illustration of a young girl looking out a window at ghostly figures

The Open Window

by Saki

Start Free Trial

Discussion Topic

Irony in "The Open Window"

Summary:

The irony in "The Open Window" lies in the unexpected twist at the end. The reader and the protagonist, Mr. Nuttel, are led to believe Vera's fabricated story about the open window and the supposed ghosts. The true irony is revealed when it becomes clear that Vera has been deceiving Mr. Nuttel all along, showcasing her talent for creating convincing, yet false, narratives.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is an example of irony in "The Open Window," and its type?

Situational irony plays on our expectations of what should be or what will happen by having something different or opposite occur. An example of this story's situation irony comes from the presupposition that being in a quiet country setting will help Mr. Nuttel's shattered nerves to heal. In fact, the opposite occurs, as Vera's ghost story leaves him more shattered than ever.

A second example of situational irony is Mr. Nuttel's sister's assertion that he will better off visiting people in the country than being on his own. She says,

you will bury yourself down there and not speak to a living soul, and your nerves will be worse than ever from moping. I shall just give you letters of introduction to all the people I know there.

Ironically, Mr. Nuttel would have been better off by himself.

The chief example of situational irony is Vera's elaborate fiction about her aunt's "great tragedy." Our expectation is that people tell the truth and, moreover, don't behave maliciously, especially with a person who is vulnerable. The seemingly kind Vera shows she is anything but sweet and helpful to Mr. Nuttel by telling him a false story that drives him away. The irony is that Mr. Nuttel takes her at face value. It doesn't occur to him that she might want to be rid of him or harm him.

Dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows something that a character or characters in a story do not. In this case, the reader has learned what Mrs. Sappleton has not: that Vera is a liar. Therefore, Mrs. Sappleton seemingly accepts Vera's fantastic explanation of Mr. Nuttel's sudden departure:

he told me he had a horror of dogs. He was once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Ganges by a pack of pariah dogs, and had to spend the night in a newly dug grave with the creatures snarling and grinning and foaming just above him.

Verbal irony occurs when an utterance means the opposite of its surface meaning. This occurs in the last sentence, when the narrator drily observes that

Romance at short notice was her [Vera's] specialty.

Horror and cold-blooded malice are actually her specialties, even if she might believe otherwise.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is an example of irony in "The Open Window," and its type?

Generally speaking, there are three main forms of irony: situational irony, verbal irony, and dramatic irony. I would say that "The Open Window" contains both situational and dramatic irony.

Situational irony always involves a tension between one's expectations for a given sequence of events and the outcomes that result from it. We see, in "The Open Window," a very interesting form of situational irony which ultimately plays on the expectations of its readers. Once Vera has told Framton Nuttel about the tragedy of her aunt, Saki's story has many of the trappings of a Gothic ghost story. This effect becomes even stronger when the men return from their hunting trip and step through the open window. However, when you come to the story's end, these earlier expectations are swiftly dashed with the revelation that Vera has made this entire story up.

In addition, there is an element of dramatic irony as well when the topic of Mr. Nuttel comes up in conversation. Vera spins another story, stating that Nuttel fled on account of his fear of dogs. Dramatic irony is created when the audience is aware of key information that characters within the story are unaware of. In this case, readers would know this account to be another fabrication.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is an example of irony in "The Open Window," and its type?

There is a truly delicious irony in Vera's name. Vera is the Latin word for truth, and yet this mischievous young lady has shown herself constitutionally incapable of telling the truth. A chronic teller of tall-tales whose name is truth is ironic indeed. This is an example of verbal irony.

Vera also provides us with an example of dramatic irony when she spins her tale about Framton Nuttel being afraid of dogs. We know full well this isn't true, but her family seems utterly convinced.

And there's also an example of situational irony when Mr. Sappleton and his brothers return home from their hunting expedition, alive and well. This is not what we'd been led to expect would happen. After all, we as readers have been fooled by Vera's tall story as much as poor old Framton.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is an example of irony in "The Open Window," and its type?

One example of irony comes right at the end of the story.  Framton Nuttel has run out of the house, terrified by what he thinks are ghost people and a ghost dog.  The audience may expect that Vera would "come clean" and tell her aunt and other relatives that she had told Framton a story and scared him away.  However, contrary to the audience's belief, she tells yet another story about how Framton has a fear of dogs after being trapped in a grave with snarling dogs around him all night.

