illustration of a wolf standing in the forest looking toward a fallen tree that has pinned a man underneath

The Interlopers

by Saki

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Discussion Topic

Setting's Impact on "The Interlopers"

Summary:

The setting in Saki's "The Interlopers" significantly influences both the mood and plot, enhancing the story's themes of futility and irony. Set in the Carpathian Mountains, the worthless, disputed forest land symbolizes the meaningless feud between the families of the main characters, Ulrich and Georg. The harsh, isolated environment foreshadows danger and entrapment, leading to the men's forced reconciliation under a fallen tree. Ultimately, the setting's elements, including the wolves, underscore the story's message about the destructive nature of human greed and conflict, as both men meet their demise.

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How does the setting of "The Interlopers" contribute to the mood?

Saki’s “The Interlopers” is an ironic tale about a generational family feud that appears to be resolved until a surprise ending occurs. In this story, as in many stories, the setting is more important than just the simple reporting of the time and place in which the action occurs.

Good settings should complement and reflect upon a work’s mood and theme. This is often done symbolically, as aspects of the place(s) in the story represent characters’ attitudes, beliefs, hopes, fears, etc. Such symbolism, while not always immediately obvious to the reader, draws the reader deeper into the story.

The setting in “The Interlopers” is "the narrow strip of precipitous woodland" that the families of the two main characters have been conflicting over for several generations.

The land is not particularly valuable in and of itself; by establishing that the setting is a relatively meaningless piece of property, Sake has commented on the effect of possessiveness and spite: people are willing to kill and die for it. The mood here is somber.

When the two main characters are out hunting on this piece of land, the setting is described in a way that emphasizes the danger it represents, as one character has:

wandered far down the steep slopes amid the wild tangle of undergrowth, peering through the tree trunks and listening through the whistling and skirling of the wind and the restless beating of the branches.

So, at this point in the story the setting has done two things—established the characters’ greed, and foreshadowed a mood of dread and danger by establishing the situation the characters will soon find themselves in.

Once the characters encounter each other, the setting takes on a more symbolic function. As they stare each other down at gunpoint, a bolt of lightning shatters a nearby tree, which falls and pins them both to the ground:

A fierce shriek of the storm had been answered by a splitting crash over their heads, and ere they could leap aside a mass of falling beech tree had thundered down on them.

Look at what has happened with Saki’s depiction of the setting now: the men have each been injured and trapped by the tree, which is part of the property they are fighting over. Symbolically this presentation of the setting demonstrates the idea that greed and feuds will entrap people who engage in them. In this case, both men are imperiled by the same aspect (the tree) of the land they are fighting over.

Now the story moves into another phase. Since the men are trapped near each other, they can do nothing but think. They decide to end the feud. So the setting, by physically restraining the men, has brought about their reconciliation. This positive mood is short-lived; however, because the setting has one more blow to deal to the men. When they think they see men approaching them a distance away, the men believe they are about to be rescued. The only question is who the men are:

“Who are they?” asked Georg quickly, straining his eyes to see what the other would gladly not have seen.

“Wolves.”

The wolves, like the tree that trapped them, are also elements of this particular setting. The happy ending we thought we were about to get will not happen. By using the wolves to kill them (we can assume they were attacked by the wolves, although the story ends before this happens) Saki has brought about the men’s ultimate demise through the thing that actually caused their feud in the first place—the land (which is, of course, the setting). If the men had simply killed one another with gunfire we would not have the same symbolic significance. Saki leaves the readers in a cautionary mood--look what can happen when we place possessions above people. 

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The interlopers takes place on the border of two plots of land. It is described as being very steep and heavily wooded- essentially a piece of worthless land because nothing can be grown there and no one can build there. Ulrich and Georg both believe that this useless piece of land is part of his territory and so it has sparked a family feud that reaches across generations of each family. In the story we find the two out "hunting", but they are really looking to accidentally shoot the other because the land is described as not being good for hunting either. The whole story unfolds on this steep, heavily wooded hillside that divides these two regions of land, these two families, and these two men. 

More specifically the majority of the story takes place beneath the tree that has been struck by lightning that has pinned the two men down together, within reach of the other, but not close enough to do any damage, they are forced to speak about their situation.  

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When we think of the setting of the story we think of time and physical location. This story gives us only one definite answer to these two aspects: the physical location. The first sentence of this excellent short story introduces where the action is to take place:

In a forest of mixed growth somewhere on the eastern spurs of the Carpathians, a man stood one winter night watching and listening...

The Carpathians, as I am sure you are aware, are a mountain range that starts in Slovakia and extends through Poland, Ukraine and Romania. So, whilst we know the geographical setting, the time of the story is not directly told to us, except that it is in winter. However, the fact that both characters have rifles, and other aspects about the setting, indicate that the story is set at some point in the early 20th century or late 19th century. This is just an educated guess, however. Often, when we think about setting, we have to examine the story and identify a variety of clues to help us in our deductions.

