Wednesday, January 9, 2013

How does Saki provide imagery in the story "The Open Window"?

Most of the imagery Saki provides in "The Open Window" is in straight prose description. There are three especially striking images in the story. The description of the first two is understood to be from Framton Nuttel's point of view. These first two follow from Mrs. Sappleton's announcement that she sees the three hunters returning towards the open window. Nuttel turns to look at Vera to show he understands that her poor aunt is having an hallucination. But he is shocked to see Vera putting on an act for his benefit:



The child was staring out through the open window with a dazed horror in her eyes.



He immediately turns to look in the same direction, and:



In the deepening twilight three figures were walking across the lawn towards the window, they all carried guns under their arms, and one of them was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels.



This is the image that Vera has set Nuttel up to react to with terror. We can imagine how spooky it would look to see the three men in "the deepening twilight" and all carrying guns. These two images--Vera's "dazed horror" and the three hunters--lead to Framton's flight, which is understood to be seen from the omniscient narrator's point of view.




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.



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