24 pages • 48 minutes read
SakiThe Interlopers
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1919A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Ulrich von Gradwitz
The story is told in the third person with the point of view centering primarily on Ulrich. The forest is his, and his grandfather initiated the lawsuit against the Znaeym family. Ulrich is proud and harbors anger and hatred against Georg Znaeym, whom he refers to as a poacher, marauder, and thief. He is prepared to kill him should they encounter each other. He does not think of Georg as a person but as a beast that must be put down. Raised in the context of the feud, Ulrich has taken it to new levels by making it a matter of “personal ill-will” (16). Though he is a landowner, his impulse to kill Georg shows that he is as much a beast as a gentleman. However, Ulrich is also the one who initiates the change in their relationship, first by offering Georg wine from his flask and then by declaring that if his men arrive first, he would have them rescue Georg. Pity, it appears, moves Ulrich to put an end to the multi-generational dispute. Though it is not stated explicitly, being trapped for several long minutes in pain and suffering with Georg and seeing him struggle humanizes his enemy for him. Such humanization was probably not possible when the two did not engage with each other directly. While Ulrich is a mostly flat character in the sense that he is defined by a few salient traits such as his sense of family honor, he is also dynamic. His perspective evolves from malicious hatred of his family’s enemy to a reluctant recognition of his adversary’s humanity. His reason and empathy overcome his habitual if irrational malice toward Georg. His change of heart comes too late, however, and it seems that he will never see the benefits of his more benevolent instincts.
Georg Znaeym
Georg is initially presented as the antagonist to Ulrich, though by the end of the story, the reconciliation between the men changes his role in the story. He begins as an antagonist but ends as a foil character who helps to bring out Ulrich’s most salient traits. The third-person narration only includes the thoughts and feelings of Georg when they are the same or similar to those of Ulrich. This characterization technique seems purposeful, for it suggests that the two men, despite being bitter rivals willing to kill one another, are actually much the same. Saki carefully modulates perspective by never employing a fully omniscient narrator yet stretching the third-person limited perspective to the breaking point when Georg and Ulrich reconcile. Both are landowners and hunters with hired men who will do their bidding. The key difference is that Georg’s grandfather lost the lawsuit long ago, so the Znaeym side of the dispute is not the one that the law supports. Therefore, Georg can be seen, or at least might see himself, as representing the rebel character type, someone who fights against what he perceives to be an injustice. He believes that the land was stolen from his family, and therefore, his raids are justified on principle if not by law. Of the two men, Georg seems the more immature, as when he taunts Ulrich for being “snared in his stolen forest” (17). He also refuses the proffered wine flask, stating, “I don’t drink wine with an enemy” instead of thanking Ulrich for the offer (19). Like many rebels, he does not respect institutions and cultural norms that he believes are unjust or are harming him and the people he cares about.
The two men had similar childhoods and might have been friends if it hadn’t been for the family feud and the bitter feelings they inherited. When Ulrich asks to be his friend, the scene echoes the time when they were boys and what might have been had they been allowed to let the dispute fade away. Indeed, Georg takes up Ulrich’s idea of friendship and peace with enthusiasm, imagining the surprised reactions of villagers and the holidays they will share. Much like boys, they each hope to be the first to do a good deed for their new friend.
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