Theme Of The Interlopers And Two Friends

“The Interlopers” and “Two Friends” are two contradictory stories that possess similar elements. The main difference is the relationship of the figures within the two short stories. The Interlopers written by Saki ventures on the everlasting feud between two families, the Gradwitz and Znaeym. The prolonged hatred between the two families was passed for three generations due to land dispute and long lasting sequence of poaching affrays. In order to finalize their discord, they sought to kill each other one night. However, a tree branch collapsed on them, hindering them to execute their premeditated attack. Positioned in a disadvantage state, the two patriarchs of their respective family miraculously reconciled. In unison, the two men hollered …show more content…
In The Interlopers, it suggests that Georg Znaeym is a trespasser, taken to an account that his family has a history of hunting in Gradwitz territory. In actuality, they both infiltrated on a strip of land that is not rightfully theirs, making them the interlopers of nature. Case in point, Urich and Georg encountered the formidable forces of the forest, the tree branch and the pack of wolves. Similarly, in Two Friends, Monsieur Morissot and Monsieur Sauvage disregarded the dangers that await them and decided to fish in a high-risk area. Though they were granted permission by the colonel, their choice of location and time are incongruous. As a result, the Prussian soldiers falsely perceived them as spies because of their questionable action and killed the two …show more content…
The author’s selection of location highlights the primitive emotions of the characters. For instance, descriptions such as “wind-scourged winter night” resonates their barbaric impulse in the beginning and “weary screeching of the wind” denotes their languor. The environment also reflects on the overall ambience of the story. In the story it states, “peering through the tree trunks and listening through the whistling and skirling of the wind and the restless beating of the branches for sight or sound of the marauders.” This evokes a suspenseful feeling. On the other hand, the physical setting of Two Friends is in a riverbank in besieged Paris in 1871. The writer utilized subtle messages and the location to foreshadow the tragedy of Monsieur Morissot and Monsieur Sauvage. Despite the fact that rivers are conventionally sereneful, the Franco-Prussian war contributes to the alarming atmosphere. In addition, in the course of their fishing activity, they used gudgeon for bait, however, it also symbolizes the gullibility of the two