The Night the Bed Fell

by James Thurber

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The Night the Bed Fell Questions and Answers

What are two similes used in the story "The Night the Bed Fell"?

In "The Night the Bed Fell," is the family used to each other's eccentricities?

What does Aunt Sarah Shoaf and Aunt Gracie Shoaf do before going to bed in "The Night the Bed Fell"?

Which lines in the story tell us that the narrator's family has a tendency to jump to dramatic conclusions?

List each character in “The Night the Bed Fell” by James Thurber and identify the strange characteristics (or paranoia) that he or she possesses.

What is Briggs Beall's biggest fear in "The Night the Bed Fell"?

Who is in the house on the night Thurber describes?

In what way is this story humorous?

How does the confusion in "The Night the Bed Fell" get sorted out eventually?

What are the tones of the story, "The Night the Bed Fell"?

Why is the placement of the rooms important to the story?

Why does Briggs always keep a glass of beside him at night in "The Night the Bed Fell"?

What quality or qualities do these characters share?

Why does Rex assume Briggs is the culprit in "The Night the Bed Fell"?

What effect does the first paragraph of the story "The Night the Bed Fell" have on the reader? What is its purpose?  

In "The Night the Bed Fell," why does the narrator feel that the story makes for a better recitation than a piece of writing?

Why does Thurbur use this comic tone to confront the confusing and chaotic situation? Why does James Thurber use a comic tone to confront the confusing and chaotic situation in his story "The Night the Bed Fell?"

What are the contrasts between the aunts' beliefs and reality?

Why does the author stray from the topic and talk about the odd phobias of other family members in "The Night the Bed Fell"?

Where was Aunt Melissa Beall born in "The Night the Bed Fell"?

Why is the order of the story chronological?