This is situational irony because the irony is only caused by the situation the characters are in.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the irony in "The Open Window"?

Framton Nuttel is persuaded to come to the country because his sister and his doctors believe that country life is restful. This is just an assumption based on the fact that the country looks much more peaceful than the city. But Saki sems to be illustrating the fact that people are pretty much the same everywhere. Nuttel probably expects to meet a family a simple, kindly folks who are all blissfully relaxed themselves because of their long exposure to the peaceful, restful country, where the biggest event of the week is strolling to church on Sunday and strolling home again for an afternoon nap. Instead he runs into a whole bunch of zany characters, including Mrs. Sappleton whom he believes to be totally insane. Another irony in Saki's story is that the people Framton expects to be so wholesome and serene are nuttier than he is. The monotony of country living has allowed them to blossom out in their unique eccentricities. When he goes running off down the road, he may be thinking of running all the way back to London, where people are crazy in more conventional and predictable ways. We don't see much of the men, but they seem to like to do nothing but tramp around in the mud and kill birds. One of them bursts out singing, "I said, Bertie, why do you bound?" because he knows Mrs. Sappleton doesn't like it. Vera says her poor aunt is crazy and keeps waiting for the three men to return for tea every night. In fact, that is exactly what Mrs. Sappleton does do: She leaves the French window open because she is waiting for the men to come back for tea. She is crazy, but not exactly in the way Vera describes her. Vera is hardly a simple country lass, like one of those eulogized by Wordsworth. She is growing sadistic because of being confined to this lunatic asylum. She probably wouldn't mind a bit if the three hunters really were drowned in a bog. In fact she may have harbored that secret wish on more than one occasion. 

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the irony in "The Open Window"?

It is logical that Mrs. Sappleton should take some time about coming down to greet Framton Nuttel. She would probably be expecting him but would not know exactly when he would arrive. When his arrival was announced to her, she is the type of woman who would want to spend some time arranging her hair, powdering her face, perhaps even changing into a different dress. So it is logical that she would send Vera to greet the visitor, both for the sake of politeness and also to give the young girl some practice in playing the hostess. It is ironic that the girl who is supposed to greet the visitor and make him feel comfortable should be the one to do exactly the opposite by telling him about three deaths and setting him up to believe he is seeing ghosts. It is also ironic that Mrs. Sappleton's concern about the guest's comfort and making him feel at home should result in frightening him half to death and making him flee in panic. It is also ironic that such a young, innocent-looking girl like Vera should be secretly so different inside. No one but the reader ever finds out the truth about why Framton Nuttel fled or what young Vera had to do with his flight.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the irony in "The Open Window"?

I believe that the main irony in the story is in the fact that Framton Nuttel has come to that part of the country for what Saki calls a "nerve cure" and he runs into a demonic girl who concocts a practical joke which scares him so badly that it will take him months to recover. This is supposed to be a stereotypical English country setting where nothing ever happens. It is probably because it is such a dull place that Vera decides to try to liven things up a little by entertaining her nervous visitor. Maybe his reaction is stronger than she anticipated?

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the irony in "The Open Window"?

The theme of this story might be stated as: There is no place on earth where you can find permanent peace, quiet, and security. The main irony is that Nuttel has come to this peaceful part of rural England looking for peace and quiet but finds himself in a household apparently haunted by ghosts with a hostess who appears to be a lunatic. This is situational irony. The facts that the three hunters are not really dead and the hostess is not really crazy are inconsequential, since Framton flees the house believing he is escaping from ghosts and his nervous condition is now much worse than before. Irony is like a bad joke. In this story the irony really is funny, so the irony is like "black humor."

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the irony in "The Open Window"?

Let us remind ourselves of the definition of situational irony. Situational irony is a specific form of irony that describes an occurrrence that is the opposite of what we expected. An example would be a rags-to-riches story, where the poor beggar suddenly inherits a fabulous fortune, or its reverse. Clearly, when thinking about this excellent story by Saki, there are a number of different kinds of irony. The situational irony though that is most important (especially to Mr. Framton Nuttel), comes when, after Vera has told Framton about the terrible tragedy of her uncle and cousins, and we, like Framton, are led to believe that her aunt is somewhat deranged with grief, these supposedly deceased members of the family walk straight in through the open window just as they would have if they were still alive. Note the response to this event:

Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall door, the gravel drive, and the front gate were dimly noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid imminent collision.

