The theme of this story is you can’t escape death. in the story Death is talking and explaining to the merchant that she wasn't threatening the servant. The servant left thinking he could run away from death. In the end Death told the merchant she had an appointment with the servant in Samarra where the servant fled to just so he could escape. Even though the servant though he escaped, he just ended up going along with what fate had for him and couldn't change his fate/destiny. When the merchant asked Death why did you make a threatening gesture towards the servant, Death herself said “That was not a threatening gesture... for I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra”