Analysis of "Unrest Cure" H. Munro Saki

The text under analysis is written by an outstanding British novelist and a short – story writer Hector Munro. He satirized things that he hated. H. H. Munro is best known for his humorous and very interesting short stories. He uses irony, sarcasm and black humour often in order to deride the human vices and to show inefficiency of actions of moralistic, hypocritical persons.

Saki's protagonist Clovis Sangrail, a sly young man, overhears the complacent middle-aged Huddle complaining of his own addiction to routine and aversion to change. Huddle's friend makes the uncommon suggestion that he needs an "unrest-cure" (the opposite of a rest cure), to be performed, if possible, in the home. Clovis takes the idea to himself to "help" the man and his sister by involving them in an invented outrage.

The title of the text excites many associations due to abstract which is an absurd word-combination “unrest cure” what is very unusual remedy. In whole text we can see the ironic and sarcastic mood which is so typical for Munro.

The main idea of this text is to reveal the contrast that can happens in someone`s life just for a few days from real standstill to extranodinary drama. The nature of the contrast is in wishes and thoughts of Huddle to change his life, to get a shake up, so you should keep careful with your wishes, they`ve got quality to be realized. On the other hand we can observe the situation when the fortune has misunderstood Huddle and overdone a little bit.. The atmosphere of a panic and a great unrest was created by the author.

The time, place and atmosphere in this text related to the theme of course. It might happen at any country to some conservative family. This story represents the third person
narrator, Speed, who tells us the story.

The theme which the author touches upon in this text developed implicitly through the plot, main
characters, descriptions and dialogs. We don`t know how is it going to be finished to the very last moment. To my mind this theme is actual in our life. It’s sure a
confirm of my values, because it could happen to anyone when a life becomes monotonous and it happens as we know by our experience the main idea is not to get immersed in despondency. Furthermore it was written in the bibble as one of vices not to fall for despondency. Applying to simile "to a hair`s breadth" Munro emphasizes how punctual and scrupules the Huddles are.

The author used some especially polite expressions such as: “man should be a gentlemen as well a christian”,  "Remember that your mistress has a headache" to reveal that situation is serious and everybody should respect it. But as a fact it sounds very ironic and just elevates abilities of actor of Clovis. The whole situation is just a big satira to the occassion.
Munro created such atmosphere of unrest, fear, confusion.

The level of diction can be described both formal and common. The author uses long complex
sentences, stylistic coloured super-neutral words. Credit should be given to the author for his
masterful usage of stylistically coloured worlds. The choice of words in the following
expressions, for example, “such a tolerant, humane man”, “a blot on the Twentieth Century”, “region of momentary safety” what creats the certain atmosphere.

The author uses some stylistic devices to make the story more expressive, picturesque, vivid,
objective. For example, allusion - the Matin and Die Woche. Using this stylistic device the author wanted to desplay the intention to involve the Huddles to the full sagnificance of happening occassion, to reveal them the scale of it. With the same aim is used the symbole and allusion “Jews” who were under pression in that time.
One more device is used to reveal the mood of mr. Hudle and his condition - metaphor: “operating with the uncertainty of a telegraph wire during earthquake disturbances”. It discovered Huddle’s excitement, worring and the intension of the moment.

A geat amount of military lexic is used in the text due to the plot to keep the certain atmosphere. For example: “boy-scouts”, “firearms”, “cold steel”, “armed picquet is in ambush near the front gate”.

The tone of the story in the whole is rather ironical. The tone of exposition is a little
tense and the hyperbole used by the author proves those facts: “J. P. Huddle's brain were almost too intense to be disclosed in speech”
The ironical effect is achieved by means of semantic irony: “I have a little practice...next time i would work better”, Clovis announces after death of the postmen by misunderstanding order, "that they will be in the least grateful for the Unrest-cure" Clovis concluded in the end. So we get it that Clovis is on the contrary to Mr Huddle, he`s young, clever enough, brave and has a great sense of humour. We should notice that he is a protoganist of Munro and appears in other stories of the author.

Personally I think that this text is interesting because you don’t know what happen next and
how the main characters will behave. By the way the end is very unexpected.
I think that this problem described by the author is very actual nowadays, because it can happen
to anyone theoretically. Not in this form of cause but with the same meaning. The fortune likes to trick us.