Wolves (The Interlopers)
The wolves that appear as dark figures in the distance mistaken for men who can come rescue the two men fighting over property are perhaps the most famous symbols in the entire canon of Saki. The two men who are trapped by a fallen beech tree limb have been feuding for years over property rights. The arrival of the wolves puts to an end any question of who really “owns” the property in question and—by extension—suggests that all men are merely renters rather than owners.
Tobermory
Arguably Saki’s most famous named animal—a certain named ferret would forward the strongest argument—Tobermory is a cat who has been taught to speak. This amazing development initially provides amusement and entertainment for party guests, but very quickly things take a much less amusing turn for those guests when it becomes clear that while Tobermory has developed the ability to speak like a human, he apparently lacks the ability to censor what he says courtesy of tact like humans. Thus, Tobermory situates the cat as a symbol in opposition to humans: truthfulness versus hypocrisy.
Sredni Vashtar
That ferret who would argue against the elevation of a mere talking cat to highest point of Saki’s symbolic animals is Sredni Vashtar in the story which bears his name as its title. Tobermory may be a cat that talk, but Sredni Vashtar is a ferret that is a god. Except, of course, that evidence is provided of the ability of Tobermory to talk, whereas the reader just has to go on faith that Sredni Vashtar eventually kills in response to prayer of his religious order of one. Which makes Sredni Vashtar an ideal symbol of religious iconography. What is any god, after all, but a manifestation of faith, whether by one or billions?
Which Horse to Back?
“A Matter of Sentiment” is a highly allegorical story with a powerful symbol at the center its narrative: which horse to back? A woman who disapproves of gambling on horse races announces to her guests’ shock that she bet on the surprise winner, Sadowa. She then explains that this unexpected occurrence was only due to the sentiment she attached to the horse’s name which she says claims occurred during the Franco-Prussian War. In fact, Sadowa was a battle in an earlier war and her ignorance of history is the very point of the symbolism. The horse race is a symbol for a serious political debate in England at the time: which horse to back in the country’s response to the perception of a growing threat against them by Germany. Was it prudent to back those who were strongly in favor of taking the threat seriously or to back those who felt that too defensive a position could actually be the mechanism leading to conflict. The title is another example of Saki’s irony; deciding which horse to back in this political battlefield had no place for sentiment.
Bertha the "Horribly" Good
Bertha is first described by “The Storyteller” as being “extraordinarily good” which is a characterization greeted negatively by his young listeners. Only when he makes the adaptive tweak to “horribly good” d they perk up. As the story unfolds, it is learned that Bertha has received three medals for her “horrible” goodness that commend her obedience, punctuality and good behavior. In the world of adults these may seem like three separate medals for three separate examples of being good, but to children they all honor the same thing. After all, what are punctuality and good behavior but manifestations of obeying what adults expect of you? Bertha thus become a symbol of what adults really mean when they describe a child as being “good.” They mean someone who always obeys and never rebels; or, in other words, someone who never exhibits any individuality, but merely conforms.
