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Literary Devices
Definition of Allegory
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The Tortoise and The Hare" is... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and... read full definition
Key Examples in The Interlopers
Allegory
Explanation and Analysis—The Folly of War:
“The Interlopers” can be read as an allegory for the folly of war, specifically World War I. Because Saki lived during and fought in World War I, his short story views the senselessness of violence with a critical eye. The brutality of war is therefore one of the underlying implications of “The Interlopers.” The central conflict is a personal feud between neighbors who both want access to a strip of land between their estates. The conflict is introduced in the short story’s beginning in this way:
The forest lands of Gradwitz were of wide extent and well stocked with game; the narrow strip of precipitous woodland that lay on its outskirts was not remarkable for the game it harboured or the shooting it afforded, but it was the most jealously guarded of its owner’s territorial possessions.
Related Themes:
