Similarities between Characters in Louise, The Interloper, and The Open Window by Saki - Essay Example

Similarities between Characters in “Louise”, “The Interloper”, and “The Open Window” by Saki Hector Munro, a British going by the pet Saki, is credited for authoring several short stories and plays. Some of his short stories include “Louise”, “The Interlopers”, and “The Open Window”. The three short stories have divergent plots and feature different characters. Some of the main characters featured in “Louise” include Susan Lady Beanford and Jane Thropplestance. In “The Interlopers”, the main characters that are featured are Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym.

On the other hand, “The Open Window” features Framton Nuttel, Mrs. Sappleton, and Vera. This paper will discuss the similarities between the main characters that feature in the three short stories. In “Louise” Susan Lady Beanford emerges as a vigorous old woman who greatly cares about the welfare of other people (Munro11). From the very beginning, she asks her sister Jane of the whereabouts of their niece, Louise. On realizing that Louise seems to be missing, she goes to great lengths trying to jog the memory of Jane if only to find where Louise could be.

In this respect, she states at one point that, “If you could manage to remember where you did leave her, it would be more to the point” (Munro14). She goes ahead to make phone calls on behalf of her sister to Lord Carrywood and makes an inquiry if ever Jane left Louise at the Carrywoods. Susan Lady Beanford has a striking similarity with Mrs. Sappleton, one of the characters in “The Open Window”. Sappleton is quite caring and is greatly concerned about the welfare of other people.

When she enters her house and sees the stranger, Framton, she apologizes for being late before. Her concern for the welfare of the stranger is evident when she asks, “I hope Vera has been amusing you?" (Munro3 2). Her caring nature is also evident in her anticipation for her husband and other family members who have been lost for three years. In “Louise”, Jane Thropplestance appears to be a person who is greatly preoccupied with herself. She seems to care less about the whereabouts of her “lost” niece and focuses on the activities she has done during the day and material things.

At one point she notes, “"what have I done with Louise? I must have left her somewhere"(Munro11). Her short memory perhaps is to blame for her uncaring nature. The two main characters in “The Interlopers” initially appear to share a lot in terms of character with Jane Thropplestance. Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym are so preoccupied with owning the forest that they do all that they can to harm each other. They care less about their opponent and only wish to own more of the forest.

If only for the constraints imposed by the law, the two characters would have murdered their opponent in cold blood in the earliest opportunity. As noted in the story, “Each had a rifle in his hand, each had hate in his heart and murder uppermost in his mind” (Munro2 2). Framton Nuttel and Jane Thropplestance also share something in common. Jane is evidently an absent minded person. Her state of mind is very much like that of Framton who has a phobia for dogs. Framton is presented as an equally nervous person when he walks away from his host’s house without a word of goodbye.

Like Jane, Framton is greatly preoccupied with himself, talking about nothing more than his illness as Sappleton notes, “"could only talk about his illnesses, and dashed off without a word of goodbye or apology when you arrived…” (Munro34). In conclusion different characters in the three short stories are similar in different ways. Framton’s preoccupation with himself is quite similar to the way Jane is preoccupied with herself. Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym are similarly more interested in owning the forest than they care about their enemy.

Yet again, Susan Lady Beanford and Mrs. Sappleton are similar in the sense that they greatly care for the welfare of other people. Works Cited Munro1 Hector. Louise”. N,d. Web. http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Louise.shtml Munro2 Hector. “The Interlopers”. N.d. Web. http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Inte.shtml Munro3 Hector. “The Open Window”. N.d. Web. http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/OpeWin.shtml .