Student Question
What would be the effect of an alternative outcome in the story "Dusk" by Saki?
Quick answer:
An alternative ending to "Dusk" by Saki could alter its impact significantly. One option might involve Gortsby realizing his mistake when the young man returns to repay him, challenging his renewed cynicism. Alternatively, the story could end with Gortsby reflecting on his lesson while the young man celebrates his successful scam in a pub, maintaining the story's ironic tone. Any change would affect the original's situational irony, a key element of Saki's storytelling.
Of course, any other ending for Saki's cleverly plotted story "Dusk" with its satiric surprise ending will not measure up to the original, there are some choices that the writer of this new ending can make.
Perhaps in keeping with Saki's satire of Norman Gortsby's cynicism, the ending could be altered by leaving the ending that is the orginal, but adding to it: Gortsby continues to sit on the bench a while, berating himself for thinking that he should "not be too clever in judging by circumstances" and then discovering that he was right after all as the soap did not belong to him, but to the elderly gentleman. Then, he holds his head and emits a low moan.
One evening of the following week, Gortsby "counts himself among the defeated" in judging human nature. As he sits in the shadows, the young man happens by. For a moment, he hesitates, again there is "a catch in his voice"...
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as he addresses Gortsby as "Sir."
When Gortsby recognizes the young man, he turns to him and makes a cynical remark (use dialogue here); the young man responds that he wishes to repay Gortsby, explaining that he felt guilty taking the money. (Put all this in dialogue) He quickly repays Gortsby the sovereign and hurries away. Now, Gortsby must readjust his opinion a third time. (Write his thoughts.)
If the young man returns the money, Gortsby is, in a sense, defeated in his renewed cynicism and feels confused. How will he know how to trust anyone again? Yet, he should trust people if this young man has returned. He sits down again on the bench, holding his head.
Imagine an alternative outcome for the story "Dusk."
I often have a problem with these kinds of questions because they infer that there is something wrong with the ending that the author chose. Clearly, if we think about the story, what makes it so outstanding is the situational irony that Saki employs when Gortsby realises that his original intentions were correct and that he had been tricked by the young man after all. Changing the ending would completely take away that irony and result in a very different kind of story, and you need to be aware of this when answering this question.
However, having said this, another possible alternative ending would be to end the story as we have it just after the following comment from Gortsby:
"Poor boy, he as nearly as possible broke down," said Gortsby to himself. "I don't wonder either; the relief from this quandary must have been acute. It's a lesson to me not to be too clever in judging by circumstances."
The story could stop at this stage, with Gortsby congratulating himself on the lesson he has learnt. Then the story could switch to the young man in a pub or bar, complacently drinking some beer very happily, obviously showing that he was a confidence trickster after all. This would be a different way of retaining the same kind of ending.