Student Question
Who is present in the house on the night described in the story?
Quick answer:
During the night described in the story, the people present in the house include James, the narrator; his mother; his father; his brothers, Herman and Roy; and their cousin, Briggs Beall. The family bulldog, Rex, is also there. The narrative unfolds with a series of chaotic events initiated by the father's decision to sleep in the attic, leading to a misunderstanding and a household uproar.
On the zany night Thurber describes, the following people are in the house: James, the narrator; his mother; his father; James's brothers, Herman and Roy'; and Briggs Beall, who is the boys' first cousin. The bulldog, Rex, is also at home with them. We learn of other characters, such as the grandfather and some assorted aunts, but they are not in the house during the night in question.
As the story unfolds, a chain reaction of events begins when the father decides to sleep in the attic so he can think. When the mother thinks his attic bed has collapsed on him, she screams, and this sets the entire household into an uproar in the middle of the night.
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