Post by jkeeney on Sept 20, 2015 22:15:34 GMT
In "The Interlopers" by Saki, the setting plays a major part in the main conflict of the story. Gradwitz' inheritance of his land has caused a feud between him and his jealous neighbor Georg Znaeym. For three generations, the Znaeyms' have continued to trespass and poach on the sought after land of Gradwitz which is why when Ulrich von Gradwitz becomes the head of his family and gets the land, the hatred continues and the neighbors detest each other. If not for this dispute over the land, the neighbors would not want to kill each other with their rifles.
Also, the "forest of mixed growth" is an important part of the story. These woods are packed with game, which gives Znaeym an excuse to use the plan of his nemesis neighbor. The feeling of "unrest among the creatures" of the forest also helps to foreshadow what happens at the end of the story with the wolves. This statement about the setting of the forest also brings about a disturbing connotation that something bad is going to happen that night. The steep slopes and hills of the forest are important too because they help give Gradwitz more courage to kill Znaeym since no one will be able to see him past those and the thick tangle of the undergrowth.
The stormy night in the story is what causes the tree to fall on both neighbors. If not for the large beech tree in the forest, they would not be stuck together; unable to move and unable to kill each other. Another element that is determined by the setting of the forest could be their men never find them. While it is not evident, it could be said that either group of men got lost in the forest, which is why neither got to save the men. If one had gotten there before the other the story would have had a much different outcome, perhaps where one neighbor had gotten the chance to shoot the other. Another major aspect of the story that would've been changed if not for the setting in the forest was when they were pinned down and Ulrich decided to end his hostility with his neighbor.
Realizing that he could die beneath those branches, Ulrich decided to spare the life of Georg and forget the strip of land that they had been fighting over. This resolution led them to work together and try to get themselves out. They yelled through the forest for help but were instead met by wolves. This outcome is unexpected but again may have been different if not for the thick forest blocking their shouts, "Our voices... won't carry far through the trees and undergrowth." All these obstructions from the forest may have aided in what we can only assume is the demise of the neighbors from the wolves that came down the hillside towards the men.
Also, the "forest of mixed growth" is an important part of the story. These woods are packed with game, which gives Znaeym an excuse to use the plan of his nemesis neighbor. The feeling of "unrest among the creatures" of the forest also helps to foreshadow what happens at the end of the story with the wolves. This statement about the setting of the forest also brings about a disturbing connotation that something bad is going to happen that night. The steep slopes and hills of the forest are important too because they help give Gradwitz more courage to kill Znaeym since no one will be able to see him past those and the thick tangle of the undergrowth.
The stormy night in the story is what causes the tree to fall on both neighbors. If not for the large beech tree in the forest, they would not be stuck together; unable to move and unable to kill each other. Another element that is determined by the setting of the forest could be their men never find them. While it is not evident, it could be said that either group of men got lost in the forest, which is why neither got to save the men. If one had gotten there before the other the story would have had a much different outcome, perhaps where one neighbor had gotten the chance to shoot the other. Another major aspect of the story that would've been changed if not for the setting in the forest was when they were pinned down and Ulrich decided to end his hostility with his neighbor.
Realizing that he could die beneath those branches, Ulrich decided to spare the life of Georg and forget the strip of land that they had been fighting over. This resolution led them to work together and try to get themselves out. They yelled through the forest for help but were instead met by wolves. This outcome is unexpected but again may have been different if not for the thick forest blocking their shouts, "Our voices... won't carry far through the trees and undergrowth." All these obstructions from the forest may have aided in what we can only assume is the demise of the neighbors from the wolves that came down the hillside towards the men.