The Inefficacy of Law

Both in "Spotted Horses" and "The Old Man" Faulkner emphasizes how broken and ineffective the legal system is. The purpose of any legal system, and especially the American legal system, is to correct injustices and restore balance to society. The injustice committed in "Spotted Horses" is primarily economic. The shrewd Buck Hipps is able to convince the gullible people in a small Mississippi agrarian community to be his wild, dangerous horses and leaves before he can be held accountable for all the damage he knows they will cause. The horses wind up running amok all over town, injuring two people and damaging property. The injured parties appeal to the legal system to correct these wrongs, but the judge declares that he can do nothing. He cannot hold Flem Snopes accountable for the sale of the horses because there is no evidence that he owned them...