GCE OL Literature Prose

 

 The Lumber Room-Nicholas

Nicholas is the protagonist of the short story, “The Lumber Room” by Saki. Though no physical description or age is given, the powerful character description depicts an intelligent child with a very creative imagination. Nicholas is portrayed as a child who is capable of creating and controlling events. The shrewd way he does this depicts the intelligence of the character too. For example, at the beginning of the story, he creates a situation where the aunt has ‘been proved to be profoundly in error’ in matters about which she had ‘expressed the utmost assurance’. Further the dialogue which ensues after the children are sent on the hastily planned expedition conveys that Nicholas uses impromptu strategies to put the aunt who does not have his quick, sharp brain into a difficult position as she is made aware of the truth, i. e. the children would not enjoy the expedition, by Nicholas. She loses control of the situation and changes the subject as she is confronted with loss of face. Additionally, the question and answer session between Nicholas and the aunt while she was in the rain- water tank not only conveys his shrewdness, but also his maturity in strategic handling of the situation.

"Now I know that you are the Evil One and not aunt," shouted Nicholas gleefully;

Thus, Nicholas excels in creating and controlling situations to his benefit during a very short period of time especially when pitted against his slow witted aunt. Nicholas’s maturity is especially clear when compared with the juvenile behaviour of the other children. Nicholas does not shed a tear when he is excluded from the expedition though it is expected from him. But, in contrast his girl-cousin howls and weeps when she scrapes her knee and ‘the tightness of Bobby's boots had had disastrous effect on his temper’. The other children suffer without complaining, but Nicholas is not afraid of the aunt and is smart enough to point out her flaws. He criticizes her child rearing capabilities pointing out her lack of attention to the children’s needs, which is suggested through the following line.

‘You often don't listen when we tell you important things’.

Thus, it seems that he is the only child who rebels against the tyranny of the aunt. But, what is admirable in his personality is that he remains cool and composed in all situations. His maturity is shown, yet again when his assessment of the outcome of the expedition is proven correct. The reader does not see happy children at the tea table describing the fun time they had at the Cove.

Yet, we do not witness a gloating Nicholas as evidence around him was proof enough for the fact that the expedition had lost its main purpose: make Nicholas repent his deeds. Furthermore, Nicholas has the mature ability of escaping from the depressing atmosphere around him to enter a fantasy world of his liking recollecting happy events.

Another characteristic is the power of his vivid imagination which is shown through his response to beauty. In the lumber room, Nicholas sees a tapestry where ‘a man, dressed in the hunting costume of some remote period, had just transfixed a stag with an arrow’. The tapestry becomes a ‘living-breathing story’ for Nicholas. His creative ability is brought out vividly as he builds the story and pictures the fate of the hunter.

‘Nicholas sat for many golden minutes revolving the possibilities of the scene; he was inclined to think that there were more than four wolves and that the man and his dogs were in a tight corner’.

Later, Nicholas recalls the scene on the tapestry during ‘fearsome silence’ at the tea table. He creates the end to the story:

‘The huntsman would escape with his hounds while the wolves feasted on the stricken stag’.

Furthermore, his imagination is always ready to animate the inanimate. The sight of the colourful mandarin duck makes him commence on ‘assigning a life-history to it’. All examples above convey and strengthen the idea that Nicholas is not a mere dreamer, but has a vivid imagination and creative power which allows him to escape the hostile world outside. Nicholas is Intelligent and has a sharp, quick mind. The logical built up of the argument to prove that it is not the aunt, but ‘the Evil One tempting him to be disobedient’ conveys how quick thinking and intelligent he is. Nicholas is smart. According to Nicholas, when compared with the lumber room,

‘The gooseberry garden was a stale delight, a mere material pleasure’.

Thus, he is smart enough to prioritize his sources of pleasure. He is able to discern between the sublime bliss gained through the beauty of the artefacts in the lumber-room over the ‘material pleasure’ obtained through frolicking in the gooseberry garden. The gooseberry garden may provide fruit eat and he may be able to play in it. These would give him ‘pleasure’ which is physical. But, supreme aesthetic delight would come from the time spent in the lumber room. So, he is smart and intelligent enough to decide and choose the lumber room over the gooseberry garden.

Nicholas is not all good. Saki’s realistic portrayal of his protagonist as a mischievous rebel shows the complexity of Nicholas’ complex personality. The aunt is the victim of his mischievous rebellious nature. Nicholas is a rebel as he does not follow the conventional standard behaviour of a child; He mocks his aunt proving that she is wrong and is not truthful.

 ‘You said there couldn't possibly be a frog in my bread-and-milk; there was a frog in my bread-and-milk.’

The simple hidden goal of this action would have been to avoid the hated tasteless meal. Further, one of the lies of the aunt’s is craftily exposed by Nicholas in the following conversation between the aunt who is in the rain-water tank and Nicholas.

"Will there be strawberry jam for tea?" asked Nicholas innocently.

"Certainly there will be," said the aunt.

But Nicholas joyfully states that previously she had said ‘there wasn't any’. Thus, Nicholas proves that though the aunt tries to instil right behaviour patterns in the children she herself does not set a good example.

Source: https://www.litspring.com/2021/03/character-of-nicholas-in-lumber-room-by.html