The Open Window
Saki (H. H. Munro)
Objective Summary
Plot Diagram
Rising Action- Mrs. Framton says that the boys should be back any moment from shooting. ("My husband and brothers will be home directly from shooting and they always come in this way")
Climax- when Mr. Nuttel spots the figures walking through the brush ( "in a chill shock of nameless far fraction swung around in his seat and looked in the same direction")
Falling Action- Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall door, the gravel drive, and the front gate were dimly noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid imminent collision.
Resolution- Romance at short notice was her specialty.
Setting
Characters
Mrs. Sappleton: Static because she does not change, does not know what vera did to Mr.Nuttle. Flat because she is cheerful.
Vera: Static because she remains a clever person who enjoys doing pranks on people. She is round because she is a trouble make, clever, and smart.
Conflict
Theme
"Don't Believe What You Hear But, Believe What You See."
Vera obviously deceives Framton Nuttel when she tells her tall tale about her aunt who waits for the return of the hunting party lost in the marsh.Tone
"A most extraordinary man, a Mr. Nuttel," said Mrs. Sappleton; "could only talk about his illnesses, and dashed off without a word of goodbye or apology when you arrived. One would think he had seen a ghost.