'I'm John Sartoris' boy; rabbits, hunt the canebrake' and then watch the blue bellied sons of bitches fly." (2.2.20)
We're not exactly sure what in the heck Uncle Buck is talking about with his rabbits and canebrake comment, but we know that he's complimenting John Sartoris' reputation when he says that all Bayard has to do is mention dear old dad in order to get out of trouble.
Quote #6
"Yes, by Godfrey! Not only tracked him down and caught him, but brought back the actual proof of it to where Rosa Millard could rest quiet." (5.4.11)
Uncle Buck has a lot of good things to say about John Sartoris, but also thinks of him as a bit of a coward, too. He's got nothing but unreserved admiration for John's son, Bayard, though, after his bravery in tracking down his grandmother's murderer and then bringing home the dastardly dog's hand to prove it. So courage must be a pretty big deal among these guys, if it's the only way to get a man's admiration.
Quote #7
"Uncle Cash that druv the Benbow carriage twell he run off with the Yankees two years ago. He back now and he gonter be elected marshal of Jefferson." (6.2.15)
There's a lot going on here in Ringo's seemingly simple words (simple aside from the funky spelling, we mean. But can't you just hear him?). So, Uncle Cash is a black man who used to be a slave. Ringo didn't run off with the Yankees when he had the chance, and doesn't really seem to respect guys like Loosh, who left the Sartoris family high and dry. But he does have some admiration in his heart for Uncle Cash because he's back and, instead of being a slave, is running for a respected public office.
Quote #8
And then it was loud; I could hear them when they drew in their breath like when the Yankees used to hear it begin:
"Yaaaaa—" (6.3.13-14)
If you'd never heard of a rebel yell before, well, now you have (no, not the Billy Idol song). It was used to rally Confederate troops in the battle, but now, with the war over, it's used to express admiration for Dru and John.
Quote #9
It came back high and thin and ragged and fierce, like when the Yankees used to hear it out of the smoke and the galloping:
"Yaaaaaay, Drusilla!" they hollered. "Yaaaaaay, John Sartoris! Yaaaaaaay!" (6.3.35-36)
The expression of admiration, the rebel yell, isn't just for Drusilla and John Sartoris. It's a way of capturing that old pride, wounded after the Yankee victory, that gives the Southerners the feeling that they might recapture their glory and drive the northerners out of their territory.
Quote #10
Loosh would not have thought of that if he had come for me, he would have come straight to the college, to Professor Wilkins', and told his news and then sat down and let me take charge from then on. But not Ringo. (7.1.6)
Now the admiration is for Ringo instead of the other way around. Bayard notes that Ringo isn't just a silent servant, waiting for orders. Ringo takes the initiative and does what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, without being told. He's a leader, even though he's still Bayard's servant.