The Interlopers

Saki uses elements of nature to foreshadow the danger that Ulrich and Georg will face. The roebucks and other animals behave differently than usual; those that normally shelter during a storm are running, and those that normally move about at night are hiding. An ordinary forester might have seen those behaviors as a sign of danger and left the area, but Ulrich interprets them as a sign his quarry (Georg) is near and continues seeking him. When the beech tree branch crashes down upon them, the narrator states that “nature’s own violence overwhelmed them both” (17). This foreshadows the further violence from wolves that they will face at the end, for as much as they have reconnected with their human, empathetic sides, nature is an uncontrollable force that they cannot escape.

Irony is a literary device in which words mean the opposite of their typical use or events are contrary to what one expects. Saki weaves irony throughout his story. The title itself provides an ironic twist. First, Georg is seen as a trespasser or interloper on Ulrich’s property, but then Georg expresses annoyance at the idea of other people—termed interlopers—intervening in either the killing of or making peace with his enemy.