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Mrs. Sappleton (deutragonist)

4. Nuttel’s sister (tritagonist)

5. Mrs. Sappleton’s husband (tritagonist)

6. Mrs. Sapleton’s brothers (tritagonist)

A pet, spaniel dog (tritagonist)

This story uses dramatic method in the portrayal of its characters.

This story has no protagonist or antagonist because Vera as the main character doesn’t face any conflict.

C. Setting

Place: In a countryside house

2. Time: October evening

3. Weather: Warm

4. Mood or Atmosphere: quiet, somewhat ghastly and creepy

In this story the setting is important, especially the time and the atmosphere of it. It takes place on a quiet evening that makes it seems creepier and Vera ingeniously take full advantage of her surrounding to deceive Nuttel. Not only to deceive Nuttel but it also to deceive the reader that the atmosphere is creepy so the reader believe that she is telling the truth but in the end it is actually not

D. Point of View

This story uses limited omniscient narrator point of view, because the narrator knows the characters action and some of Nuttel’s feeling and thought, but he doesn’t know all of the character’s feeling. The narrator doesn’t explain what is in Vera’s mind when she tells Nuttel and her family a tale.

E. Style and Tone

In this story Saki uses irony. Some of the characters demonstrate a mirror image of their names and their personalities. On the other hand, other character’s names are the complete opposite of their personalities.

Vera’s name comes from words that mean truth or honesty, while in reality Vera lies and manipulates the truth due to the circumstances of her situation. Mr. Nuttel’s name on the other hand is ironic in the sense that it comes from words that mean crazy, mentally unstable, nuts, etc. and that is exactly how his character is described in the story.

Theme

The theme of this story is deception; while the moral value of this story is never believe something that you heard without clear evidence or make sure beforehand. Rechecking the information will avoid us from being deceived. It is a sarcastic to people who easily believe to anything from anybody.

Discussion

We use eclectic approach, both historical and formalism approach.

Saki’sreal name was Hector Hugh Munroe. He was born in the Asian country of Burma, now called Myanmar. When he was a toddler his mother was killed by a charging cow. His father sent Saki and his older brother and sister to live with relatives in England.

They were raised by their grandmother and two very strict aunts.
The aunts has many rules. Saki didn’t like the rules, but he had to obey. He was not allowed to play outside very often. The windows in his house were never even opened. Saki rebelled against this strictness when he grew older. He wrote many short stories about clever youths who trick the mean people in their lives.

Saki’s experiences inspired his view of the world. He wrote stories that mock the world he grew in. He showed the contrast between the way people seem to be and the way they really are. Saki grew up among rich people in England in the late 1800s. At that time, rich people followed strict rules of proper behavior in public, but they could play mean tricks on each other while pretending to be polite. Saki knew that children could sometimes be as mean as adults. His view on the world can be seen vividly in “The Open Window.”



We can see Saki’s reflection in Vera’s personality in The Open Window story. She deceives all of the adults around until the end of this story. In this story no one knows about her true intention but the reader and the narrator; Nuttel who runaway before saw the reality and Mrs. Sappleton’s family who don’t know the exact event.

Vera is the portrayal of Saki’s childhood when he wants to rebel against his aunt. He wants to take vengeance to the adults by deceiving them. This story’s theme, deception, is related to Saki’s feeling when he was a child.

Saki uses “The Open Window” as the title because when he was a child his aunt was very strict and didn’t allow him to play outside. The windows of his aunt’s house were never opened. By making “The Open Window” as the title, he wants to be sarcastic of her aunt’s strictness. Even the content of this story is the deception which is made by a child to the adults

The irony in “The Open Window” is the open window itself. The open window is symbolic of honesty, yet it is used to deceive Mr. Nuttle with the story of Mrs. Sappleton’s lost husband and brothers who left through the window and never returned.

The niece is playing on poor Mr. Nuttle who is “resting” due to some type of mental instability. It is further ironic in that everything Mrs. Sappleton remarks about her husband and brothers out hunting is taken differently by Mr. Nuttle. He is horrified at the glibness of her tone because he believes that they have suffered a tragedy.

The sudden reaction and departure of Mr. Nuttle when the men return through the window is ironic, as well. The niece is able to explain his fight by saying he merely was afraid of the dog, while in reality he believes they have come from some other realm.

Conclusion

The Open Window is a good story because not only provides good tone but also gives an unpredictable plot. As we will see through the analysis of the plot, this story is a striking example of the right way to use irony. We may think the story in some way, but in the end it turns out to be different than we originally thought. We need to comprehend every single element of this story it also contains moral value for us to consider.

 

 

I was a young man and I lived in a modest apartment in London near Victoria Station. Late one afternoon, when I was beginning to think that I had worked enough for that day, I heard a ring at the bell. I opened the door to a total stranger. He asked me my name; I told him. He asked if he might come in.

“Certainly”.

I led him into my sitting-room and begged to sit down. He seemed a trifle embarrassed. I offered him a cigarette and he had some difficulty in lighting it.

