Irony

Did You Know?

The Hatfield clan in 1897

One of the major themes in the short story, "The Interlopers," warns against holding grudges. The story illustrates the downside of dwelling on the past and holding onto anger and hatred. In fact, there are many similar warnings against feuds and maintaining grudges in popular literature: the Capulets and Montagues in Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the Corleones and Tattaglias in Mario Puzo's The Godfather, and Captain Ahab and the white whale in Herman Melville's Moby Dick.

One of the most famous feuds in American history is that between the Hatfields and the McCoys. Did you know that the Hatfield-McCoy feud almost started a war between West Virginia and Kentucky in the late 1880's? The ownership of a hog initially started the feud. One family said the hog belonged to them because it was on their land and they fed it. The other family said the hog was their property because it had their "notches" (similar to a brand on cattle) on the ears. The feud lasted almost thirty years, and four Hatfields and seven McCoys were killed during this time.

Does it sound strange that one of the most famous feuds in history started over the ownership of a hog? Most people might believe a feud would start over something more serious. However, in this instance, what you expect to be the answer is almost the exact opposite.