Irony In The Interlopers

When used effectively, suspense, in short stories, is used as a way to make the reader anticipate the outcome to a problem. The short story, “The Interlopers” by Saki uses multiple examples of situational irony effectively, which is used to create a great deal of suspense. These examples of situational irony are greatly emphasized through the use of symbolism and imagery. Thus, Saki uses irony that is expressed through the symbolism of the fallen tree, and the imagery of the wilderness, in order to effectively build up suspense to make the reader anticipate what happens next in the story. The first instance of irony used in the story is when the two enemies become friends while trapped in the wilderness together. Ulrich von Gradwitz, “[changes] [his] mind,” and then offers to treat his enemy, Georg Znaeym, “as though [he] were [Ulrich’s] guest” (4). Throughout the short story, Georg and Ulrich go from being people who hate each other because of an ancient rivalry, to

The first example of irony is when the enemies become good friends and welcomed guests. The fallen tree trunk symbolizes their captivation, which forces them to become friends. The imagery of the mountains and forest that Saki describes also adds to the irony, as their friendship is different from the harsh environment. The second example of irony is when wolves show up instead of what they thought were humans. The symbolism of their shouts and the tree trunk show how their friendship was actually meaningless, as their chances of surviving the encounter with the wolves is slim. The imagery of the now gloomy forest help to show irony, as the reader can now anticipate the friendship ending poorly, which is exemplified through the wolves arriving. Thus, the irony, and the symbolism and imagery used to show the irony, are all done as a means to create more suspense to effectively establish a more exciting