THE OPEN WINDOW

BY SAKI

ABOUT THE AUTHOR...

Saki was the pen-name of Hector Hugh Munro (1870-1916), a British political journalist who worked in Russia and France. He published hundreds of short stories which show an understanding of children and young people who play cleverly and sometimes maliciously on the feelings of their elders. Munro's mother died when he was born and he was brought up by two old aunts who turned his life into a real misery. Greene states that this unhappy childhood is the key to the cruelty in his short stories

SHORT STORY
Short - Can usually be read in one sitting. Concise: Information offered in the story is relevant to the tale being told. This is unlike a novel, where the story can diverge from the main plot Usually tries to leave behind a single impression or effect. Usually, though not always built around one character, place, idea, or act. Because they are concise, writers depend on the reader bringing personal experiences and prior knowledge to the story.

Four Major components of the Short Story

PLOT SETTING CHARACTERS THEME

#1 PLOT

The action that takes place in the story. It is a series of connected happenings and their result. In order to have a result, we must have an initial event, or conflict.

Stages of a Plot

Exposition (the introduction of setting, situation and main characters)

The generating circumstances, which create a Rising action heightened anticipation for the reader Climax - highest point of anticipation - make or break for the main character Falling action and Conclusion. These two are also known as a denouement. MORAL

Short stories usually have properties like the following: Dramatic conflict. Usually the basis of the story. Source of the problems which may or may not be overcome in the climax. Foreshadowing. May be used to leave clues in the story to lure readers to try to predict the ending. Repetition. At the least, it helps drive home a point. It can also be used to create other literary devices. Suspense. Draws readers to the work.

#2 SETTING
The background against which the incidents of the story take place. Not merely a place, it includes the place where, the time when, and social conditions under which the story moves along. This can include atmosphere , the tone and feeling of a story, i.e. gloomy, cheery, etc. In one form or another, setting is essential to the story. Often, the relevance of the story is lost in another setting.

#3 CHARACTERS

There must be living beings in the story that think or act in order to keep the story going. They must seem like living and feeling individuals in order for us to feel strongly about them The worst thing that could happen for is writer is that you feel indifferent toward the characters.If we dont care for the characters, we are not inclined to keep reading. FOUR METHODS OF PRESENTING A CHARACTER: Actions or thoughts of the character. Conversations the character engages in. conversations of other characters about a third character. Authors own opinion. This might be overt, or may be implied. Points of View: Presentation of a Story Author Omniscient (all knowing, all seeing). This is a third person point of view. The omniscient author, writing in third person, sees whatever he wants to see, inside or outside his character, in privacy or public, and interprets as he chooses. Author participant (first person). The author may be the main character, or could be a secondary character. Author as an observer (3rd, person). Involves objective treatment, as though the story teller had no inner sight into the characters thinking or behaviour. Multiple story tellers (3rd. Person).

#4 Theme

The total meaning of the story. IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE TIED UP IN A SIMPLE MORAL. In many cases, stories are packages that allow readers to see the outcomes of certain behaviours. Without a theme, the story lacks meaning or purpose.

Sometimes the theme is stated, sometimes it is only implied.

Short Story Terminology

Atmosphere the general mood, feeling or spirit of a story. Characterization the way that the author creates characters. Protagonist the main character who is faced with a problem. Antagonist the person, place, idea or physical force against the

protagonist.
Climax the point of the highest dramatic intensity; the turning point. External conflict happens outside the character. Internal conflict happens inside the character; (character vs. himself/herself) Foreshadowing clues of hints which prepare the reader for future action or events. Irony contrast or contradiction of what is expected and what results. Verbal irony occurs when a character or narrator says one thing but means the opposite. Dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows more than the character. Situational irony occurs when the contrast between what

appears to be and what actually exists.

Plot action of the story. Chronological places events in order of time from first to last.

Flashback looks back at events that have already occurred. Point of View the angle from which the author tells the story. First Person Narrative the narrator uses I and participates in the action. Third Person Narrative the narrator uses he and she and is an outside observer. Omniscient narrator can see, know and tell all of the characters of a story. Limited Omniscient narrator can only see, know and tell all of one character. Objective narrator describes the characters statements but doesnt reveal thoughts or feelings. Resolution the outcome of a story. Setting the background where the action takes place. Suspense anticipation as to the outcome of events. Symbol a similar object, action, person, or place or something else that stands for something abstract.

