Stories by Saki

The two stories I have read by Saki, "The Interlopers" and "The Open Window", have both been very interesting and unique. In both cases Saki uses irony of situation, with a very unexpected ending in each. In "The Interlopers" the surprise ending was when the wolves come, and the men are helplessly pinned to the ground by a tree. In "The Open Window" the story takes a turn when the aunt's reportedly dead husband and sons come home three years after leaving for a hunting trip. The mood of both stories was rather eerie, dark, and depressing."Her great tragedy happened just three years ago" ("The Open Window"). The tragedy was sad and set the mood for the whole story. The characters of each story were different. The characters of "The Interlopers" were dynamic, hating each other in the beginning, and becoming friends by the end,"...And he looked across with something like a throb of pity to where his enemy lay..." (The Interlopers"). You can see how Ulrich Gradwitz had felt resentment towards his neighbor,and then began to feel remorse for him. The characters of "The Open Window" were static, not changing by the end of the story. Both of the short stories kept you reading with rapt attention to see what would happen next. Saki did a great job of writing with suspense and producing vivid pictures and scenarios in your head.

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