Why it is difficult to judge a people at a time of dusk?
Answers
Explanation:
Dusk" follows an intelligent and somewhat judgmental and cynical young man named Norman Grotsby, who comes across and is deceived by one, or maybe even two, con artists. There are many socially relevant themes which are represented in the story such as deception, human nature, pessimism, perception, and uncertainty; however, the main theme seems to be the importance and inevitability of fate, as Saki often mocked theoverconfident and falsely superior British elites and enjoyed making them 'victims' of fate.
The wanderers in the dusk did not choose to have strange looks fasten on them, therefore they came out in this bat-fashion, taking their pleasure sadly in a pleasure-ground that had emptied of its rightful occupants.
Dusk is the only time during the working week when the Norman Gortsby will be able to lounge on a park bench. He is not a gentleman of leisure but a young man making his way in the world. He probably has a fairly good job and gets off work around five, thus having a couple of hours to sit in the park. It is important to the story that the loss of a sovereign will be painful. In Saki's day a sovereign was a week's wages for an ordinary clerk.
Answer:
In "Dusk," Gortsby feels that the time of day known as dusk is the hour of defeated people. People who live defeated lives come out at dusk. It is a time of day when they will not be recognized because it is almost dark. It is the time of day when they can wander about without feeling as noticeable to society.
At dusk, Gortsby sits on a park bench and analyzes all the people who have come out of hiding. The first gentleman who sits down appears frustrated and down and out. Gortsby imagines that he gets no respect at home. No doubt, the older gentleman is defeated in life.
After the older gentleman leaves, a younger gentleman sits down and begins telling his sad story. Gortsby at once recognizes that the younger man is making up his tale as he speaks. The younger man cannot find his way back to his hotel. He will have to sleep outside tonight.
Gortsby would have considered believing his story if he could have produced a bar of soap, the bar of soap he claimed he had wandered out to buy.
The younger man appears to be a con artist. His story is a scam. As the young man leaves, Gortsby finds a bar of soap under the park bench. It appears that the young man was telling the truth.
Gortsby chases after the young man to give him his soap and to loan him some money. On his way back, Gortsby sees the older gentleman looking for something under the park bench:
As Gortsby walks back, he passes the bench where he had been sitting. He notices the old man who had also been sitting there earlier. The old man is now searching for something. When Gortsby asks if the old man has lost anything, the man replies, “Yes, sir, a cake of soap.”
As it turns out, Gortsby's philosophy is right. The young man was deceitful. He meandered out at dusk to try and con someone out of money. Ironically, Gortsby who is wiser on such scams fell for the story and all because he found a bar of soap. Gortsby is just as defeated as the young man who told such a fantastic tale.
It is true that the defeated come out at dusk. The young man is proof. He lives a defeated life. He is lucky on this evening. He walks away with Gortsby money.