“The Open Window” comments on the suspension of disbelief that all storytelling is built upon. Saki’s story-within-a-story structure encourages readers to initially believe that Vera’s ominous tale is true. Because Framton is the story’s viewpoint character until the moment he flees, readers know as much—and as little—as Framton knows for the majority of the story. It is only in the final four paragraphs that readers come to understand the false nature of Vera’s story. 

In this way, “The Open Window” turns the traditional story on its head, showing how stories depend on a suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience. The audience of Vera’s story includes both Framton and readers. Although Framton is, in the end, made to look like a fool, readers are encouraged to examine their own reactions to Vera’s ghostly tale and question their own degree of gullibility.

As such, “The Open Window” can be viewed as an example of metafiction—a piece of fiction about the nature of fiction. Every fictional story requires some suspension of disbelief on the part of its audience. In “The Open Window,” readers are encouraged to suspend disbelief as they consider Vera’s tale, but that suspension of disbelief is then proven to serve a lie. The sudden revelation of the fictitiousness of Vera’s tale is unmistakable, but a similar revelation could be made of any story or piece of fiction, including “The Open Window” itself. Thus, Saki cleverly shows readers their own willingness to approach stories and tales on their own terms, no matter how false or outlandish.