How does maugham bring out the idea of fatalism in the tale appointment in samarra
Answers
Somerset Maughm brings out the idea of ‘fatalism’ in his story ‘Appointment in Samarra’.
In the story, when the servant goes to some local market in Baghdad he gets startled by death!
He wants to escape from death and begs his master for a horse, to ride to far away Samarra.
The narrator was ‘astonished to see the servant in Baghdad, for tonight, because he had an appointment with him at Samarra’.
The theme of the story is that one cannot escape fate and death is inevitable.
Answer:The story is firmly rooted in fatalism as it portrays Death who is certain about one thing- that the servant will die in Samarra. After seeing Death in the market the servant thinks that he can outrun Death by going to Samarra- a town that is known for its spirituality. He thinks he will be safe in Samarra. But Death doesn’t care about the location when it comes to the time of her ‘appointments’. She is surprised to see the servant in Bagdad because she already knows that she would find him in Samarra that night. Thus the story conveys the message of fate and destiny by convincing the readers that the servant will die in Samarra that night.
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