The primary theme of the passage is the isolation and defeat of individuals in society. The excerpt portrays characters who are struggling with their circumstances and feeling disconnected from the rest of the world, highlighting a sense of despair and defeat. Gortsby reflects on his own feelings of disillusionment and cynicism, while the elderly gentleman and the young man convey a sense of melancholy and frustration.
Use the excerpt from H. H. Munro’s story “Dusk” to answer the question.
Dusk
by H.H. Munro (Saki)
So Gortsby’s imagination pictured things as he sat on his bench in the almost deserted walk. He was in the mood to count himself among the defeated. Money troubles did not press on him; had he so wished he could have strolled into the thoroughfares of light and noise, and taken his place among the jostling ranks of those who enjoyed prosperity or struggled for it. He had failed in a more subtle ambition, and for the moment he was heartsore and disillusionised, and not disinclined to take a certain cynical pleasure in observing and labeling his fellow wanderers as they went their ways in the dark stretches between the lamp-lights.
On the bench by his side sat an elderly gentleman with a drooping air of defiance that was probably the remaining vestige of self-respect in an individual who had ceased to defy successfully anybody or anything. His clothes could scarcely be called shabby, at least they passed muster in the half-light, but one’s imagination could not have pictured the wearer embarking on the purchase of a half-crown box of chocolates or laying out ninepence on a carnation buttonhole. He belonged unmistakably to that forlorn orchestra to whose piping no one dances; he was one of the world’s lamenters who induce no responsive weeping. As he rose to go Gortsby imagined him returning to a home circle where he was snubbed and of no account, or to some bleak lodging where his ability to pay a weekly bill was the beginning and end of the interest he inspired. His retreating figure vanished slowly into the shadows, and his place on the bench was taken almost immediately by a young man, fairly well dressed but scarcely more cheerful of mien than his predecessor. As if to emphasise the fact that the world went badly with him the newcomer unburdened himself of an angry and very audible expletive as he flung himself into the seat.
What is the primary theme of the passage?
Responses
the celebration of wealth and success
the celebration of wealth and success - no response given
the importance of community and togetherness
the importance of community and togetherness - no response given
the joy of nighttime activities in urban settings
the joy of nighttime activities in urban settings - no response given
the isolation and defeat of individuals in society
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The correct answer is the isolation and defeat of individuals in society. The passage focuses on the feelings of despair, disillusionment, and separation experienced by the characters, emphasizing their struggles and lack of connection to others.