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ENG

UNIT – 3

FUR - SAKI

 


Hector Hugh Munro was born on Dec 18, 1870.  He was a witty British author who published under the pen name SAKI or H.H. Munro.  Munro was born in Akyab, Burma (now known as Myanmar) in 1870.  As a writer, Munro (Saki) was a master of the short story form and is often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. E.F. Benson shares his sardonic style.

In ‘Fur’ by Saki, we have the theme of selfishness, appearance, friendship, bitterness, kindness and revenge. The theme of this story is betrayal and deception: Eleanor is a false friend who uses her friend Suzanne's confidences to stab her in the back.

 


In ‘Fur’ by Saki we have the theme of selfishness, appearance, friendship, bitterness, kindness and revenge. Taken from his ‘The Complete Short Stories’ collection, the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Saki may be exploring the theme of selfishness.

In Saki's short story "Fur," two friends find out who is true and who is not. Suzanne and Eleanor are friends. Eleanor seems to be the true friend. She agrees to meet with Suzanne's cousin Bertram to share with him what Suzanne desires for her birthday. Bertram is wealthy. Eleanor agrees to tell Bertram what Suzanne desires for her birthday. Eleanor is a true friend in every sense of the word.

Eleanor suggests that they meet Bertram on his afternoon walk. Then they can encourage him to enter the store which has nice furs. Eleanor has agreed to be the liaison and tell Bertram what Suzanne wants for her birthday, which is a nice fur.

While the two friends are waiting for Bertram to appear, Eleanor asks a favor of Suzanne. She asks Suzanne to sit in on a game of bridge with her aunts so Eleanor can be free to talk with a gentleman caller. Suzanne will not hear of such a suggestion. Selfishly, Suzanne says no to the idea of helping her friend Eleanor out of a bridge game.

When Bertram finally arrives at the store, Eleanor is upset with her friend Suzanne because she will not help her out of the bridge game. Instead of telling Bertram that Suzanne desires an expensive fur, she tells Bertram that Suzanne desires a fan, the exact thing she does not need. In this way, Eleanor gets back at Suzanne for not helping her out of the bridge game.

Eleanor gets revenge and she gets the fur that Suzanne desired. Suzanne should have been a true friend. She should not have been so selfish in thinking only of herself.

Eleanor is the true friend. Suzanne is selfish. She does not help her friend Eleanor out. Eleanor is so upset until she tricks Bertram into buying the fur for herself, not Suzanne.

In this short story, Suzanne is thinking only of herself when she is talking to Eleanor about her birthday. She knows that Bertram is a wealthy man and as such she is looking for an expensive present, a fur. The fact that Bertram is only a distant cousin is not important to Suzanne what matters to her is that she gets a fur. This is Suzanne’s first and only priority. At all stages of the story Suzanne thinks only of herself. A fact that disturbs Eleanor when Suzanne refuses to attend a bridge game in order that Eleanor can speak to Harry. If anything, this is the spark which triggers Eleanor to seek revenge on Suzanne. Something she successfully manages to do when Bertram buys her the fur and Suzanne the fan.

What may also be important in the story is the fact that Suzanne is focused on appearance. She likes Bertram not because he might be a relative but because he is wealthy. Similarly, the fact that Suzanne has a trip to Davos planned pushes her towards wanting to get a fur so that she can fit in with the Russians in Davos who are wearing fur. It would seem to be a case that appearance is everything to Suzanne. She wants to be seen as something that she really isn’t which may very well be how Eleanor thinks until she decides to get revenge on Suzanne. Though Eleanor likes Harry, Suzanne does not wish to be involved in any way in Eleanor and Harry’s courtship. She does not want to help Eleanor. Again, she is acting selfishly thinking only of herself. Even though Eleanor is prepared to help her.

It is also interesting that Bertram is addressed by his surname rather than his first name when Suzanne is telling Eleanor about her present. It is as though Suzanne has become bitter having not received the present that she had wished for. If anything it is clear to the reader that Suzanne has being using Bertram for her own advantage. As too has Eleanor who wished to get the better of Suzanne and appears to have done so. It may also be a case that rather than being true friends both Suzanne and Eleanor have a superficial relationship. With both being only interested in what they can gain out of the friendship. Though it is noticeable that Eleanor prior to being rebuked by Suzanne does seem to genuinely want to help Suzanne. However, Suzanne’s inability to assist Eleanor with Harry may have meant that Eleanor decided to review her friendship with Suzanne. There is also a sense that Suzanne is jealous of Eleanor. After all it is Eleanor who has received the fur. Now that Eleanor has the fur Suzanne may not necessarily feel as confident about herself.

It is also possible that Saki is placing a spot light on society at the time. How easily swayed young women like Suzanne and Eleanor can be by another person’s wealth. Perhaps Saki is suggesting that some people look upon other people’s good fortune as being a tool which they can use for their own advantage. Suzanne wanting the fur from Bertram being an example. If anything, an individual may act selfishly in order to gain something for themselves. With it being clear to the reader that Suzanne is being nice to Bertram simply because he is the person who can buy her what she wants rather than being satisfied with the fan and the kindness shown by Bertram. Suzanne is offended. She doesn’t seem to realise that Bertram could have chosen not to buy her anything for her birthday. Instead he went out of his way to buy the present even if Suzanne does not like it. Suzanne through her selfishness has not only got a birthday present she doesn’t want but she has also possibly lost a friend. It is possible that Saki is suggesting that it is better to be kind towards others and to help others than to think only of yourself. As Suzanne has done throughout the story.

 

Conclusion

In ‘Fur’ by Saki we have the theme of selfishness, appearance, friendship, bitterness, kindness and revenge. In this short story, two friends find out who is true and who is not. Eleanor is the true friend. Suzanne is selfish. In the story, Suzanne is focused on appearance. She likes Bertram not because he might be a relative but because he is wealthy.

 

References:

  • Economic Times
  • Wikipedia
  • Britannica

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