The Interlopers

“The forest lands of Gradwitz were of wide extent and well stocked with game; the narrow strip of precipitous woodland that lay on its outskirt was not remarkable for the fame it harbored or the shooting it afforded, but it was the most jealously guarded of all its owner’s possessions.”

By juxtaposing the rest of the lands held by Ulrich’s family, the significance of the disputed tract comes into question. It raises questions about the rationale for continuing the family feud as well as about what emotions the conflict is engendering in the adversaries. Later, Ulrich recognizes the insignificance of the parcel and dismisses the feud as foolish.

“The neighbor feud had grown into a personal one since Ulrich had come to be head of his family; if there was a man in the world whom he detested and wished ill to it was Georg Znaeym, the inheritor of the quarrel and the tireless game-snatcher and raider of the disputed border-forest.”

One of the questions raised by the first quotation is answered here: the feud has turned to vehement hatred. The use of the word “inheritor” tells the reader that the quarrel is not the men’s own but one passed down through generations. The labels Ulrich uses for Georg (“game-snatcher and raider”) show that Ulrich views Georg not as a person but as a series of criminal actions and violations.

“The feud might, perhaps, have died down or been compromised if the personal ill-will of the two men had not stood in the way; as boys they had thirsted for one another’s blood, as men each prayed that misfortune might fall on the other […].”

This suggests that the other family members or loyal followers of the family were not as involved or interested in keeping the feud going. The fight has gone out of proportion, and now the men are willing to spill blood over it. Praying for misfortune to befall the other becomes ironic as the story unfolds as misfortune befalls both of them.