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Deception In The Open Window

795 Words4 Pages

Deception is a constant throughout many literary masterpieces and it's apparent once again in "The Open Window". This short story written by Saki tells the tale of nervous Mr. Nuttel and his experiences with Mrs. Sappleton and her niece. A couple of things transpire during this visit that make up much of the plot of the story and it's overall theme. Saki masterfully develops the main character's views and effectively attributes those to the overall topic of deception. The three instances where this is apparent is Mr. Nuttel's over willingness to trust, Mrs. Sappleton's inability to control her niece and the numerous lies told by the niece. One way Saki develops the point of view and contributes to the topic of deception is through his description …show more content…

Mrs. Sappleton's niece is the most deceptive character in the story and contributes more to the topic of deception than anyone else by wide margin. While Framton is over eager to believe and Mrs. Sappleton doesn't have very much parental control, it is the nieces straight up dishonesty that ties it all together. From the very moment she construes from Mr. Nuttle that he knows practically nothing about her Aunt, the proverbial light goes off in her head and she realizes she can have a little bit of fun at Framton's expense. She starts by telling the story of the "great tragedy happened just three years ago". She then goes on to tell the facetious tale of Mrs. Sappleton's brother, husband and dog disappearing during a shooting trip and never returning. She even adds that her Aunt never shuts the large window, even if it's a bit cold, in hopes of their return. If this wasn't enough, after Mr. Nuttle hears the sung words of the previously believed to be missing son's, "Bertie, why do you bound?", he makes a headlong retreat straight into the trail of an incoming cyclists. Seeing her guest run away in this terrified state, Mrs. Suppleton asks her niece what happened and her niece lies to her once again and says it was due to his "horror of dogs". Romance at short notice was her

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