Sredni+Vashtar+and+Others+Commentary

=Sredni Vashtar and Others by H. Hugh Munro (Saki) =

Short Commentary
 The story of Sredni Vashtar is one of Saki’s characteristically dark and black-humoured tales, this time featuring main themes of oppression and defiance. It introduces the sickly boy Conradin, who lives in misery with his older cousin Ms. De Ropp—a woman who seemingly delights in thwarting him “for his own good” [1] —and is centered around Conradin’s imaginary world, which is in turn centered around the creation of his own religion. Besides feeling that the worship of a pole-cat ferret he keeps in a tool shed is, to a degree, necessary to keep himself alive [2], the defiance in it delights him [3] , and eventually allows Conradin to achieve a happy ending through brief, straightforward violence (chronicled, of course, in a very light-hearted fashion) wherein his god grants the boy’s murderous wish, and Mrs. De Ropp perishes at the jaws of the mighty pole-cat ferret.

The Author:
 One thing quite prevalent in Saki’s work is a very strong essence of the author himself; his background, character, and even reflecting then-current situations.

1. Conflict of Culture:  Munro’s close ties with India and his tendency to contrast handpicked aspects of this culture with the “hypocrisies” of Edwardian England are very prevalent in Sredni Vashtar. This manifests itself as the struggle between Mrs. De Ropp (who represents the three-fifths of the world that are necessary and disagreeable and real [4] ) and Conradin, the oppressed protagonist.

2. Saki’s childhood:  As a child, Hector was sent to live with his grandmother and aunts in a strict puritanical household after his mother died in 1872 by complications arising from a miscarriage. One can draw parallels between this and the situation described in Sredni Vashtar, where Conradin lives wretchedly with his strict older cousin.

His Works:
 1. Common themes explored in works:  · Conflict between nature and society  o In “Sredni Vashatar,” there is an obvious conflict between Mrs. De Ropp (society) and Conradin (on the side of nature); “Mrs. De Ropp…represented those three-fifths of the world that are necessary and disagreeable and real; the other two-fifths, in perpetual antagonism to the foregoing, were summed up in himself and his imagination.”  · Nature always wins  o In “Sredni Vashtar,” Mrs. De Ropp is mauled by a pole-cat ferret, resulting in a happy ending for Conradin, the protagonist.  o In Esmé, the hyena that has supposedly escaped from a zoo attacks a gypsy child, which is treated with a nonchalant indifference, and is later used as a tool to obtain a diamond brooch (as compensation for when it’s hit by a car). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; margin-left: 72pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> · Hypocrisies in society <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; margin-left: 108pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> o In Esmé, a child’s horrible death is ignored in favour of something more important—a hyena’s. While a large fuss is made over the poor beast’s quick demise, and a valuable diamond brooch gained as compensation, the nameless gypsy child was treated like more of a beast than a zoo animal; “I don't suppose in large encampments they [the gypsies] really know to a child or two how many they've got.” One of the characters, Constance, even brings attention to this when she snorts after the Baroness bitterly exclaims “You’ve killed my Esmé!” once it was hit.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-indent: -18pt;"> 2. Common features of writing: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Saki’s writing style by itself says much about his Satirist tendencies, besides lending support to themes and situations which also support this genre. Irony is also smattered generously throughout his works, as well as metaphors that support it, such as in the following example: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> In the story of Sredni Vashtar, Conradin’s defiance is shared through metaphor. After selling one of his pets and announcing it at breakfast one morning (expecting an “outbreak of rage and sorrow…but Conradin said nothing.” [5] ) his aunt tries to dispel her guilt by serving toast—a delicacy which she usually banned. Conradin refuses it, offering only a “sometimes” as answer when his aunt exclaimed, hurt, “I thought you liked toast.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Near the end, as the ending unfolds and Conradin realizes what has happened to his aunt, he promptly makes himself a piece of toast as a kind of celebration [6], and, again, the last line of the story reads “while they debated…among themselves, Conradin made himself another piece of toast.” [7] The toast represents a defiant, triumphant gesture on the boy’s part, further reinforced by strong imagery alluding to a kind of personal war between “the Woman” and Conradin, evident during phrases such as “the Woman would triumph always as she triumphed now,” [8] “the sting and misery of defeat,” [9] as well as through Conradin’s allegiance to his “threatened idol.” [10]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> [1] pg. 96 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> [2] “sickly under her…superior wisdom, till one day nothing would matter much more with him, and the doctor would be proved right.” pg. 98 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> [3] “Such few pleasures as he could contrive for himself gained an added relish from the likelihood that they would be displeasing to his guardian...” pg. 96 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> “Mrs. De Ropp was the ground plan on which he based and detested all respectability.” pg. 97 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> [4] pg 96 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> [5] pg 97. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> [6] pg 99 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> [7] pg.99 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> [8] pg 98 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> [9] pg 98 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> [10] pg 98, referring to the polecat ferret <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Others