Source : www.flashcardexchange.com

STRUCTURE

The structure of the story is actually that of a story-within-a-story. The larger frame narrative is that of Mr. Nuttels arrival at Mrs. Sappletons house for the purpose of introducing himself to her. Within this narrative frame is the second story, that told by Mrs. Sappletons niece.

Symbolism

The most important symbol in The Open Window is the open window itself. When Mrs. Sappletons niece tells Mr. Nuttel the story of the lost hunters, the open window comes to symbolize Mrs. Sappletons anguish and heartbreak at the loss of her husband and younger brother. When the truth is later revealed, the open window no longer symbolizes anguish but the very deceit itself. Saki uses the symbol ironically by having the open window, an object one might expect would imply honesty, as a symbol of deceit.

Narration

The Open Window is a third-person narrative, meaning that its action is presented by a narrator who is not himself involved in the story. This allows a narrator to portray events from a variety of points of view, conveying what all of the characters are doing and what they are feeling or thinking. For most of the story, until he runs from the house, the reader shares Mr. Nuttels point of view. Like Mr. Nuttel, the reader is at the mercy ofVeras story. The reader remains, however, after Mr. Nuttel has fled and thus learns that Veras story was nothing but a tall tale.

Tall Tale

Veras story is essentially a tall tale. Tall tales are often found in folklore and legend and describe people or events in an exaggerated manner. Vera exaggerates the significance of the open window by making it the centerpiece of a fabricated tale of tragic loss.

Themes

Though it is a remarkably short piece of fiction, The Open Window explores a number of important themes. Mr. Nuttel comes to the country in an attempt to cure his nervous condition. He pays a visit to the home of Mrs. Sappleton in order to introduce himself, and before he gets to meet the matron of the house, he is intercepted by her niece, who regales him with an artful piece of fiction that, in the end, only makes his nervous condition worse.

Appearances and Reality

It is no surprise that Mrs. Sappletons niece tells a story that is easy to believe. She begins with an object in plain view, an open window, and proceeds from there. The window is obviously open, but for the reasons for its being open the reader is completely at the mercy of Mrs. Sappletons niece, at least while she tells her story. The open window becomes a symbol within this story-within-astory, and its appearance becomes its reality. When Mr. Nuttel (and the reader) are presented with a contrary reality at the end of the story, the result is a tension between appearance and reality that needs to be resolved: Which is real? Can they both be real?

Deception

Were it not for deception, this story could not happen. The action and irony of the story revolve around the apparent deception that Mrs. Sappletons niece practices. It remains to be seen, however, whether this deception is a harmless prank or the result of a sinister disposition. If the nieces deception is cruel, then the reader must question the motives behind the deception practiced by all tellers of stories, including Saki himself.

Sanity and Insanity

The Open Window shows just how fine the line can be between sanity and insanity. Mr. Nuttels susceptibility to deceit is no different from that of the reader of the story. Yet Mr. Nuttel is insane, and the reader, presumably, is not. In order to maintain this distinction, Saki forces his reader to consider the nature of insanity and its causes.

Historical Context

Saki does not specify when his story takes place, but it is obvious that the story is set in Edwardian England, the period of time early in the 20th century when King Edward VII ruled England. During this time, England was at the peak of its colonial power and Its people enjoyed wealth and confidence because of their nation's status in the world. The wealthy leisure class was perhaps overly confident, not seeing that political trends in Europe, including military treaties between the various major powers, would lead to World War I and the resulting destruction of their comfortable way of life. It is this complacency that Saki often mocks in his stories.

ASSIGNMENT N 2
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. YOU CAN WORK IN PAIRS.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6.
7. 8. 9. 10.

WHO IS THE AUTHOR OF THE STORY? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM? WHAT KIND OF STORY IS THE OPEN WINDOW? WHAT ARE ITS CHARCTERISTICS? MENTION EXAMPLES PRESENT IN THE STORY. SUMMARIZE THE STORY IN NO MORE THAN 6 LINES. AS REGARDS PLOT: WHICH IS THE EXPOSITION? WHICH IS THE RISING ACTION? WHICH IS THE CLIMAX? WHICH IS THE FALLING ACTION? WHICH IS THE RESOLUTION? WHICH IS THE MORAL? WHICH IS THE SETTING OF THE STORY? WHO IS THE MAIN CHARACTER? WHICH IS THE POINT OF VIEW? MENTION AND EXPLAIN TWO OF THE MAIN THEMES. GIVE EXAMPLES. WHICH IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE STORY? DOES IT OCCUR IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER? MENTION AND EXPLAIN SOME OF THE SYMBOLS IN THE STORY