Questions and Answers for Sredni Vashtar
Sredni Vashtar
What is the central conflict of "Sredni Vashtar" by Saki? Who took part in it? Was there a resolution to the conflict?
The main conflict in "Sredni Vashtar" is between the protagonist Conradin and his cousin Mrs. De Ropp, the antagonist. For Conradin, [Mrs. De Ropp] represented those three-fifths of the world that...
Sredni Vashtar
What can we learn about the relationship between the boy and the guardian in "Sredni Vashtar" by Saki?
In the story, we learn that the relationship between Conradin and his guardian, Mrs. De Ropp, is fraught with tension and mutual dislike. Conradin thinks of Mrs. De Ropp as a nemesis of sorts; for...
Sredni Vashtar
In "Sredni Vashtar," how does Saki demonstrate the underlying tension between both characters? Mrs. De Ropp never...
Tension permeates the powerful narrative of “Sredni Vashtar.” Saki does an amazing job at bringing it out through the eyes of Conradin: a miserable child who is as sickly as he is unfortunate. Saki...
Sredni Vashtar
In Saki's "Sredni Vashtar," what could be considered irony and why?
There are a couple things that I can think of in this story that are ironic. First, it seems somewhat ironic that a boy who is supposed to be fated to die soon would want to withdraw from the...
Sredni Vashtar
How is the ferret in "Sredni Vashtar" linked to death?
In the short story "Sredni Vashtar" by H.H. Munro (Saki), the ferret is not only linked to death but also it is worshiped as a god by Conradin, the sickly ten-year-old boy, and is responsible for...
Sredni Vashtar
What is Saki's tone and style in general and in "Sredni Vashtar" in particular?
In general, Saki employs irony in his stories along with satire of the foibles of Edwardian society. In his short story "Sredni Vashtar," the author adopts an ironic tone and he satirizes in an...
Sredni Vashtar
How does Saki make the ending so powerful in "Sredni Vashtar"?
The ending of Saki's "Sredni Vashtar" is powerful because it has elements of the mysterious and the preternatural that converge with the realism of the story. Saki's narrative is rife with intense...
Sredni Vashtar
Who are the antagonist and the protagonist in the story "Sredni Vashtar?"
The protagonist of the short story "Sredni Vashtar" is Conradin, a ten year-old sickly child who lives with his cousin, Mrs. de Ropp. She is his antagonist. The protagonist of the story is the main...
Sredni Vashtar
Why is Mrs. De Ropp to blame for her own death in Srendno Vashtar? I see everything so subjective, that is, the boy...
Of course, Mrs. De Ropp does not actually deserve to die. Her offenses against Conradin are grave, but they are not capital crimes. However, she is to blame for her own death because she makes a...
Sredni Vashtar
Does anyone know what are the possible themes and tones for the story "Sredni Vashtar"? And what is the diction used...
The themes of "Sredni Vashtar" are wishes and faith. The young boy is sick and doesn't have any agency or happiness; he knows that he's likely to die soon. He places his faith in a ferret that he...
Sredni Vashtar
What makes the ending of the story "Sredni Vashtar" so powerful.
The ending of “Sredni Vashtar” is powerful in many ways. First, it is a very cathartic ending, where the reader can finally feel some vicarious relief through the eyes of the main character, 10...
Sredni Vashtar
Why is Conradin's imagination the mainstay of life in "Sredni Vashtar?"
Conradin is a 10 year-old child who lives with his guardian, Mrs. De Ropp. Despite of being his cousin, Mrs. De Ropp dislikes Conradin a lot. Conradin's life is very sad and miserable. He is sick...
Sredni Vashtar
What was the role of the polecat-ferret, the Houdan hen and the empty tool-shed in the life of Conradin?
In order to determine the role of the polecat-ferret, the Houdan hen, and the empty barnyard in Conradin's life, we should examine how these things come to be significant in Conradin's life. Upon...
Sredni Vashtar
How does the writer effectively portray Conradin's feelings in "Sredni Vashtar"?
In this, one of Saki's most enigmatic short stories, Conradin is a child who is emotionally neglected, not just because he is an orphan, but also because his guardian and cousin, Mrs. De Ropp, is...
Sredni Vashtar
Please summarize "Sredni Vashtar."
The basic idea of this story is that a 10 year old boy named Conradin (who is terminally ill) is living with his cousin, Mrs. DeRopp. They hate each other. She is pretty harsh with him, always...
Sredni Vashtar
What is the fate of Mrs. De Ropp?
Mrs. De Ropp dies when she is attacked by Conradin's polecat-ferret, Sredni Vashtar. The story of how she dies is faithfully described by the author and is presented as a case of poetic justice....
Sredni Vashtar
What does Saki make us feel about Conradin in Sredni Vashtar?
By portraying Conradin's aunt as a domineering and suffocating presence in his life, Saki causes us to sympathize with the protagonist. Additionally, since Conradin's life is one of unmitigated...
Sredni Vashtar
What is the significance of the words in the final paragraph to the whole story?
The short story "Sredni Vashtar" is one of the few examples of macabre stories by H.H. Munro, also known as Saki. It is included in Saki's Chronicles of Clovis. In a fashion that detours from...
Sredni Vashtar
What happened to Conradin's parents?
If we go simply by the actual text of the story, there is absolutely no way for us to know what happened to Conradin's parents. His parents are never mentioned in any way in the story. All we...
Sredni Vashtar
In the story "Sredni Vashtar" by Saki, what makes the ending powerful?
The ending of Shredni Vashtar is so powerful because it illustrates the horrific glee and the quiet satisfaction of a child at his guardian's death. The resolution is made even more poignant when...
Sredni Vashtar
How does the narrator in Sredni Vashtar encourage the reader to empathize with the protagonist?
There are several traits that Conradin himself possesses which are cause for the reader's sympathy. There are also other characteristics of the cousin/guardian which provide a reason for the reader...
Sredni Vashtar
Explain how the author brings out the theme of conflict in "Sredni Vashtar"
One of the best ways authors generally bring out the theme of conflict in their writing is to portray a struggle between opposing values. For example, in this short story, Conradin and his guardian...
Sredni Vashtar
How does the writer memorably portray the experience of being a child in "Sredni Vashtar"?
The writer memorably portrays the experience of being a child in Sredni Vashtar by: 1)Using humor. This is a sad story of one boy's experience living under the guardianship of a cousin who seems...
Sredni Vashtar
What are the ways and effects that the writer brings out in the feeling of Conradin who is oppressed and in search of...
Hello! To answer your question, Saki uses a few literary devices to bring out the feeling of Conradin being oppressed and in search of freedom. I describe the two most prevalent devices below....
Sredni Vashtar
Conradin sees and describesthe ferret in the eponymous novel "Sredni Vashtar" as a god. is this an example of...
The description of the ferret in "Sredni Vashtar" as a god is an example of personification. Personification entails awarding human traits and features to an inanimate object or to something which...
Sredni Vashtar
What was the backdrop against which Saki wrote "Sredni Vashtar"?
Saki wrote Sredni Vashtar against the backdrop of Edwardian bourgeois or upper-class society. As a well-known satirist, Saki (or Hector Hugh Munro) mercilessly lampooned aunts and female guardians...
Sredni Vashtar
What is the meaning of this sentence:"Conradin had long ago settled that she was an Anabaptist"?
Anabaptism is an offshoot of protestantism that holds that baptism should only be done to people who have made the conscious decision to believe in God. As a result, Anabaptists do not believe in...