LITERATURE: TOBERMORY by SAKI

Saki was born Hector Hugh Munro on December 18, 1870, in Akyab, Burma, the third child of Major
Charles Augustus Munro and his wife, Mary (Mercer) Frances. Sakis mother would die in pregnancy two
years later. Brought to Great Britain by their father, Hector and his siblings were reared by two rather
repressive aunts until Major Munro resigned his commission and took his children on extended tours
through Europe to further their education; this period marked the end of Hectors time at one of Great
Britains upper-class public schools.

During this time, the Munros liked to stay in Davos, Switzerland; it was there that the boy made the
acquaintance of the writer John Addington Symonds, a man whose homosexual orientation the adult Munro
would share. At twenty-three, Munro served for a short time as a military police officer in Burma before
malaria brought him back to Great Britain, where he set up bachelors quarters in London.

Munro published his first book, The Rise of the Russian Empire, in 1900, yet readers delighted much more
in his political satires.

In 1902, Saki served as correspondent for the conservative London newspaper Morning Post and saw the
Balkans, Russia, and France before he retired to London after the death of his father in 1908. As Saki, he
steadily wrote his short stories for publication in British magazines and enjoyed such a success among his
exclusive readership that his stories were collected in book form in 1910 and 1911.

At the height of his fame for his short fiction and while he was working on a play, World War I broke out.
Saki volunteered for military service. Refusing an officers commission or a safe position, Munro fought in
France and was killed in action during the Beaumont-Hamel offensive on November 14, 1916.

Two further collections of Sakis criminous short stories and other works were posthumously published;
one, The Square Egg (1924), contains work written in the trenches on the Western Front. A revival of Sakis
work took place in the 1920s, and stories such as Sredni Vashtar have been continuously in print.

TOBERMORY: an analysis

Analysis

Tobermory is a comedic, satirical story about a talking cat; in it, Saki exposes the hypocrisies of
Edwardian society. In this regard, it is similar to Sakis other short stories. Saki frequently employs either
children or animals as foils for adult ignorance, and in this piece he focuses on the latter of these devices.
When the Blemleys cat, Tobermory, learns to speak, he quickly discloses all the secrets and scandals hes
had the privilege of witnessing, causing panic among all the party guests. Tobermorys voice amplifies the
hypocrisy Saki saw in Edwardian society, a high-class society that prided itself on social customs of
modesty, civility, and elegance, and whose members engaged in the very type of indecorum they openly
disdained.

Several scholars have noted the importance of Saki choosing a cat as the feature animal in this story. Saki
commonly associates cats with femininity. Conversely, he associates dogs with men and masculinity
(Gibson 175). When Tobermory gains the ability to speak he behaves in a catty way similar to the
demeanor of the other women in the story. Though he is a male cat, Tobermory uses his power of speech
to engage in a type of behavior common to the women in Sakis stories: he begins disclosing the secrets of
other party guests and openly gossips about attendees (Gibson 175).

Tobermory derives this power in his transformation from a voiceless being that nobody takes seriously into
a vocal being that suddenly threatens to topple everyones normal life and reputation.
Some claim that Saki endowed Tobermory with the particular human skill of speech to make a political
statement about the uprisings occurring in many marginalized communities in society (Frost 200). When
Tobermory was published, communities of women, laborers, colonized peoples, and gay individuals were
resisting various forms of oppression they experienced in society (Frost 199-200). Tobermory can be seen
as a symbol of many of these previously silenced groups of people finally finding their voices. However, if
Tobermory is meant to represent such peoples then it is unclear why Saki had him meet such a sudden
death. It is worth noting that Saki does not allow Tobermory to perish at the hands of the plotting humans,
but rather arranges a valiant death for him in a battle with an equal. Additionally, while Saki championed
cats for their ability to resist even as they were domesticated, he frequently mocked suffragette women who
were fighting politically and socially to resist their own domestication and achieve equality (Gibson 176).

THEMES AND SYMBOLS

Nature (Motif)

The opening of the story invokes many images of nature, including the weather and the landscape.
Tobermory is also more a part of nature than of man-made society, and illustrates how nature and animals
(particularly wild ones) display more authenticity than the human characters in the story.

