Open Window-- sorry this is late..

I have been without Internet the past few days and am just now getting around to posting these blogs that I wrote... 

           Although I did enjoy reading Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” it doesn’t quite compare to “Open Window.” For some reason, this story just struck my funny bone! I remember reading this story my sophomore year of high school for my English class. However, I don’t think that I found it as humorous as I did this time around. I think that because I was able to remember the story and the niece, I was able to really analyze her character.

            I love how Saki opens the story by describing the girl as a “very self-possessed young lady of fifteen.” Initially, I thought that this is a peculiar way to describe someone. However, as I read on, I began to remember how this story unfolded. Saki writes this story as if it is about a skittish, shy man named Framton Nuttle. He goes into a rather in depth description about Mr. Nuttle as well as a background of why he visiting the Sappletons’ home. The only catch is that Saki does this purely to set up the niece. I believe that this story is one about the niece, not Mr. Nuttle.

            Although not much is said about Vera, the “young lady,” Saki does a fantastic job of indirectly characterizing her. Initially, Vera seems to be a normal, pleasant fifteen-year-old girl. She does her best to entertain her guest until her aunt arrives. However, her motives become questionable when she tells Mr. Nuttle the devastating story of her uncle and the two boys. The detail with which she described the men and even the dog seemed to be a sure sign of the story’s legitimacy… for Mr. Nuttle at least. At this point in the story, since I knew she was telling a fib, I found her story, and Mr. Nuttle’s uneasy reaction to it, quite entertaining.

            However, my absolute favorite part of the story occurs towards the end. Once Mrs. Sappleton is introduced to Mr. Nuttle and his many anomalies, and Mr. Nuttle saw the “ghosts” coming towards the house and quickly bolted out the door, I couldn’t completely remember what happened next. However, the minute Vera spoke for the last time in the story, I remembered exactly how hysterical her character is with her extravagant stories.

Reading “Open Window” for the second time around allowed me to appreciate the irony of this story so much more. Vera is such an entertaining character who we slowly get to know as to story progresses. Saki completes the story with the perfect line of, “Romance at short notice was her specialty.” As a reader, after Vera tells her second tale, I was at the point of questioning what exactly was going on. This line is the perfect closure to both the story and the characterization of Vera.