Final answer:
Saki's 'The Open Window' combines a haunting atmosphere with unsettling ordinary events to craft a chilling story of death. The juxtaposition of tranquil and eerie elements, alongside the visceral reactions of characters, culminates in the impactful return of Mr. Sappleton and Mrs. Sappleton's brothers, leaving a lasting impression of dread.
Step-by-step explanation:
The chilling story of death in 'The Open Window' is crafted through vivid descriptions and an ominous atmosphere, rather than overt horror. Saki, the author, creates a sense of unease and expectancy using phrases that invoke a gothic or unsettling ambience. For example, he uses words such as 'cry of grief, rage, and terror', which suggests a chilling event that has already transpired.
The narrative technique of showing the ordinary, such as 'the fluttering of swallows' or 'the whispering sound of wind in the leaves', alongside the extraordinary or the eerie, like 'the dark cloud swept away, leaving the clear and silent sky above Goodman Brown', contributes to a haunting atmosphere. The language Saki uses compels the reader to anticipate something unsettling is about to happen, especially when juxtaposed with seemingly peaceful elements like 'the delicious breath of rain' and 'the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life'.
Such contrast heightens the sense of a dark presence or unforeseen threat looming, especially when ordinary sounds take on a sinister quality as in 'the distant solitary hooting of an owl' or 'creeping lives in the ivy'. The story progresses with this blend of everyday tranquility and insidious dread, culminating in the unexpected and bone-chilling return of Mr. Sappleton and Mrs. Sappleton's brothers.
The profound skill with which Saki mingles elements of light and dark, life and death, in the setting and the narrative, amplifies the impact of the twist, leaving readers with a lasting impression of the eerie and the macabre.
The emotional response of the characters, mirrored by the descriptions of the environment, serves to anchor the story's chilling effect. Phrases like 'sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion' and 'a footstep, a whisper, he could not tell; a hard lump gathered in the pit of his stomach' convey a visceral reaction to the unknown, which engenders a similar response in the reader.
It is in these moments of heightened emotion and tension that Saki's mastery of atmosphere is most evident, making the return of the characters not merely a plot twist but a revealing moment into the depths of human fear and the supernatural.