Innovation (Motif)

Saki mentions the industrial revolution and includes a character in the story that is devoted to innovation
and experimentation. Innovation is mankinds unique contribution to the universe. Ironically in this instance,
innovation serves to lower humankind and elevate a pet cat. In short, innovation puts the humans in the
story in the uncomfortable position of being on an equal plane with an animal.

Tobermory (Symbol)

Tobermory may be a symbol for the voiceless communities in Sakis society. These included women, gay
people, racial and ethnic minorities, and colonized peoples. Like Tobermory, these groups were beginning
to resist their prescribed roles in society and to voice the injustices theyd experienced. Tobermorys fate
suggests that these groups have considerable challenges ahead of them, especially if their movements
challenge the statuses of those currently in power.

Lady Blemleys Car/'Envy of Sisyphus' (Symbol)

Lady Blemleys broken car is symbolic of Edwardian social norms that require people to continually interact
with those they find dull and uninteresting. Indeed, it is unclear whether Lady Blemley actually enjoys the
company of any one of her party guests. Saki satirizes this cultural norm by comparing it to Sisyphus'
eternal battle to do something that causes one great distress with little reward.
Tobermory Quiz

1. 1 What type of animal is Tobermory?

dog

cat

turtle

bird

2. 2 Who is the host of the party?

Mrs. Cornett

Tobermory

Lady Blemley

Major Barfield

3. 3 What does Lady Blemley attempt to sell to Mavis Pellington?

an old car

an antique tea set

Tobermory

her house

4. 4 Mr. Appin tries to teach animals what human skill?

speech

math

piano playing

cooking

5. 5 Lady Blemley invites Mr. Appin to the party because she hears he is

handsome

rich

clever

famous
6. 6 The party guests are unable to hunt because

they have no guns

they are afraid

the weather is bad

it is the wrong season

7. 7 Of the following, who is NOT a party guest?

the coachman

Major Barfield

Odo Finsberry

Mrs. Cornett

8. 8 What does Tobermory threaten to reveal about Major Barfield?

his affairs

that he is wearing a wig

that he is bankrupt

his crush on Lady Blemley

9. 9 Odo Finsberry is studying to be which of the following?

police officer

doctor

clergyman

congressman

10. 10 How does Tobermory die?

in an elephant attack

in his sleep

in a tom fight

the guests poison him

11. 11 How do the guests INITIALLY react when they learn Tobermory can speak?

bored

enthusiastic
 scared

angry

12. 12 What do the guests plan to do when they learn Tobermory can expose all their secrets?

lock him in his cage

poison him

wipe his memory clean

put him up for adoption

13. 13 How does Mr. Appin die?

he is poisoned

in an elephant attack

in a car crash

in a tom fight

14. 14 Clovis considers bribing Tobermory with which of the following?

a cup of milk

a bar of chocolate

a box of mice

a chew toy

15. 15 Who is first to confirm Tobermory can speak?

Mrs. Cornett

Bertie van Tahn

Sir Wilfrid

Lady Blemley

16. 16 Saki associates cattiness with which of the following?

monks

men

boys

women

17. 17 Who finds Tobermory's body?

 the gardener

the coachman

Lady Blemley

the cook

18. 18 What is in Tobermory's claws when he is found?

yellow fur

a treat

his collar

a blueberry

19. 19 Tobermory finally returns to the house after what meal?

breakfast

lunch

dessert

dinner

20. 20 Who asks Tobermory about human intelligence?

Major Barfield

Lady Blemley

Miss Resker

Mavis Pellington

21. 21 Who asks Tobermory about the stable cat?

Lord Blemley

Miss Resker

Major Barfield

Mavis Pellington

22. 22 What best describes Tobermory's personality?

Shy

Cold

Friendly
 Warm

23. 23 Lady Blemley has trouble doing which of the following?

Pouring milk

Playing the piano

Learning German

Dressing nicely

24. 24 Who do the party guests blame for Tobermory's misbehavior?

the stable cat

Lady Blemley

Mr. Appin

the coachman

25. 25 Tobermory leaves the party to chase which of the following?

the gardener

a mouse

Lady Blemley's car

the tomcat from the rectory