27 pages • 54 minutes read
SakiThe Open Window
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1911A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Open Window
The open window symbolizes hope as well as the expansive nature of imagination and storytelling. Throughout the second half of the story, Mrs. Sappleton glances through the open window looking for what she longs for—the return of her husband and brothers. She hopes that she will catch a glimpse of them coming across the lawn toward the window.
However, the window also represents the hope Vera finds through creating stories. For her, the window provides a way of escape both literally—she could flee through it—and figuratively—it inspires her imagination, which is her current mode of flight. The open window is symbolic of the reach of Vera’s imagination and the impact of storytelling. It indicates that, though trapped in her societal role, her mind has the power to carry herself and others to freedom because its possibilities are endless—something she displays as she creates two stories in quick succession inspired by movement through the window.
The Aunt
Mrs. Sappleton symbolizes Edwardian society and its customs and etiquette. She is a lady of the house who thrives on appearances and attempts to play her hostess role well. She “whirls” into the story with apologies for being late, suggesting that she has fallen short of her duties as the woman of the house by not promptly greeting her guest upon his arrival (Paragraph 15). Instead, her niece, not quite old enough to be presented into society, receives Framton, and unbeknownst to the hostess, introduces chaos because of the lapse in etiquette.
The aunt continues to represent Edwardian etiquette as she engages in small talk, seemingly uninterested in who she is hosting and instead “rattling on” about subjects uninteresting to him (Paragraph 19). Rather than being allowed to play the part of the perfect hostess, the aunt—thus Edwardian society—is subverted by the next generation in the form of a disruptive young niece. Her role is challenged, and she loses control of her house.
Storytelling
Saki uses the motif of storytelling throughout “The Open Window” to express Vera’s longing for escape through imagination, highlighting the theme of Longing for Escape. As the story begins, the niece searches for a way to escape her situation, the temporary entertainment of the stranger visiting her aunt. As soon as she is certain that her victim knows nothing of her aunt, Vera begins telling a story based on fact—her uncle and his brothers-in-law did leave through the window to hunt with their spaniel—but completely false. Her need to escape spurs her to add dramatic elements to her tale for the sake of manipulating Framton. She weaves a story that a gullible man will believe, complete with her own “little shudder” to assure the truth of her account (Paragraph 15).
As a result of Vera’s story, Framton is scared to the point of fleeing the home upon the return of the hunting party. However, this only heightens Vera’s need for escape—now she needs an escape from her part in Framton’s breach of etiquette. Once again, she turns to storytelling to satisfy her longing and her imagination by creating another story, this time about Framton. For Vera, storytelling is a means of escape from a reality she deems dull. It is a method of controlling the outcomes of situations in which she has little formal power. She gains agency with every lie she tells.
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