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

The Open Window

by Saki

Start Free Trial

Topics for Discussion

Download PDF PDF Page Citation Cite Share Link Share

1. What makes Vera's fabricated story so convincing: the listener's gullibility, her detailed description of the hunters, her nonchalant presentation, or her blatant subversion of the social code in lying to an adult?

2. Has being in the country provided Mr. Nuttel with a respite from his nervous condition? What does this tell the reader about the nature of his ailment?

3. Identify other adolescent characters in literature, film, or television who deceive or outsmart their elders.

4. Formulate a theory about why Vera deceives Nuttel. Is she malicious? Bored? Both?

5. What different things does the open window in the story symbolize to the characters? Give some other examples of symbols that have different meanings to different people.

See eNotes Ad-Free

Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Previous

Ideas for Reports and Papers

Next

Topics for Further Study