Analysis of the story

The text under analysis is an is one of the short stories from Beasts and Super-Beasts, published in
1914 was written by a renowned British novelist and a short-story writer, Hector Munro, better
known by his pen name Saki. “The lumber-room” has some features of an autobiographical story. As
his mother died he was brought up by a grandmother and two aunts. His aunt's methods of bringing
up children he describes and criticizes in his stories.

The text under the study tells us about one day of a small intelligent boy Nicholas. The author starts
by telling us: “The children were to be driven, as a special treat, to the sands at Jagborough. Nicholas
was not to be of the party; he was in disgrace.” Then the author explains what has happened: "Only
that morning he had refused to eat his wholesome bread-and-milk on the seemingly frivolous ground
that there was a frog in it." In addition, the author emphasizes the fact that Nicholas is telling the
truth: “The dramatic part of the incident was that there really was a frog in Nicholas's basin of bread-
and-milk; he had put it there himself, so he felt entitled to know something about it.” and that he has
done it to prove his point of view: "...the older, wiser, and better people had been proved to be
profoundly in error in matters about which they had expressed the utmost assurance." Then Hector
Munro tells us that it is Nicholas's aunt way of punishing kids by depriving them from going
somewhere. She did it all the time: "It was her habit, whenever one of the children fell from grace, to
improvise something of a festival nature from which the offender would be rigorously debarred..."
Then the author describes the scene of departure of Nicholas's cousins to Jagbourogh sands: "the
party drove off without any of the elation of high spirits that should have characterized it." And we
see an interesting dialogue between Nicholas and his aunt that shows their relationships and atttitude
aunt to kids in general: "Bobby won't enjoy himself much...He told you twice, but you weren't
listening. You often don't listen when we tell you important things." Also we get to know that
Nicholas is prohibited going to the goooseberry garden: "You are not to go into the gooseberry
garden...Because you are in disgrace..." Later the author describes the ways that lead to that garden
and focuses our attention on tha fact that aunt is planning to watch that Nicholas won't go there:
"Now the gooseberry garden had two doors by which it might be entered...whence she could watch
the two doors that led to the forbidden paradise." But we get to know that Nicholas outwits his aunt,
in fact he hasn't had intention to go there: "Nicholas made one or two sorties into the front garden...it
was extremely convenient for him that his aunt should believe that he had". He has another plan and
Hector Munro describes how Nicholas has prepared for his mission: "Nicholas had not had much
experience of the art of fitting keys into keyholes and turning locks, but for some days past he had
practised with the key of the schoolroom door." And then we get into the lumber room, the writer
describes the lumber room itself and the feelings that it evokes in Nicholas: "Often and often
Nicholas had pictured to himself what the lumber-room might be like...And as he was admiring the
colouring of the mandarin duck and assigning a life-history to it..." The author describes in details the
tapestry that attracted Nicholas's attention: "To Nicholas it was a living, breathing story..." The things
in the lumber room in comparison to the things outside seem boring: "How dull and shapeless the
nursery teapot seemed in comparison!" Then the aunt's voice interupts Nicholas's thoughts and we
see his leaving: "Nicholas, Nicholas!... and replaced the key exactly where he had found it." After it
the author presents a dialogue between Nicholas and his aunt in whhich Nicholas makes a mockery of
aunt who is stucked in the tank: "Who's calling?...Oh, Devil, you have sold yourself!" The text ends
with the description of an evening tea and how everyone feels during it: "Tea that evening was
partaken of in a fearsome silence."

The text presents the piece of the third part narration mainly presents the description ("In the first
place it was large and dimly lit, one high window opening onto the forbidden garden being its only
source of illumination.") and dialogues("Who's calling?" he asked. "Me," came the answer from the
other side of the wall").

