Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
A Close Reading of W. Somerset Maugham’s
“The Appointment in Samarra“
Read the story.
Somerset Maugham’s parable, “The Appointment in Samarra,” is a retelling of an ancient Mesopotamian tale that has appeared in various cultural traditions, including the Jewish Talmud and Sufi literature. Edith Wharton even included it in her autobiography, A Backward Glance, where she notes that she learned it from Jean Cocteau. John O’Hara acknowledges Maugham in the forward of his book titled Appointment in Samarra. Many writers appreciate Maugham’s retelling.
Maugham’s version, which is part of his last play, Sheppey, preserves the core message of the ancient tale despite the changes he makes in relationships, locations, and genders. This timeless story forces us to confront the unsettling reality that we may have far less control over our destinies than we like to believe.
Maugham’s retelling personifies Death, disguising her as a woman in a crowded Baghdad marketplace. Most often shown as an abstract and impersonal force, Maugham gives Death human traits—she moves, makes gestures, and even experiences surprise. She is, in fact, the narrator of his tiny parable.
The story unfolds with the merchant’s servant, who, after encountering Death in the Baghdad marketplace, rushes back home in terror and pleads for the merchant’s horse. He believes that if he can flee to Samarra, he can outrun his fate. The merchant grants his request, gives him the horse, and the servant rides away at full speed.
Then the merchant goes to the marketplace to confront Death himself. He sees her there and asks why she threatened his servant. Death calmly replies that she made no threat. She tells him her gesture was one of surprise, for she had an appointment with the servant that very night in Samarra.
Her revelation is chilling and haunting. The servant, fleeing to escape death, was running straight to it, and his attempt to change his destiny only made sure his fate was fulfilled. Like many parables, this story operates on multiple levels and reveals even more disturbing possibilities when examined closely.
Death is not omniscient in this tale; when she encounters the servant in the market, she does not expect to see him there. This suggests that while Death enforces fate, she does not dictate it. She does not track individuals until their appointed time arrives. She merely meets them with their predetermined appointments. This small detail not only adds depth to the tiny parable but also expands its central theme.
The merchant’s role in the tale is often overlooked, but his presence in the marketplace raises a troubling question: was he keeping his own appointment with Death? After all, Death still lingered in Baghdad for a reason. Could she be waiting to meet the merchant’s appointment time?
Maugham’s parable is powerful because it confirms the certainty of death and because it suggests that our very attempts to escape our fate may be what lead us to it. Whether we flee in fear or confront it directly, we may unknowingly be keeping our own private appointments. The question is not whether the meeting will happen but when and where it will finally take place.
About Pamelyn Casto:
Pamelyn Casto, twice a Pushcart Prize nominee, has published feature-length articles on flash fiction in Writer’s Digest (and in their other publications), Fiction Southeast, and Writing World (and elsewhere). Her essay on flash fiction and myth appears in Rose Metal Press’s Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field and her 8,000-word essay on flash fiction is included in Books and Beyond: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of New American Reading (4 volumes). She also has a 5,000-word article on flash fiction as the lead article in the new book Critical Insights: Flash Fiction. Subscribe to her free online monthly FlashFictionFlash newsletter (first issue published in 2001) for markets, contests, and publishing news for flash literature writers. Casto is an Associate Editor at O:JA&L. Pamelyn Casto’s new book Flash Fiction: Alive in the Flicker (A Portable Workshop), a new release from O:JA&L’s Buttonhook Press, is available now on Amazon. Explore more in Pamelyn Casto’s featured series of close readings: Pamelyn Casto: A Featured Series of Close Readings.
About William Somerset Maugham: W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was an English writer and playwright perhaps best known for novels such as Of Human Bondage,The Moon and Sixpence, and The Razor’s Edge.
Image: The Iraqi Steed Jugaldan by Bhavani Das (?-1748). Opaque watercolor on paper. 12 1/4 x 9 5/8 inches. Circa 1720. Public domain. An inscription [here cropped away] in Devanagari and Persian script at the top of the image reads: “The horse Jukaldan Ayragi with tenacious face belonging to the realm.”
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