Fate by Hector Hugh Munro (1904)

Name: Fate
Author: Hector Hugh Munro

The story revolves around a young man who returns to his hometown after serving in the military and becomes infatuated with a woman he meets at a local dance hall. He begins to pursue her, but their relationship is complicated by the fact that she is already engaged to be married. As the young man's obsession with the woman grows, he starts to experience strange and vivid dreams, which seem to foretell his future. The dreams are filled with images of death, destruction, and chaos, and they seem to be connected to a mysterious figure who appears in them. The young man becomes increasingly unhinged as the story progresses, and his behavior becomes more erratic and violent. He starts to see the world around him as a dark and foreboding place, and he begins to believe that he is being driven towards some kind of catastrophic event. Throughout the story, the narrator presents a detached and objective view of the young man's descent into madness, highlighting the ways in which his obsession with the woman has consumed him. The story builds towards a tragic conclusion, as the young man's world collapses around him.

By Hector Hugh Munro · First published 1904 · Genre: Comedy, Satire, Drama · 2,077 words

First lines

Rex Dillot was nearly twenty-four, almost good-looking and quite penniless. His mother was supposed to make him some sort of an allowance out of what her creditors allowed her, and Rex occasionally strayed into the ranks of those who earn fitful salaries as secretaries or companions to people who are unable to cope unaided with their correspondence or their leisure. For a few months he had been assistant editor and business manager of a paper devoted to fancy mice, but the devotion had been all on one side, and the paper disappeared with a certain abruptness from club reading-rooms and other haunts where it had made a gratuitous appearance. Still, Rex lived with some air of comfort and well-being, as one can live if one is born with a genius for that sort of thing, and a kindly Providence usually arranged that his week-end invitations coincided with the dates on which his one white dinner-waistcoat was in a laundry-returned condition of dazzling cleanness.

What this Textopian page supports

Fate is listed on Textopian as a short story by Hector Hugh Munro, dated 1904 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Short story
Author: Hector Hugh Munro
Date: 1904 CE
Language: English
Genres: Comedy, Satire, Drama, Short Story, Social Commentary
Length: 2,077 words
Structure: 1 section, 33 paragraphs
Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)

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Discussion starters

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Similar titles

Genres

Comedy — The story is infused with humor, particularly in the depiction of social situations and character interactions.
Satire — The narrative satirizes societal norms and the behaviors of the upper class, highlighting their trivial pursuits and pretensions.
Drama — The plot involves tension and conflict, especially surrounding the protagonist's financial desperation and the high-stakes bet.
Short Story — The work is a concise narrative focusing on a single incident, characteristic of the short story format.