Saki’s Short Stories: Characters, Plots, and Themes

Open Window

• Characters:
  • Framton Nuttel (tired, nervous)
  • Mrs. Sappleton
  • Vera (mature, intelligent, 15 years old, Mrs. Sappleton’s niece, she invents stories)
• Questions:
  • Why is the window open? – Because Vera lies, saying that Mrs. Sappleton’s husband and brother disappeared one day, and the window is open because Mrs. Sappleton believes they will return through it.
  • What stories does Vera invent? – 1st about Mrs. Sappleton’s husband and her brothers who went hunting and fell into a bog. 2nd about Nuttel, who left the house because he was afraid of dogs.
  • Why does Bertie bound?

The Penance

• Characters:
  • Octavia Ruttle (active, friendly, licks people, farmer)
  • Neighbors (3 children who lived with their aunt and uncle, parents lived in India)
  • Olivia (daughter of Octavia, 2 years old)
• Question:
  • What is the penance? – The penance was to go to the cat’s grave at night and say it was a miserable beast.
  • Why did Octavia kill the cat? – Because she thought it had killed her chickens.
  • How did the children come? – They were taken to the pigsties, and Olivia was threatened to be killed.
  • Where was the cat buried? – Near the oak tree.

Morlvera

• Characters:
  • Morlvera (she wore a leopard-skin skirt and accessories, her face has a terrible expression)
  • Emmeline & Bert (10 and 7 years old, poor children)
  • Victor (a boy who had to choose a doll for his historical cousin)
  • Bertha (Victor’s cousin)
• Questions:
  • Why is Morlvera special? – Because she looks like a model in a fashion magazine.
  • Why does she hate children? – Because she seems to have money and is very bad.
  • What stories do they invent about her? – They say she wants to be a rich man and poisoned his wife, she is sarcastic and commits many atrocities.
  • Why is she called Morlvera? – Emmeline thought it sounded like the name of an adventuress in a film.
  • What does Victor do with Morlvera? – Victor threw the doll, and it fell off one of the wheels.
  • What poor history is invented at the end? – He was the little boy that she had sent away to live with poor people, who came back and did that to her.

Sredni Vashtar

• Characters:
  • Conradin (10 years old, with Mr. De Ropp, he was always sick)
  • Mrs. Roop (cousin)
  • Sredni Vashtar (a polecat-ferret, a pet of Conradin)
• Question:
  • What two worlds does Conradin have? – 1. The real, unpleasant world. 2. His historical imagination.
  • Why does Conradin request the ferret as a mate? – Because it makes life miserable.
  • Why does Conradin live only 5 years? – Because he is always sick.
  • Where did Conradin play? – In a shed.
  • What does Conradin do when he learns of Mrs. Roop’s death? – He eats another piece of toast.

Tobermory

• Characters:
  • Mrs. Bembley (organized a party and invited people for a 3/4 day talent show, she has a cat, Tobermory)
  • Cornelius Appin (was quiet but clever, made a scientific discovery, thought animals how to speak English)
  • Tomcat (Tobermory’s enemy)
  • Wilfrid
  • Mavis
  • Agnes
• Questions:
  • Why is Tobermory special? – Because it is a cat who can speak.
  • Why do the guests decide to kill him? – Because he knows what he can tell their secrets to other people.
  • What happens at the end? – Tobermory is killed by the tomcat.
  • How are the guests of the party? – They are intelligent people who play the piano, play cards, and there are also scientists.
  • What does Cornelius kill? – An elephant.

Interlopers

• Characters:
  • Ulrich von Gradwitz
  • Georg Znaeym
• Questions:
  • Why do they hate each other? – Because they want a piece of land, and Ulrich’s grandfather won the case, but George continues hunting on the land, and they hate each other to death.
  • Why do they change their minds? – Because Ulrich offers a drink from his flask to his enemy, and they forget everything.