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In what time period does "The Interlopers" take place?

Because of the setting in which H.H. Munro’s short story “The Interlopers” takes place, it is extremely difficult to estimate the period in which it occurs. Munro, writing under his pen name Saki, set his story in the Carpathian Mountains in the Balkans—a vast stretch of land incorporating (over time) parts of Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, and Poland. The names of his characters in “The Interlopers” are of little help in isolating a specific geographic locale. It is a challenge complicated by a legacy of human movements throughout recent history and the propensity for the precise locations of international borders to change over time depending upon prevailing geopolitical realities (i.e., who won the last war and, subsequently, imposed the terms of the peace). It is sufficient to say, therefore, that the setting of Munro’s story could be anywhere along the Carpathian Mountain range. This geographical uncertainty is directly connected to the question of time and era. “The Interlopers” takes place in forested mountains and involves characters moving on foot, the significance of which is an absence of clues as to alternative modes of transportation (e.g., horseback, truck), but also occurs in a setting in which cultures and levels of technology could very well lag behind those of other more cosmopolitan locales (i.e., cities). In other words, the nearest major urban area could be significantly more technologically and socially advanced than the rural region, in which agrarian economics is dominant.

Finally, the notion of a feud between two clans, tribes, or families leaves the reader with little insight about the time in which “The Interlopers” takes place. The most famous such feud in US history was between the Hatfields and the McCoys, which peaked during the late nineteenth century but continued into the twentieth century. Europe’s much older histories and cultures, however, could muddy any effort at extrapolating from the American experience. The potential time frame is far broader.

In the end, perhaps, the best estimate as to the period in which “The Interlopers” takes place could be the author’s own life span. H.H. Munro died young as a result of his service in World War I (he was killed by a German sniper). He lived, then, from 1870 to 1916. That period of time, including the latter years leading up to his wartime military service, could fit the narrative Munro employed in his story. This time seems about as appropriate as any period contemplated, particularly for the isolated rural mountainous setting the author chose.

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This a good question. Like many short stories, the time period is not given. And there is little in the work to pinpoint one. What we, therefore, need to do is to piece things together from what evidence is given. 

First, the setting is on the eastern edge of the Carpathian Mountains, which borders the Czech Republic and Romania. The two main figures in the story are Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym, and they are noblemen. They also like to hunt. They also have retainers who go out with them. This suggest that the story takes place in a time where these things - hunting for fun, retainers, and personal vendettas in which the local police do not get involved - were typical of wealthy people.

Perhaps the greatest clue comes from the fact that author lived from 1870 - 1916. So, a reasonable guess states that we are dealing with the early 1800s to early 1900s. This fits the author and the setting. 

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The Interlopers is a story by Hector Hugh Munro (Saki).  It was part of a collection of short stories (The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers ) that was published in 1919 after Saki's death.  While the physical setting of the story is indicated, the time period is not.  

There are several clues that enable us to speculate that the time period of the book is the early Twentieth Century. First, the fact that both characters have rifles is an indication.  Also, most of the short stories in the collection are set in pre-war Europe.  A third hint about the time period is the fact that we do know that the author lived between 1870 to 1916.  

This time period was before the Great War.  It was a period of industrialism and militarism in Europe.  England was the most powerful industrial power, but Germany was also moving in that direction.  Many of the European countries had acquired empires in Africa and Asia.  The historical period is referred to as the Industrial Age or the Age of Oil.  

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How does the setting influence the plot in "The Interlopers"?

The setting is everything in "The Interlopers." For one thing, the forest forms the basis of the petty feud that's been raging for generations between the Znaeym and von Gradwitz families. Both families claim the forest as part of their land and are not prepared to back down in this seemingly never-ending dispute.

Just as the forest is clearly important to the story's characters, so too is it important to the story itself. The forest is the very reason why Georg and Ulrich are where they are. The woodland setting also leads directly to a reconciliation between the two men as well as their subsequent deaths. For the falling of the giant beech tree traps Georg and Ulrich, bringing them closer together, both literally and figuratively. Unfortunately for them, it also ensures that they have nowhere to go when a pack of hungry wolves descends upon them.

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The setting in the short story, "The Interlopers," is the perfect setting for the outcome. 

In the beginning of the story, we read of the conflict between two families and the two men at the head of these families. Ulrich Gradwitz's family won a lawsuit, which gave them possession of the land. Georg Znaeym's family lost the case and so the land. Even though the law was clear, Georg Znaeym and his family did not accept it. Therefore, a feud ensued. Both believe that they own the land. 

As the story progresses, there is a freak storm that knocks down a tree on both men.  As they lie under the tree, at first with hate, they begin to see the humanity in each other and reconcile.  From this point, it seems that the story will have a happy ending, but wolves come and the implication is that both will die a miserable death. 

The setting is apropos.  While the men are fighting each other about ownership, no one think whether land can be owned.  The implication is that both men are intruders or interlopers - the real interlopers.  The wolves, from this perspective, are sentinels, who guard and protect. 