Clearly, the situational irony of the story is a great shock for Framton Nuttel, and given his delicate nervous condition, we are left thinking that Vera is rather cruel for the amusement she takes in tricking him.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the irony in "The Open Window"?

Saki's short story "The Open Window" is ironic because it ends in an opposite way from what we expect. Early in the story, we think that Framton is visiting the home of an older woman who has psychological issues as a result of a great tragedy suffered a few years prior. The woman's fifteen-year-old daughter tells Framton that her father, two brothers, and pet spaniel exited through this "open window" in the house and disappeared on a hunting trip; tragically, they were apparently lost in a bog and presumed dead. Vera says her mother cannot cope with their deaths, so she leaves the window open every day, expecting them to return.

When Mrs. Sappleton finally enters the scene and makes references to the return of her husband and sons, Framton is disturbed by what he presumes is the extent of her denial. As Mrs. Sappleton looks toward the window and talks about expecting their return, Mr. Sappleton, the boys, and the dog all re-enter the house. Framton is so upset by this surprise that he immediately leaves. Vera basically leads him to believe that those family members are dead to scare him when they return. She made up the whole story.

Instead of learning that Mrs. Sappleton is mentally unstable and delusional, we learn that her daughter Vera has a gift for making up fantastical stories that sound realistic. She does the same thing when she explains to her mother why she thinks Framton left in such a hurry. She invents a story about a horrifying past experience Framton had with a dog. The story ends with the line "Romance at short notice was her specialty." Saki uses the word "romance" to mean the capacity for telling creative and imaginative stories. The story is ironic because the story's conclusion does not reveal Mrs. Sappleton's mental illness but Vera's storytelling skill. 

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the irony in "The Open Window"?

The open window looks perfectly innocent. The fact that it is standing open suggests this is a perfectly safe environment. In this peaceful country setting, the inhabitants can leave their windows open and probably don't even bother to lock their doors. Yet the precocious and mischievous Vera can weave a story around the open window that will make it seem ominous and sinister. According to the girl, it was through that window that three men went to their deaths three years ago.

Out through that window, three years ago to a day, her husband and her two young brothers went off for their day's shooting. They never came back. In crossing the moor to their favourite snipe-shooting ground they were all three engulfed in a treacherous piece of bog. 

The tragedy, Vera tells Nuttel, caused her poor aunt to have a mental breakdown. Her aunt now sits and waits for those male relatives to return for tea every evening. Framton Nuttel, the nervous visitor, believes the aunt must be really insane if she has been expecting her husband and two younger brothers to return for three years and still hasn't given up waiting. The fact that the window stands open seems pointless to Nuttel. The dead men can never return to life. Suddenly, everything changes. Aunt Sappleton cries out:

"Here they are at last!" she cried. "Just in time for tea, and don't they look as if they were muddy up to the eyes!"

Nuttel still doesn't feel threatened by the open window. He turns to look at Vera to show his sympathy, but the girl is staring at the window with a faked expression of horror. This makes Nuttel turn quickly to look where she is looking.

In the deepening twilight three figures were walking across the lawn towards the window, they all carried guns under their arms, and one of them was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels.

These can only be dead men who have finally struggled out of the bog and are returning home all covered with mud and dead leaves. The open window has become a menacing thing. It is too late to try to prevent the entrance of the living dead! Nuttel flees for his life. The reader then learns the three men have only been gone for one day. It was all a practical joke. It is of course ironic that Nuttel is staying in the area for a "nerve cure." His London doctors have ordered:

"Complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise." 

The title "The Open Window" is intentionally deceptive. The tall window symbolizes the peacefulness and security of English country life.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the irony in "The Open Window"?

"The Open Window" is a humorous short story, and part of the humor stems from the irony at work within it. In the story, a man named Framton Nuttel is introducing himself around the neighborhood as a means of "helping the nerve cure which he was supposed to be undergoing."

In one instance, he is talking to the fifteen-year-old niece of a woman named Mrs. Sappleton while he awaits the arrival of the aunt. Normally a fifteen-year-old would be portrayed as someone impulsive and naive. However, the niece is described as "self-possessed" and speaks to Mr. Nutter in an inquisitive, almost sly way. She asks him if he knows many people in the neighborhood, clarifying that he "knows practically nothing" about her aunt. She then launches into a story about her missing uncle and other relatives, who probably drowned years ago in a bog, and her aunt's delusional behavior of keeping a window open, believing that they shall return each day. Their disappearance is a lie, but Nuttel believes the girl and is shocked when the men return, running off "without a word of goodbye or apology," believing he has seen ghosts.

