The open window is the main set piece of Vera’s story, literally framing her uncles’ return for the characters inside the Sappleton home. Though each character sees the same thing when looking through the window, what this image means changes depending on their perspective. For Mrs. Sappleton, who knows her husband and brothers will soon be returning from a hunting trip, seeing the men through the window is exciting. To Mr. Nuttel, who believes these men are dead, it is terrifying. The open window thus represents the power of storytelling to shape one’s view of the world outside.
The Open Window Quotes in The Open Window
Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back some day, they and the little brown spaniel that was lost with them, and walk in at that window just as they used to do. That is why the window is kept open every evening till it is quite dusk. … Do you know, sometimes on still, quiet evenings like this, I almost get a creepy feeling that they will all walk in through that window - "
The Open Window Symbol Timeline in The Open Window
