Classwork - The Open Window

SHALOM HILLS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
SESSION- 2021-22 CLASS VIII-ENGLISH

CLASSWORK – THE OPEN WINDOW
NOTES
The most popular of Saki’s short stories, “The Open Window” first appeared in Beasts and
Super Beasts, a collection of short stories published in 1914 just before Munro went to fight
in World War I. “The Open Window” is appreciated most for its surprise ending, in which the
reader finds that she too has been fooled by Vera’s macabre tale of death and desperation.
Major Themes –
Wilderness verses chaos - Saki disrupts the otherwise placid house visit with such strange
occurrences as a supposed ghost siting and a tragic death. The open window is the vessel
through which this chaos enters the orderly sitting-room scene.
Power Story Telling - Saki commonly uses the ‘story within a story’ technique in his works.
He takes this a step further in “The Open Window” by using Vera as storyteller to convey a
theme about storytelling as an art form.
Desire to Escape - Both Framton and Vera possess a strong desire to escape. Vera seeks
escape from the adult world she inhabits through her imagination and storytelling. Framton
is brought to the rural town out of a desire to escape and recover from his nerve disorder.
While Vera’s escape proves fruitful and entertaining, Framton’s is not so successful: it
provokes more chaos than calm.
Literary Devices
Metaphor - The title of the story (“The Open Window”) is itself a metaphor for the power of
storytelling as a means of entertaining through humour and trickery. Reading the story is
like looking out the window in Mrs. Sappleton’s parlour, the window that Vera controls (and
Saki in creating her) and through which the storyteller and trickster devises her own
creations.
Foreshadowing
When Mrs. Sappleton first enters the room she says to Framton, "I hope Vera has been
amusing you?" This is one of a few clues that Vera is playing the trickster in the story and
that the reader ought not believe everything she says to be true.
Imagery
Saki uses imagery to create an eery feeling as the hunting party returns. Saki employs
images like "deepening twilight," noiseless walkers, and a hoarse voice that comes out of
the dusk in order to keep the reader guessing about whether the hunting party is a part of
the living or the undead.
Irony
Vera’s Name (Verbal Irony)
Vera’s name is a play on the word 'veracity', meaning 'truth'. Ironically, she is the trickster of
the story, always spinning a new tale to her audience.
Girl Trickster (Situational Irony)
In Saki’s time girls were frequently portrayed as trustworthy and honest people. It is thus
ironic that he chooses a female character to play the role of trickster and storyteller in “The
Open Window.” An interesting reversal of traditional gender roles presented by Saki’s
contemporaries.
Framton's Fright (Situational Irony)
Framton retreats to the countryside in order to recover from a bout of nerves. Ironically, the
countryside only adds to his anxiety and Framton is thrown into another nervous fit when
he believes he has seen ghosts.
Character Sketch
Vera - the holder of truth and power (through her trickery); her trick is based on a morbid
joke, Vera is presented as the hero of the tale; she saves the reader from another boring
rendering of an adult house visit; a young girl outsmarting her adult counterparts with her
clever storytelling; confident and self-possessed; repeatedly bests the adult characters with
the power of her imagination; her actions posits comedy as a refreshing contrast to the dull
and adult setting and lifestyle.
Framton Nuttel - nerve disorder; came to the rural retreat; nervous man; the powerless,
gullible adult; dull and daft; the ‘Nut’ in ‘Nuttel’ implies that he is “nutty” or mentally
unstable
NOTEBOOK WORK
A. Answer in 30-40 words
1. How did Vera justify Nuttel’s running away?
2. What was the fear in the mind of Mr. Framton Nuttel’s sister before sending him to a
rural retreat?
3. “Their bodies were never recovered. That was the dreadful part of it. “
a. Who said this to whom?
b. To whom does ‘their’ refer to?
c. What is ‘it’ referring to?
4. “Here the child’s voice lost its self-possessed note and became falteringly human.”
a. Who is the speaker?
b. When the speaker uses the word ‘falteringly’, what does he mean?
c. From the given extract, what can you derive about the child’s character?
B. It is always the best policy to speak the truth- unless, of course, you are an
exceptionally good liar. According to this statement what is your view about Vera?
Justify citing examples from the story. ( 120-150 words)

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SHALOM HILLS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

SESSION- 2021-22 CLASS VIII-ENGLISH

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