The Open Window

Framton Nuttel is the protagonist of “The Open Window.” The static, flat character does not grow during the story, and he embodies anxiety and nervousness with little additional characterization. No description is given of Framton appearance. The only external characterization is his doctor’s orders for “complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise” (Paragraph 20). All else must be inferred from his diction and syntax, the tone of which seems jumpy, nervous, and easily spooked.

From the outset, Framton is affected by social anxiety made worse by the need to observe Edwardian etiquette. Formal visits, though normal in the Edwardian period featured in Saki’s writing, are easily satirized—the prospect of calling on a series of strangers and performing a prearranged routine seems absurd. Framton’s sister insists he make these visits to avoid going without speaking to anyone, which she believes would make his nerves “worse than ever from moping” (Paragraph 2) rather than “helping the nerve cure which he was supposed to be undergoing” (Paragraph 3). While he hopes to ease his nerves in the countryside, proper etiquette follows him and ultimately leads to his continued torment.

Framton listens to his young hostess relate the tragedy of the house he is visiting, and his nerves make him an easy target for her romances. He is too preoccupied with his ailment to perceive that the adult is reliable while the child is untrustworthy. When he becomes “conscious that his hostess was giving him only a fragment of her attention, and her eyes were constantly straying past him to the open window and the lawn beyond” (Paragraph 19), he assumes she is looking for ghosts rather than the more sensible conclusion that she awaits her (living) husband. Framton believes Vera’s story, so Mrs. Sappleton’s actions cannot be a result of the simple reasoning she provided. As appearances seem to make Vera’s story plausible, Framton is convinced that he has stumbled upon a supernatural scene. In his state of anxiety, he feels the need to escape the Sappleton home with no further thought toward etiquette.

Vera functions as the antagonist in “The Open Window.” Her confident, self-assured nature contrasts with Frampton’s nervous, gullible personality. No physical description is given of Vera, and little is directly known of her besides her being “a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen” (Paragraph 1). The line of questioning she uses to engage Framton highlights her forward nature and indicates that she is seeking to know how much information Frampton has about the Sappleton family. When she confirms that he knows “practically nothing” of her aunt, Vera determines that it is safe to fool him with her fanciful story (Paragraph 8). The narrator refers to her only as “the niece” or the “self-possessed young lady” until she deceives Framton. Then, she is called “the child” (Paragraph 10). This change highlights the difference between Vera as she pretends to be—the proper Edwardian hostess—and as she is—an irresponsible child who likes to play tricks.

All descriptions given of Vera refer to her body language when she engages with adults. Her appropriately-timed “little shudder” and gaze of “dazed horror” display her flair for drama and dedication to the tales she weaves while her insistence that she sometimes gets “a creepy feeling” that the hunting party is soon to return indicates she is intelligent and intuitive, knowing how to bait her audience (Paragraph 14).

Vera is a static, round character—although she does not experience growth in the story, she appears to possess characteristics that make her a believable young woman even as she subverts her societal role and creates “romance at short notice” (Paragraph 29). The stories she weaves are macabre, indicating that she is excited by horror and drama. Her name, Vera, is derived from the Latin word for truth. It is also the root of the word veracity, which means accuracy or truthfulness, characteristics that Vera does not possess. The story ends with a nod to her love of romance, a genre of literature that was considered fraught with lies and inappropriate for young women. Vera ironically weaves lies into her interactions with adults, providing a method of escape from the lonely, boring life the reader infers she has. Her stories are believed, and her enjoyment is complete. Until she begins her second story explaining Framton’s flight at her uncle’s appearance, it seems that “The Open Window” is a ghost or horror story because Vera’s tale is so convincing.

Mrs. Sappleton’s character in “The Open Window” provides the truth while simultaneously seeming to confirm her niece’s dramatic story of tragedy. She is a static, flat character who represents Edwardian society through her polite demeanor and reception of Framton. Her conversation with her visitor is light and sociable, but her lack of attention to him suggests Saki’s disdain for social customs that create shallow interactions. Mrs. Sappleton also fits into Saki’s depiction of Edwardian society through her concern with appearances—a matter of importance in the era. She worries whether Framton has been properly entertained in her absence and indicates that when the hunters return from their day on the marshes, they will “make a fine mess” of the floor (Paragraph 18).

Mrs. Sappleton’s character is an archetype found in many of Saki’s stories inspired by his life growing up with strict aunts. Mrs. Sappleton, like his other aunt figures in stories such as “The Storyteller” and “The Lumber-Room,” is depicted as being out of touch with her young ward and unable to control her actions. She does not take Vera seriously, and as a result, Vera gets the best of her, their guest, and the entire household. The archetype of the aunt is perhaps Saki’s subtle revenge against the aunts from whom he wanted to escape. Vera escapes her aunt and exacts her revenge through romantic storytelling.