The Interlopers

Rebeca Castro, #6
 1.
Revenge as downfall
1. Revenge as downfall
In this short story, revenge can be seen as downfall in many ways. Both men, Ulrich von Gradwitz
and Georg Znaeym, sought revenge since they were small, both were thirsty for each other's
blood. And all that thirst for revenge and suffering did not even concern them both. It was
something that happened three generations ago and that their families had instilled in them as
they grew up, but neither Ulrich nor Georg had stopped to think about how stupid the situation
was. Both of them had been fighting over a piece of forest for many years, but the forest was
always going to be the same, no matter who owned the land. Tree roots can pass below the
invisible border that divided them, because the forest is one, as a whole. And although Ulrich's
family had stolen a part of the territory, nowadays we can see that nobody cares about the forest,
they only care about the revenge and hatred between them, which is what prevails throughout the
short story. That was what led them to their downfall, event though they reconciled. It was too late.
If they hadn't been looking for each other in the middle of the night, that wouldn't have happened.

“As boys they had thirsted for one another’s blood, as men each prayed
that misfortune might fall on the other”.

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 2.
Dullness of aristocratic
lives

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 2. Dullness of aristocratic lives
Both families were aristocrats, we know this because only very wealthy families
could buy land in those days. Also the entire town was affected by the rivalry
between these two families, and if they were not important in society that would
not happen.

Both parties come from aristocratic families, who obviously have absolutely
nothing better to do because they have hated each other for a few generations.
Dullness may have contributed to their hatred, as their lives lacked brightness,
interest and excitement. And since they had nothing better to do, they sat at
home thinking about how despicable the other family was. This was also the case
with the other families in society, who probably realized the problem and simply
added more fuel to the fire. Thus, a generational rivalry began over a simple
terrain.

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3. Nature as a
corrective
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3. Nature as a corrective
In this short story we can see that nature is used as a corrective, almost as if it were another character
in the story. It seems to have a life of its own and speak without words.

At the beginning, when Ulrich is looking for Georg, nature is calm, the wind blows between the
branches and everything is slightly illuminated by the moon. When Ulrich and Georg meet, they both
start thinking about killing each other, but nature prevents it, almost giving them a reprimand. A tree
falls on them, and neither can move. I like to see it as Mother Nature is asking her two children to
reconcile, and that’s exactly what happens. The two reconcile, but when they try to ask for help, the
force of the wind apparently increases, causing their voices to be carried away by the wind and their
men cannot hear them.

In the end, when the wolves arrive, I also like to think of it as revenge from the forest itself. The two
families had spent many years fighting over the terrain, but the terrain was already fed up with so much
hatred between the two of them. So it decided to take action on the matter.

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4. Greed as downfall
4. Greed as downfall
The greed of these people was what caused
the beginning of the end. If their grandparents
hadn’t fought over the land, hatred would
never have been born between them and
things wouldn’t have taken such a dark turn.
They all wanted the other piece of land they
didn't have, but they were very busy hating
each other instead of setting their differences
aside and talking things out like decent
people.
 5.
Triumph of nature
5. Triumph of nature
In the end, nature triumphs over the two men. I like to compare it to real life, nature
is much wiser and vast than us. Maybe one day it will get tired of so much hatred
and so many wars between us, just like what happened between Ulrich and Georg.
Nature got rid of the two main causes of its annoyances, but I don’t think it’s very
effective, because their wives and children will continue to hate each other in the
same way.

And it seems ironic to me, because both men are going to end up being part of the
forest for which they fought over so much. They still got what they wanted: the
whole forest for the two of them alone. Although the cost is their lives, they still
traveled the land forever in one way or another. In the end, both men are the real
interlopers.

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Saki
Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14
November 1916), better known by the pen
name Saki and also frequently as H. H.
Munro, was a British writer whose witty,
mischievous and sometimes macabre stories
satirize Edwardian society and culture. He is
considered by English teachers and scholars
as a master of the short story, and often
compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker.
Influenced by Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll and
Rudyard Kipling.

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