After the pinioned foes have reached amelioration, there
is a space of time in which the men are quiet as they ponder the changes to come. As
they lie and wait for help, each praying that his men will arrive first so that he can
be the gracious one to give his own enemy attention. However, the forest is yet cold
and gloomy, and the wind rips through the naked branches of trees, whirling in fits
around the trunks of these vulnerable trees.
Then, "the
wind dropped for a moment" and Ulrich speaks up, suggesting that they shout for
help. Joining their voices together, they break through the trees and undergrowth with
sound. It is at this point that Ulrich and Georg are
heard--unfortunately.
As is so often the case, the weather
provides the foreshadowing for the brutal ending. For, Saki
writes,
In the cold, gloomy forest, with
the wind tearing in fitful gusts through the naked branches and whistling round the
tree-trunks, they lay and waited for the help that would now bring
release and succor to both
parties.
That the weather is
cruel presages the fearful situation in which the men will soon find themselves
since frequently in narratives, the weather reflects the psychological or
emotional state of people. In the hiatus in which the wind does not blow, there is the
moment of truth for the two men.
No comments:
Post a Comment