Tension In The Interlopers

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The short story, “The Interlopers,” by Saki, provides a thrilling tale following two men as they are on the hunt for one to end an everlasting feud. All the aspects of the story come together to produce a series of unpredictable and suspenseful series of events leaving readers on their toes. The dominant literary element of this drama is the plot, however other elements, for example irony, symbolisms, and characters generate a story full of tension. The plot of the story demonstrates the two men, Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym, joining forces, despite the everlasting conflict. We learn in the exposition there had been a lawsuit generations ago over prime hunting land, and the resulting verdict finding the Gradwitzs the owner. As Ulrich patrols his grounds, he wishes to find his nemesis just “man to man” in the woods without any …show more content…

The tale is relatable in the sense that everyone has some quarrel with another. The two heads of the families, Georg and Ulrich, are considered to be dynamic characters, due to the change in heart during the rising action. At the beginning, they both represented a certain emotion. Ulrich symbolized rage, whereas Georg stood for jealousy. Ulrich had what Georg wanted, but was angered by Georg's attempts to use the land regardless of the court's judgemen . The characters change for survival, but in turn get killed by a pack of wolves. The wolves, in this case, represents the consequences to every decision. Early in the story, foreshadowing hinted towards the wolves, “... and there was movement and unrest among the creatures that were wont to sleep through the dark hours.” In addition, the collapse of the tree was referenced, “...as men each prayed that misfortune might fall on the other.” The symbolism in the characters and storyline, along with the element of foreshadowing created depth to the