Symbolism In The Open Window

The contrast between appearance and reality exists in the world, and remains extremely prominent in literature. Irony exists in literature to show this differing perspective of reality, while foreshadow gives the reader minor hints at what the author actually plans to happen at the end. Symbolism usually appears in literature when an author gives an item a deeper meaning than the actual meaning. All play a crucial role in the creation of the highly-entertaining and highly-regarded short story, “The Open Window.” After reading the short story, “The Open Window,” and researching the life of Saki’s, the reader can determine that the most influential literary elements used include verbal and situational irony, foreshadowing Vera’s intentions,

Framton Nuttel moving to the countryside on a request of his doctor to help cure his nervousness. Prior to his arrival, his sister, who lived in the same village, provides him with a letter containing names of people for him to visit. Mr. Framton Nuttel decides to go visit a Mrs. Sappleton first because she was one of the “nice people” that lived in the village. When he arrived at the home, her niece, Vera, greets him first, then begins to tell Mr. Framton Nuttel the reason behind why her aunt keeps the “French window” open all the time. She tells him that “three years ago today” her aunt had lost her “husband and her two younger brothers” in a hunting tragedy. She explains that her aunt had never come to terms with their passing, and she continues to believe that “they will come back someday” (Munro 356). After vera concludes her story, Mrs. Sappleton comes to greet Mr. Framton Nuttel, and she proceeds to tell him her “husband, two brothers, and brown dog” will be arriving home any minute, therefore confirming Veras story. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Sappleton rejoices that her husband and brothers had arrived “just in time for tea.” Petrified, Mr. Framton turns his head towards the window and sees “three figures” heading straight towards the open window, and bolts for fear he has seen a ghost. Vera later has to explain to them that Mr. Nuttel bolted from the house because “he had a horror of dogs” (Munro

Sappleton's house. First and foremost, it symbolizes Mrs. Sappleton's undeniable hope that her husband and two brothers will return home from their hunting adventure. Vera further demonstrates her clever mind by anticipating that her aunt will mention and explain the open window. To Mr. Framton this shows that even three years later she has not given up hope for their return. It also expresses that no matter how much time passes she will always talk about them as if they were still with her (Munro 537).
Furthermore, after analyzing the short story “The Open Window” one can infer that the title expresses that the window will be a crucial element throughout the story. It becomes the foundation for the lie that Vera tells. Saki used the symbol of the open window, foreshadowing, situational and verbal irony to shape one of his most beloved short story, “The Open Window.” The last line of the indicates that Vera will always be able to take any situation and turn into her own