Analysis Of The Fable Appointment In Samarra

664 Words3 Pages
In the fable Appointment in Samarra by W. Somerset Maugham, Death (the narrator) tells a sardonic story about a merchant’s servant who tries to avoid his appointment to meet Death by fleeing to Samarra. Instead of fleeing from his grim meeting with Death he runs straight to Samarra where Death scheduled their meeting. A fable is a brief story that sets forth some pointed statement of truth. (“Fable, Parable, and Tale” 4) This fable presents the statement of truth that Death’s appointments are inevitable. To reach this truth the reader must first analyze the narrator (Death); of which the writer represents Death as a human and a woman. ("Appointment in Samarra" 4) At the very beginning of the passage the author states “Death Speaks.” ("Appointment in Samarra" 4) In these two words the author is showing the reader that Death is not just a force of nature but a human. This is a form of personification, or “a figure of speech where an animal, thing, or an abstract term is endowed with human characteristics.” ("Personification" G22) Death is portrayed as human to help create a tangible connection between mankind and the force of Death. Maugham suggests Death is human by placing her in a setting of the market place. In the market place the author sketches a setting where only the servant…show more content…
They have been known to be less intellectual and inferior to men. These views have been expressed for centuries through many different cultures. One example is in Greek mythology, where Pandora (a woman) opened the forbidden box and unleashed plagues and unhappiness onto mankind. ("Women's History in America") The author of Appointment in Samarra showed these ideas by making Death (the antagonist) a woman. An antagonist is a significant character that opposes the protagonist in a narrative or drama. Death is the antagonist because she is threatening and opposes the servant’s idea to escape his appointment with

More about Analysis Of The Fable Appointment In Samarra

Open Document