“I hope you don't mind my coming to see you like this”, he said, “My name is Stephens and I am a doctor. You're in the medical, I believe?”

“Yes, but I don't practise”.

“No, I know. I've just read a book of yours about Spain and I wanted to ask you about it”.

“It's not a very good book, I'm afraid”.

“The fact remains that you know something about Spain and there's no one else I know who does. And I thought perhaps you wouldn't mind giving me some information”.

“I shall be very glad”.

He was silent for a moment. He reached out for his hat and holding it in one hand absent-mindedly stroked it with the other.

“I hope you won't think it very odd for a perfect stranger to talk to you like this”. He gave an apologetic laugh. “I'm not going to tell you the story of my life”.

When people say this to me I always know that it is precisely what they are going to do. I do not mind. In fact I rather like it.

“I was brought up by two old aunts. I've never been anywhere. I've never done anything. I've been married for six years. I have no children. I'm a medical officer at the Camberwell Infirmary. I can't bear it anymore”.

There was something very striking in the short, sharp sentences he used. I looked at him with curiosity. He was a little man, thickset and stout, of thirty perhaps, with a round red face from which shone small, dark and very bright eyes. His black hair was cropped close to a bullet-shaped head. He was dressed in a blue suit a good deal the worse for wear. It was baggy at the knees and the pockets bulged untidily.

“You know what the duties are of a medical officer in an infirmary. One day is pretty much like another. And that's all I've got to look forward to for the rest of my life. Do you think it's worth it?”

“It's a means of livelihood”, I answered.

“Yes, I know. The money's pretty good”.

“I don't exactly know why you've come to me”.

“Well, I wanted to know whether you thought there would be any chance for an English doctor in Spain?”

“Why Spain?”

“I don't know, I just have a fancy for it”.


“It's not like Carmen, you know”, I smiled.

“But there's sunshine there, and there's good wine, and there's colour, and there's air you can breathe. Let me say what I have to say straight out. I heard by accident that there was no English doctor in Seville. Do you think I could earn a living there? Is it madness to give up a good safe job for an uncertainty?”

“What does your wife think about it?”

“She's willing”.

“It's a great risk”.

“I know. But if you say take it, I will: if you say stay where you are, I'll stay”.

He was looking at me with those bright dark eyes of his and I knew that he meant what he said. I reflected for a moment.

“Your whole future is concerned: you must decide for yourself. But this I can tell you: if you don't want money but are content to earn just enough to keep body and soul together, then go. For you will lead a wonderful life”.

He left me, I thought about him for a day or two, and then forgot. The episode passed completely from my memory.

Many years later, fifteen at least, I happened to be in Seville and having some trifling indisposition asked the hotel porter whether there was an English doctor in the town. He said there was and gave me the address. I took a cab and as I drove up to the house a little fat man came out of it. He hesitated, when he caught sight of me.

“Have you come to see me?” he said. “I'm the English doctor”.

I explained my matter and he asked me to come in. He lived in an ordinary Spanish house, and his consulting room was littered with papers, books, medical appliances and lumber. We did our business and then I asked the doctor what his fee was. He shook his head and smiled.

“There's no fee”.

“Why on earth not?”

“Don't you remember me? Why, I'm here because of something you said to me. You changed my whole life for me. I'm Stephens”.

I had not the least notion what he was talking about. He reminded me of our interview, he repeated to me what we had said, and gradually, out of the night, a dim recollection of the incident came back to me.

“I was wondering if I'd ever see you again”, he said, “I was wondering if ever I'd have a chance of thanking you for all you've done for me”.

“It's been a success then?”

I looked at him. He was very fat now and bald, but his eyes twinkled gaily and his fleshy, red face bore an expression of perfect good humour. The clothes he wore, terribly shabby they were, had been made obviously by a Spanish tailor and his hat was the wide brimmed sombrero of the Spaniard. He looked to me as though he knew a good bottle of wine when he saw it. He had an entirely sympathetic appearance. “You might have hesitated to let him remove your appendix”, but you could not have imagined a more delightful creature to drink a glass of wine with.

“Surely you were married?” I said.

“Yes. My wife didn't like Spain, she went back to Camberwell, she was more at home there”.

“Oh, I'm sorry for that”.

His black eyes flashed a smile.

“Life is full of compensations”, he murmured.

The words were hardly out of his mouth when a Spanish woman, no longer in her first youth, but still beautiful, appeared at the door. She spoke to him in Spanish, and I could not fail to feel that she was the mistress of the house.

As he stood at the door to let me out he said to me:

“You told me when last I saw you that if I came here I should earn just enough money to keep body and soul together, but that I should lead a wonderful life. Well, I want to tell you that you were right. Poor I have been and poor I shall always be, but by heaven I've enjoyed myself. I wouldn't exchange the life I've had with that of any king in the world”.

The Open Window (Setting, Plot, Characters) by H.H. Munro's (Saki)


Date: 2016-01-14; view: 1299


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