In "Dusk," H. H. Munro explores the theme of perception versus reality through the contrasting images Gortsby creates in his mind about the people who pass him by. He perceives the elderly gentleman as a poignant representation of failure and loneliness, imagining a life devoid of respect and warmth, which highlights the reality of societal neglect faced by many. Meanwhile, the arrival of the young man shifts the tone, as his outward appearance suggests privilege, yet his angry outburst indicates inner turmoil. This juxtaposition reveals that external appearances often mask deeper struggles, leading Gortsby—and the reader—to question the true nature of those around them, reinforcing the idea that reality is often more complex than initial perceptions suggest.
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.
Use the story to answer the question. In 3–5 sentences, analyze how the theme of perception versus reality emerges and is shaped and refined in the excerpts from the story “Dusk” by H. H. Munro. (4 points)
1 answer