As to the logical arrangement of the text, it is presented by five parts: the introduction (“The children
were to be driven… favourable ground.."), the story proper dwells on the departure scene and reveals
the secret plan of Nicholas (“So his boy-cousin and girl-cousin… powers of concentration.”), the
complication where we see the lumber room (“Nicholas made… raspberry canes.”), the climax that
shows the moment of leaving the lumber room (“Nicholas, Nicholas!… from the rain-water tank.”)
and the denouement – evening tea and Nicholas's thoughts about tapestry (“Tea that evening… the
stricken stag.”)

The main theme of this text is the conflict between adults and children. The following words can
prove it: children, older, wiser and better people, younger, aunt. Alongside the main theme, there can
be distinguished a rival theme: kid's imagination. The message of the text is to remind us that adults
sometimes don't even try to understand kids. Such key words are indicative of it to nonsense,
profoundly in errror, weren't listening, often don't listen..
Mostly formal words are presented in the text, but the vocabulary is employed by the author in
keeping with the subject-matter. Military terms help to convey the forethought of Nicholas: skilled
tactician, sorties,favourable ground. Religious words show that his aunt was a religious woman
whose way of raising children was deeply influenced by her beliefs: sin, disgrace, depravity.
Nicholas is shown as a very wise and clever boy for his age through using bookish words such as
“alleged”, “profoundly in error”, “utmost assurance”.

The author uses a large variety of stylistic devices to create a full image of the characters. Throughout
the text the author calls the adults "older, wiser and better people" with irony as the narration goes
through Nicholas's point of view. In the beginning of the narration, the author uses a lot of irony
describing the situation because of which Nicholas is in disgrace: "Only that morning he had refused
to eat his wholesome bread-and-milk on the seemingly frivolous ground that there was a frog in it.", "
to talk what seemed the veriest nonsense, and described with much detail the coloration and markings
of the alleged frog. ", "so he felt entitled to know something about it." to show that the situation is
humorous.

Character of Nicholas descibed quite good with the use of different devices. He is stubborn and sly
but in spite of all these characteristics the author likes Nicholas with his imaginativeness and
directness. These traits of character can be seen in zeugma: “he felt perfectly capable of being in
disgrace and in a gooseberry garden at the same moment” and in epithet "the veriest nonsence". The
exaggeration: "How did she howl..." shows his happiness that he stays at home. The epithet "grim
chuckle" shows that Nicholas doesn't respect his aunt.

Describing the aunt the author uses such epithets as "frivolous ground", "considerable obstinacy",
"unauthorized intrusion", metaphor "to keep a watchful eye" to show that she was a strict, self-
righteous woman. Also her speech in contrast to Nicholas's was primitive to cofirm it the author uses
the epithet "woman of few ideas".

The gooseberry garden is brought before us as a "forbidden paradise". This religious allusion creates
ironic effect and shows the desire of Nicholas to be there. The author uses a paradox “As a matter of
fact he had no intention of trying to get into the gooseberry garden, but it was extremely convenient
for him that his aunt should believe that he had” to create a humorous effect emphasizing the fact that
Nicholas tricked his aunt.
The lumber room is mysterious "unknown land". A lot of epithets are used to show the elation of
Nicholas's feelings: "unknown land", unimagined treasures", "living, breathing story" etc. The epithet
"golden minutes" shows how precious the time in the lumber room for Nicholas. The author uses
rhetorical questions "but did the huntsman see...made an attack? to immerse us into that atmosphere,
to make us think about the same thing as Nicholas. Hector Munroe uses a simile "a teapot fashioned
like a china duck" to show the kid's great imagination.

The end of the story is rather emotional. The author uses irony and dark humour to describe the
dialogue between Nicholas and the aunt. The boy talks with aunt like to the Evil one ironically with
great pleasure. This euphemism is used to create an ironic effect. The evening tea was partaken of in
a fearsome silence. This epithet shows that everyone was in his own thoughts.The metaphor
"maintained the frozen muteness" shows the embarassment of the aunt after this accident.

Summarizing my impression on the text, I would like to tell that I enjoyed reading this text. It made
me think about the gap between generations and in order to be close with our parents we need to
actually listen to each other.