In conclusion: The setting affects the outcome in an unexpected way; the men both die in the land that they think they own.  They own nothing. 

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The strongest element of "The Interlopers," the setting with its "deed of Nature's own violence" in the storm acts as pathetic fallacy to the violent feelings that the two men, Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym, have harbored for each other. The sudden breaking of the branches of the ancient tree also acts in a symbolic way to represent the attempt of the men to break the feud and become neighbors, a futile attempt because they are pinioned under the branches, with Nature as interloper between their amity.  Furthering the motif of Nature as the ironic interloper, as the men lie helplessly waiting for their men to come and rescue them, they hear, not men, but wolves. This intrusion of Nature again acts as pathetic fallacy, underscoring the ancient Russian proverb, "Man is a wolf to man."

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When and where does "The Interlopers" take place?

The short answer to your question can be found by reading the very first sentence in the story:  “In a forest of mixed growth somewhere on the eastern spurs of the Karpathians, a man stood one winter night watching and listening.”  The Carpathian Mountains stretch from the Czech Republic to Romania in Eastern Europe, and its eastern spurs would most likely place this forest somewhere in either Ukraine or Romania.

This particular “narrow strip of precipitous woodland” is on the outskirts of the forestlands owned by Ulrich von Gradwitz, on the border of the family’s property.  The land had been given to his grandfather in court, taken from the Znaeym family, the neighboring landowners who had never acquiesced to the ruling of the court but had instead continued to illegally hunt on this bit of forest, which they considered to be rightfully theirs.  Over the generations a blood feud developed, and now Ulrich von Gradwitz and George Znaeym are mortal enemies.  When we are introduced to Ulrich, he is in the contested land with his rifle waiting for Znaeym family raiders.

As far as when this story takes place, this also is answered in the first sentence:  we are in winter.  A “wind-scourged winter night,” to be specific, two generations after the initial contestation of the border forest, and therefore two generations deep into the rivalry between the Gradwitz and Znaeym families.

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Who is the author of "The Interlopers"?

"The Interlopers" tells readers the story of Ulrich and Georg and their time together while pinned beneath a fallen beech tree. Ulrich and Georg hate each other. Each man believes that a portion of land rightfully belongs to him, and both men are eager to keep control of the land through violence. Ulrich and Georg are both out at night hunting each other. Upon meeting each other, a tree falls and pins both men. The men are unable to get the tree off of themselves. They are unable to crawl out, and they are unable to get to their weapons. The two adversaries spend some time hurling insults at each other, but then calmer heads begin to take over. Both men realize the feud is stupid, and they agree to be friends. Their friendship is short lived, as they are discovered by wolves, and the men presumably die together.

The story is written by Saki. Saki is the pen name used by British author Hector Hugh Munro. Saki was born in December of 1870 in Burma, which was a British colony at the time. At age two, Saki moved to England and was raised by his grandmother and aunts, because his mother had been killed by a runaway cow. He was a journalist in his early writing career. Saki never married and was killed by a German sniper in World War I. He died in November of 1916.

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What is the context of "The Interlopers"?

In the short story "The Interlopers" by Saki, the author provides context concerning the location, the situation, the characters, and the background of their relationship, especially as it affects their motivations for hunting each other. In literature, context is the setting, environment, circumstances, and background in which a story takes place. Context helps readers better understand the characters and the actions that the characters take.

The first sentence gives us the location. The story takes place "in a forest of mixed growth somewhere on the eastern spurs of the Karpathians." The Karpathians (whose modern spelling is Carpathians) is a range of mountains in Eastern Europe. The specific location is the "forest lands" owned by a man named Ulrich von Gradwitz. They are "of wide extent and well stocked with game." The time it takes place is "one winter night." These are the first clues about the story's context.

Readers then learn the situation as it concerns the main characters, Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym. The conflict in the story is between these two men, who are the only ones present as the story progresses. Their families have been quarreling over the land for generations. At present, during the story, the courts have awarded the land to Ulrich von Gradwitz. However, Georg Znaeym does not accept this judgment, and so he continually trespasses on the land and poaches game from it. Besides this ancestral feud, the men have a personal dislike of each other. "As boys they had thirsted for one another's blood," and this animosity has carried on into the present. This past and present hatred is another aspect of context that the author provides so that their reconciliation at the end will be more surprising and touching.

We see, then, that what came before in the story was this generations-long feud between the von Gradwitz and Znaeym families, which culminates in the two men stalking each other in the cold dark forest on a winter night. Ultimately, a massive section of a tree falls upon the men, and as they lie trapped beneath it, they talk together, reconcile, and decide to become friends. However, when they shout for help, their men do not come. Instead, we receive a dreadful and horrifying clue as to what happens after the end of the story. They realize that they are not being rescued by their men but attacked by a pack of wolves. The context indicates that in the future, after the story ends, the men will be killed by the wolves.

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