# Hermann the Irascible explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Saki.

## What happens

In the second decade of the twentieth century, after the Great Plague has wiped out the British royal family, Hermann the Fourteenth of Saxe-Drachsen-Wachtelstein ascends the throne. He is a progressive monarch who drafts a Compulsory Female Franchise Bill, requiring all women aged 21-70 to vote in numerous elections under penalty of £10. The law becomes deeply unpopular, sparking a massive No-Votes-for-Women movement and culminating in the 'Great Weep,' where women weep continuously in public places. Faced with this disruption, Hermann reverses course and passes a bill depriving women of the vote, chuckling that there are many ways to achieve an end.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Absurdity of Social Rituals

The compulsory voting law turns a political right into a burdensome ritual, with women forced to vote for obscure offices and disrupting daily life.

### Hypocrisy and Moral Facade

Hermann presents himself as progressive but ultimately manipulates the system to maintain control, revealing the hypocrisy behind his reforms.

### Rebellion and Individuality

Women rebel against the imposed duty to vote through organized weeping, a creative and nonviolent form of protest that forces the government to yield.

## Character check-ins

### Hermann the Irascible

The progressive monarch who enacts compulsory female voting and later reverses it after the Great Weep.

## Key lines

> There are more ways of killing a cat than by choking it with cream

There are many methods to achieve a goal, not just the obvious one.

_Hermann uses this proverb to justify his indirect strategy of first granting and then revoking women's suffrage._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se/chapters/hermann-the-irascible
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se/chapters