The rest of her family, having no idea what caused Nutter to run off, is then treated to a story, spun by the niece, regarding a phobia that Nuttel had of dogs, due to having been "once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Ganges by a pack of pariah dogs," at which time he "had to spend the night in a newly dug grave with the creatures snarling and grinning and foaming just above him."

This is a major aspect of the humor and irony of the story, as this young woman, who is essentially a child, is so intelligent and insightful that she is able to quickly ascertain Nuttel's character and come up with a story to manipulate him for her own entertainment.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the irony in "The Open Window"?

The main irony in "The Open Window" is in the fact that Framton Nuttel is a hypochondriac who has come to the country seeking complete peace, quiet, and rest, but instead he ends up in a household which appears to be haunted by ghosts carrying guns and greeted by a hostess who appears to be insane.

A second irony is in the fact that the hostess Mrs. Sappleton sends her fifteen-year-old niece downstairs to entertain Framton. At this age Vera will be getting training in becoming a housewife who will need to know all the little arts of entertaining visitors and acting as a gracious hostess herself. (It is logical that Vera should have been sent down ahead of her aunt because Mrs. Sappleton would be dressing more formally to greet the visitor, who might have arrived unexpectedl; whereas Vera is only a child and wouldn't need to make any special preparations to talk to a visitor for just a few minutes.) Vera may have been getting too much instruction in company manners and is feeling rebellious. Instead of playing the junior hostess and making polite small talk, Vera invents a story that ends up scaring poor Framton half to death. His nerves may never be the same.

It is hard to think of a third instance of irony that would be comparable in importance to the two just discussed.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the irony in "The Open Window"?

Mister Nuttel has arrived at Mrs. Sappleton's for the purpose of rest and relaxation to calm his nervous state. From the moment he arrives the niece sees to it that he remains on edge. Her description of the "tragedy" sets the reader up for the entrance of the aunt which, of course, makes Mr. Nuttel and the reader question her sanity.

When the three men and the dog come walking through the window the surprise is too much for Mr. Nuttel and he flees the scene.

 
The final irony comes as the niece comes up with yet another falsehood about Mr. Nuttel and his fear of dogs from having to spend a night in a "newly dug grave" hiding from a pack of dogs. We see how incredibly mischievous she really is. 

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

How does Saki use irony in "The Open Window" to achieve the desired effect?

There is one great irony in the story. Framton Nuttel has come to the English countryside seeking peace and quiet for his "nerve cure." Instead he runs into a situation that brings about the very opposite of what he is seeking.

When he first meets Mrs. Sappleton he tells her why he has come to her part of England.

     "The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise," announced Framton...

Vera has already had the opportunity to tell Framton her story about the three men who have been dead for three years, having been sucked into a bog while hunting on the moor. At this point the reader has no idea that this is a complete fiction. Vera knows the men will soon be returning and that Framton will take them for ghosts. Her aunt plays her part perfectly. She says she is expecting her husband and her two young brothers to be returning for tea and that they will enter through the open French window as they always do. Framton has been set up to believe that Mrs. Sappleton lost her mind when the "tragedy" happened and that she has been expecting her men to return at tea time for the past three years.

Framton is seated in such a way that he can see Mrs. Sappleton but cannot see the open window or Vera. When his hostess says, "Here they are at last!", Framton does not look towards the window because he assumes the woman is just having an hallucination. Instead, he turns to look at Vera to show his sympathy. He is shocked when he sees that the young girl is looking at the window and making a horrified face. So then he looks at the window and sees what he has been set up to see.

In the deepening twilight three figures were walking across the lawn towards the window, they all carried guns under their arms, and one of them was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels. Noiselessly they neared the house, and then a hoarse young voice chanted out of the dusk: "I said, Bertie, why do you bound?"

Framton's reaction shows that--ironically--he is experiencing, or is about to experience, just exactly the opposite of what all his doctors prescribed: "complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise."

Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall door, the gravel drive, and the front gate were dimly noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid imminent collision.

The humor in the story is entirely based on the ironic contrast between the peace and quiet that Framton was seeking and the fright of his life he received at the Sappletons which caused him to get the most "violent physical exercise" he had probably ever gotten in his life. The fact that the three "ghosts" were all carrying guns made them all the more frightening.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial